ANOKA-HENNEPIN

COMMUNITY 2015-2016

ANTI-BULLYING/ Annual Report

ANTI-HARASSMENT
TASK FORCE

|Page
Table of Contents

I. Task Force Charge ......................................................................................................... 1

II. Task Force Membership ................................................................................................. 1
III. Task Force Work - Year 4............................................................................................... 1
IV. Student event ................................................................................................................. 3
V. Key Ideas and Conclusions ............................................................................................ 3
VI. Recommendation for 2016-17 ........................................................................................ 4
VII. Summary ........................................................................................................................ 4
VIII. Appendix A Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Task Force Members 2015-16 ...................... 6
IX. Appendix B Speak Up, Speak Out: Imagine a Kinder Nation Report .............................. 7

i|Page
 I. Task Force Charge
The Anoka-Hennepin School District is committed to creating an inclusive and positive climate
in all schools so students feel comfortable, safe, and ready to learn. The Anti-Bullying/Anti-
Harassment Task Force was assembled in September 2012 to advise the district on how best to
foster a positive educational climate, free of harassment. The task force has now completed
four years of work.

The task force continues to be driven by the following charge:

Bring forth concerns of students and parents related to harassment incidents and the
districts overall climate;
Recommend strategies to prevent harassment and improve the educational climate;
Outreach strategies to parents and families to build awareness around, address
concerns related to, and gain feedback regarding the districts anti-harassment efforts.

II. Task Force Membership

The task force included 32 representatives including students, parents, teachers, principals,
district administrators, and additional community members (see Appendix A). Interested
students, parents and community members submitted written applications. From those,
members were selected to be broadly representative of the districts communities, considering
gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and area of district residence. A concerted effort was
made to include more students this year, with at least one representative for each high school.

Dr. Jennifer Cherry, Title IX/Equity Coordinator, coordinated and scheduled the task force
meetings. External facilitator Mary Olson utilized inclusive, participatory methods to actively
involve task force members in the meetings.

III. Task Force Work - Year 4

The community Anti-Bullying/Anti-Harassment Task Force shares Anoka-Hennepins core values
of respect, responsibility, appreciation of diversity, integrity, and compassion. An underlying
intent of every meeting was to create an inclusive and participatory space that honored diverse
perspectives. The group acknowledged that members would not agree on everything and all
perspectives would be heard. Group norms and ground rules were established at the first
meeting and reviewed at every meeting.

1|Page
A steering committee consisting of several task force members, together with Dr. Cherry and
Ms. Olson, met prior to each task force meeting to review previous work and plan agendas and
meeting activities to reach the objectives for the coming meeting.

As recommended the previous year, the task force held two two-hour meetings (January 14 and
February 15) and one three-hour meeting (May 5.) Members also participated in a student
event, Speak Up, Speak Out: Imagine a Kinder Nation, which was held on March 4, 2016 from
9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with an event orientation meeting one hour prior to student arrival.
Eleven additional student event planning meetings were held that were attended by steering
committee members, numerous student and community task force members, as well as various
district staff. All meetings and the student event were held at the Educational Service Center.

Task force meetings focused on four primary activities:

Learning about students experience with bullying as documented by the Anoka-
Hennepin Anti-bullying Surveys of 2014 and 2015, other student surveys, and feedback
gathered through the March 4 student event.
Learning about progress the district has made in six areas designed to address and
prevent bullying in the schools, thereby creating a positive and inclusive climate in
district schools:
o Student education.
o Employee professional development.
o Leveraging partnerships.
o Mental wellness.
o Communication.
o Informed decision-making.
Planning the student event and evaluating it once completed.
Evaluating how well district anti-bullying/anti-harassment efforts that stemmed from
task force recommendations had met the charge to the task force.

In addition, task force members were involved in the student event in various capacities:
greeting students as they arrived, recording notes from small group discussions, serving
refreshments and lunch. Task force members also participated along with students in some
large group team building activities.

Over the past three years, the connection between the community task force and the Anoka-
Hennepin Anti-bullying and anti-harassment Leadership Team has evolved, which has allowed
for information sharing between the two teams to further drive this work throughout the
district.

2|Page
IV. Student Event
The Speak Up, Speak Out: Imagine a Kinder Nation student event on March 4 included nearly
100 students representing every middle and high school in the district. The event opened with
an introduction by Dr. Cherry and comments by task force member Angela Diep, a student from
Blaine High School.

Four staff members from Brave New Workshop, an improvisational theater group with a
division that focuses on working with young people, led students and task force members
through several activities designed to help them get to know one another and build trust so
they would feel comfortable in small group discussions. Brave New Workshop members also
engaged students and staff members in a concluding event.

Most of the day was spent in discussions focused on four general topics:
Defining bullying.
Cause and prevention of bullying/harassment.
Dealing with bullying and reporting bullying/harassment.
Education and training.

Students worked in small groups organized by school. Student achievement advisors (SAAs)
facilitated the discussions. Task force members and staff recorded responses for each group in
writing. Because the intent of the day was to hear from students, adults were asked not to
provide input, though in a few cases, they did make comments in attempt to spur discussion.
Input from the discussions was analyzed and summarized by Amy Maynard, analyst in the
Research, Evaluation and Testing Department (RET) who has specific expertise in analyzing
qualitative data (see Appendix B.)

V. Key Ideas and Conclusions

In the final task force meeting of the year, members concluded that the Speak Up, Speak Out:
Imagine a Kinder Nation student event had been successful. The following key messages
emerged from the data collected during the event.
Students continue to work on clarifying their interpretation of the definition of bullying.
Students feel it is important to stand up to bullies, help them understand why their
actions are wrong, and to not be a bystander if someone else is being bullied.
Although students feel it is important to tell an adult if they see bullying, students fear
there will be repercussions and no real consequences for the bully.

3|Page
 Students feel that not all teachers and staff take bullying seriously, that teachers
sometimes exhibit bullying behaviors and the teachers dont respond when bullying is
reported to them.
Students feel it is important to develop a climate of acceptance and kindness in the
schools in order to prevent bullying.
Peer mentors could be used to help counsel and educate students about bullying and
other topics.
Students feel the anti-bullying videos do not work and feel it would be more effective if
students shared their bullying experiences with each other.
Students want more severe consequences for bullying that are known to students and
enforced.

VI. Recommendation for 2016-17

The task force reviewed 22 programs, initiatives, strategies and tools that have been
implemented over the last few years, either directly or indirectly related to previous task force
recommendations. Task force members concluded that one area of the charge to the
committee had not received as much emphasis as others and should be the focus for work next
year outreach to parents and families.

Thus, the Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Task Force recommends work of the task force in year
five should focus on:
Outreach strategies to parents and families to address concerns related to the districts
anti-harassment efforts and gain feedback regarding the districts anti-harassment
efforts.

VII. Summary
The Anoka-Hennepin School Districts community Anti-Bullying/Anti-Harassment Task Force
continues to support the districts commitment to create a school climate where all students
feel welcome, safe, and ready to learn. The task force strives to make recommendations driven
by data so that the district may take informed action.

Year One: The task force made nine foundational recommendations aimed at developing a
framework for anti-bullying and anti-harassment work.

4|Page
Year Two: Building on the framework developed in year one, the task force developed five
action-oriented recommendations.

Year Three: After discussing five themes, the task force recommended focusing the following
year on incorporating student voice into examining the effectiveness of the districts anti-
bullying efforts.

Year Four: The task force focused on hearing directly from students to gauge the impact and
effectiveness of the range of anti-bullying and anti-harassment strategies in progress within the
district. The task force planned and implemented the Speak Up, Speak Out: Imagine a Kinder
Nation event to provide the student perspective. Data gathered at the event was analyzed.
Eight key themes emerged from the data and have been shared with the Anoka-Hennepin Anti-
bullying and Anti-harassment Leadership Team for appropriate action. After analyzing the anti-
bullying and anti-harassment efforts underway in the district, the task force identified one area
of its original charge needing additional input outreach to parents and families and is
recommending this as the focus for task force work in 2016-17.

Additional information regarding the work of the task force may be found at:
http://www.anoka.k12.mn.us/antibullytf.

5|Page
VIII. Appendix A
Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Task Force Members 2015-16

Tony Arellano Nita Kumar

Emerson Badio** Bryan Lindquist
Alyssa Beddoe Donna McDonald*
Berlynn Bitengo** Steve McIntosh
Victoria Brown** Judi Orland
Tracee Cahalan LaRon Patnode**
Jennifer Cherry* John Pena
Annette Cook John Phelps
Angela Diep** Kirsten Rasmussen
Jacob Ericson** Kathy Riddle*
Jinger Gustafson* Linda Rodgers*
Beth Hentges Carter Schrippe**
Diana Glebova** Jim Skelly*
Elias Kinfu** Simone Simon*
Elizabeth Feurborn Cassidy Streff*
Jean King Arnita Walls

Recorder: Laurie Rasmusson*

Facilitator: Mary Olson*

*steering committee member

**student members

6|Page
IX. Appendix B
Speak Up, Speak Out: Imagine a Kinder Nation Report

Anti-Bullying Student Forum

On March 4, 2016, about 10 students from each middle and high school in the Anoka-Hennepin
School District were brought together for a day-long anti-bullying forum, Speak Up, Speak Out:
Imagine a Kinder Nation. Students were selected by their schools as representatives of their student
body on these topics 1. Throughout the day, these students were asked a variety of questions about
bullying and school climate. Their discussions were facilitated by Student Achievement Advisors
(SAAs) and notes were recorded on flip-charts by Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Task Force
members and district staff. In some instances, adult attendees offered comments and suggestions
that are included in this summary. These notes were then typed up for analysis and coded by the
Research, Evaluation and Testing department to reveal common themes among the responses. This
report details those themes and provides a summary of the student discussions.

Key Messages

Several themes from participants that were particularly frequent or strong are summarized in these
key messages:
1. Students continue to work on clarifying their interpretation of the definition of bullying.
2. Students feel it is important to stand up to bullies, help them understand why their actions
are wrong, and to not be a bystander if someone else is being bullied.
3. Although students feel it is important to tell an adult if they see bullying, students fear there
will be repercussions and no real consequences for the bully.
4. Students feel that not all teachers and staff take bullying seriously, that teachers sometimes
exhibit bullying behaviors and the teachers dont respond when bullying is reported to
them.
5. Students feel it is important to develop a climate of acceptance and kindness in the schools
in order to prevent bullying.
6. Peer mentors could be used to help counsel and educate students about bullying and other
topics.
7. Students feel the anti-bullying videos do not work and feel it would be more effective if
students shared their bullying experiences with each other.
8. Students want more severe consequences for bullying that are known to students and
enforced.

Defining Bullying

Most groups shared a similar understanding of how to define bullying. Overall, students described
bullying as:

1
Some of these students may have participated in other data collection activities related to bullying, such as
listening sessions with the Superintendent and/or interviews with government agencies.

7|Page
 Verbal or physical harassment
Purposely hurtful
Constant or repetitive behavior, usually
Acts intended to make the victims feel bad about themselves
Based in prejudice around race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, and other stereotypes

The responses revealed some common areas of confusion for students when defining bullying.
Students expressed confusion as to whether bullying was the same as harassment. Some students
used the term harassment as part of their definitions, while others felt that harassment was more
personal and is based more on prejudice than is bullying. Students struggled to distinguish bullying
from teasing, with some feeling bullying comes after teasing, and others using teasing as an
example of bullying. Several students also mentioned the challenge of deciphering when joking
among friends becomes bullying. One group explained that the interpretation depends on how the
action is perceived by the targeted student. Many groups suggested that the district needs to
make the definition relatable and clear so that students know the line.

Students provided a number of examples of bullying, including:

Gossip/talking behind someones back

Teasing
Name-calling/put downs
Tripping
Sexual harassment
Aggressive behavior toward someone/making someone feel unsafe
Excluding others
Picking on someone/making fun of them

Many groups mentioned cyber-bullying, which was described as bullying that occurs online or on
social media, such as sending texts or posting on Instagram or Snapchat. Students mentioned a
number of specific concerns unique to cyber-bullying:

Everyone can see it

Bullies can hide behind the screen
Happens outside of school
Can be deleted
Easier to do

Causes of Bullying

Students identified a number of causes of bullying, which fall into three overarching categories:

Learned behavior Bullies may have been bullied themselves; peer pressure; come from a home
environment that supports bullying; teachers model bullying.

8|Page
Low-esteem and other psychological factors Low self-esteem; lack of confidence; want to make
someone else feel bad too; diminish own insecurities; hide fear or weakness; feeling stressed;
depression; difficult home life.

Power Make themselves feel better than; jealousy; makes person feel cool; gain acceptance.

Responding to Bullying

Students mentioned a number of ways they have or could deal with bullying. The common
responses were:

Report to teacher or other staff

Tell parents
Walk away, ignore the bully
Avoid the situation, walk with friends
Support the bullies understand their motives, have group for them to discuss issues and
get anger out
Support victims; Dont be a bystander
Stand up to bully, especially as a group
Be a friend/comfort the victim
Help victim get away
Engage the bully
Explain why bullying is wrong
Have them put themselves in victims shoes
Compliment the bully, demonstrate kindness
Ask why are you bullying me?
Show the bully respect so they will listen
Make them feel bad
Explain how bullying will ruin their reputation
Stand up for yourself tell them to stop, report it

Reporting Bullying

Student groups went into further detail about reporting bullying. Many groups noted the benefits of
reporting bullies, such as having someone on your side, having an adult there to mediate, and
feeling like youre doing the good/moral thing. Although many groups mentioned that students
should tell an adult, they also mentioned a variety of factors that prevented students from doing so,
including:

Didnt think of telling anyone/didnt recognize as bullying

Dont want to be a snitch
Scared of repercussions
Uncomfortable reporting/too personal
By the time they report its too late for teachers to do anything
Perception that teachers wont respond/will brush off

9|Page
Many groups commented that reporting bullying to adults doesnt always resolve the situation, and
that not all teachers respond sufficiently or have the skills to address bullying.

To help students feel more comfortable reporting bullying, students suggested they do so
anonymously, such as through the use of a comment box. Students also mentioned the benefit of
using friends for support or to report bullying on behalf of the victim. Students felt they should be
able to report bullying to any adult in the school.

Preventing Bullying

Throughout the day students offered many suggestions for how the district could reduce or prevent
bullying. These suggestions fall into the four categories: School climate/culture, student
activities/initiatives, education, and policy.

School climate/culture

Many groups made suggestions around having students show acceptance of each other and that
bullying is not appropriate behavior. Participants suggested that students come together against
bullying and encourage a supportive and positive school culture. Students felt that if they knew
each other better and were a closer community, bullying would be less common. To help create a
positive school climate that stops bullying, students recommended:

Bullying-themed days/awareness week

School bonding day
T-shirts with anti-bullying messages
Put up posters with anti-bullying messages
Anti-bullying announcements
Students are given common words to say
Remind students at events that bullying is not ok
Invite people in/give new kids tours

Student activities/initiatives

To reduce bullying, students suggested expanding or starting a variety of student activities. Many
groups suggested that schools develop mentoring programs for new students (freshmen) and for
students who are being bullied. Mentors would be peers for students to speak with if they are being
bullied, and could educate other students about bullying. Other activities and groups participants
mentioned that could address bullying include:

Circle activity in homeroom

More cross-section/level conversations
More events like Speak up, Speak Out
Expand Brave New Workshop activities
Revamp high school peer leadership to include bullying definition/policy

10 | P a g e
 School spirit activities/anti-bullying rally
Student led anti-bullying clubs
Have students join peer leadership
Peer leadership/social justice student group led by SAAs
Focus groups
Middle school peer leadership
Assemblies
WE Day
Make middle school homeroom lessons/activities fun
More new student welcoming/orientation from peers
Student leadership forum
Student Senate
Crumpled paper activity

Education

The participants mentioned a number of educational strategies that could be used to prevent
bullying. In addition to increasing awareness through the methods mentioned above, the
participants commented that students need clear definitions of bullying, that education needs to be
continuous, and that students should be taught about the consequences of bullying for both the
victim and the bully. Participants felt that having students share their experiences with bullying in
peer groups or advisory would be helpful. Students also suggested that education should start at
the elementary level and occur across grades and grade levels, so that seniors talk about it with
freshmen, for example.

Many groups across both the high school and middle school levels complained that the videos they
watch are unrealistic and dont work to reduce bullying. Participants suggested using more personal
stories and a wider variety of scenarios, including cyber-bullying.

Policy

The student participants mentioned a variety of rules and policies they would like to see changed or
implemented to address bullying. Many groups felt that there needs to be more severe
consequences for bullying. One group noted that In School Suspension doesnt help. Students felt
that bullies arent deterred because there are few consequences, or they may just get a warning.
Students suggested that parents should be informed of bullying, students should be suspended
immediately, and that the code of conduct should be updated.

Other recommendations or comments regarding policy include:

Have staff monitor social media

Dress code concerns (sexist for women)
Form a disciplinary committee
Need consequences for being sexist
Increase passing time (students can avoid each other)

11 | P a g e
 Have gender accepting bathrooms/locker rooms
Provide times for students to talk to AP during day
Counselors should meet with every student during year
Introduce support staff
District should get to know students

Lastly, many groups expressed a feeling that not all district or school staff were there to support
them and help reduce bullying. Students felt that sometimes teachers/office/library staff and bus
drivers werent always welcoming. They wished that teachers would enforce the bullying policies
more and show respect to each other and students. Teachers need to convince students that they
are there for them and that its good to speak up against bullying. Students further suggested that
having a more diverse staff and making the learning environment more attractive would improve
the school climate.

School Climate Activities and Conclusions

At the end of the day, participants were asked to list activities that they feel lead to a positive
school climate, and then share their conclusions as to what they liked about those activities, what
could be improved, what should be used again or discarded. There were many varied responses
which are listed below. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of times those activities
or comments were listed.

Positive School Climate Activities

Assemblies / pep rallies (4)

Freshman tours
Teacher positivity (4)
Mentoring Groups (4)
Multi-cultural support (6)
Men's & women's clubs (5)
Anoka Family Moto
Student School Events / Spirit Week (5)
Sports (20)
School Pride
Bengal Junction
Student Council (6)
Anti-Bullying Taskforce (7)
Student communications/papers (4)
Youth issues (2)
No ear buds in lunch line
College Possible
Sporting events (5)
AVID
Volunteer Work

12 | P a g e
Fundraising (7)
Kids
Team Building (6)
Free phone time
Passing time
Talent Development Program (2)
Staff appreciation
Talk w/Superintendent
Recess

Conclusions

Pep rallies: Positive, should include all school/individual student achievements

Teacher encouragement & pep rallies encourage kindness (2)
Need more positive activities and more activities in general (17)
Unifies the school - brings people together (2)
Makes things comfortable
Engaging/interactive (6)
School pride
Meet new people (8)
Step outside comfort zone
Leadership skills
Support from your peers
Part of a family
Working together / team work (4)
Acceptance - everyone involved (9)
Good vibes - feel good atmosphere (7)
They bring people together (5)
Some are strictly for bringing change
Some groups feel like you can't join them
Some groups feel like there is someone in charge
A lot of groups for the same thing could be put together
Some groups no one knows about / need to advertise (4)
Yes - create more exposure for newer groups
Getting the word out (2)
More diversity in groups (2)
No favoritism from coaches/staff
Have an activity like this at each school for a whole day
Some activities are small/community
Something to do
New sign - open hands
Words of wisdom: Stand up. Keep your head up. Love yourself. Don't worry. Always be yourself.
What teachers can do:
Pay close attention in hallways
Enforce the entire bullying policy
Anti-bullying rally at our school (2)

13 | P a g e
 Teach respect and how to be kinder to one another - teachers and students (2)
Be more lenient on suggested activities (more thought into groups) (4)
Like homeroom, but want different presentations
Giving back to community/schools/fundraising (4)
Choose what you wanted to do

Vote with Your Feet

During the forum, students were read a series of scenarios and asked to move to the area of the
room with sign that best represented their view of the situation: Just kidding, Mean or
Bullying. The exercise further revealed that not all students define bullying in the same way.
Students were more likely to consider an event bullying if the following occurred:

The event was repeated

The event involved a group
Online cyber-bullying
There was a focus on religion, culture
The event was severe enough that it could cause students to harm themselves

14 | P a g e