CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – October is Bullying Prevention Month and today people across the nation will wear blue as part of the “#BlueUp” campaign to draw awareness to the issue.
Throughout this month, schools in Horry County will participate in initiatives like “#BlueUp,” have students exchange Kindness Cards, and host a series of guest speakers. High school students in parts of the district will also travel to elementary schools to talk to students about bullying and the importance of being kind.
In September, students from about ten Horry County Schools attended a state-wide bullying summit in Columbia and now that they are back on their home campuses, they will develop action plans for their schools to rid bullying.
“Those groups of students really worked with other groups of students of their same ages throughout the state to really talk about the issues of bullying and things they can actually bring back to their school to help prevent it from happening,” spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said. “Acts of kindness, sitting with students at lunch tables, all of those things come into play.”
In the age of social media, the landscape of bullying and bullying prevention has changed because now some students are no longer only subject to bullying in the classroom, but also after the bell rings.
Bourcier emphasized the importance of reporting bullying incidents so they can be investigated.
Because some students may not feel comfortable going to the counselor, incidents can be reported anonymously through a tip line to the school resource officer, through an online form and on the HCS mobile app.
Bourcier says once the school is aware of bullying, it can be investigated and the school’s guidance and behavioral health counselor can work with the student who was bullied, and the student who did the bullying.
“Sometimes we will actually see the act take place, but a lot of times, we can’t be everywhere, so it’s important that we know what’s going on, not just in the schools, but also on social media as well,” Bourcier says.