Do you know Dr. JoAnn Freiberg? If you are looking for resources to help you deal with issues related to bullying and improving school climate, and you haven’t already tried calling her, that might be a good place to start. Dr. Freiberg presented to the Education Law Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association last night, and talked about ways that she tries to help parents and schools address such issues.
Among the resources Dr. Freiberg recommended were a 2006 Circular Letter from George Coleman entitled Improving School Climate and Anti-Bullying Legislation, a position statement from the State Board of Education from 2001 entitled Position Statement on Creating a Healthy School Environment, and some materials adapted from various sources like Rosalind Wiseman’s book Queen Bees & Wannabees.
Recently, Dr. Freiberg has presented professional development for the Shelton Public Schools on the subject of improving school climate, and the presentation was videotaped for re-distribution on cable TV. She has some fascinating information relating to the research being conducted since the 1990’s on the rampage school shootings, to which the recent mall shooting in Omaha, Nebraska seems to be related. If you would like to contact Dr. Freiberg, she can be reached at (860) 713-6598, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Incidentally, according to Dr. Freiberg, we should keep an eye out for more changes to the bullying statute this year, including the possibility of state level investigative authority, language on prohibition of cyber-bullying, a language change from the word “student” to “individual” to encompass bullying by adults as well as children, and the possible removal of the language requiring the conduct to be repeated over time.