Live, Online Session:
Bullying and Protected Class Issues/OBPP Coaching
Thursday, February 18, 2010
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (EST)
On Thursday February 18, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., a live, online learning session for PA CARES and HALT! grantees will be held. The session, entitled BULLYING AND PROTECTED CLASS ISSUES, is offered by the Center for Safe Schools through funding provided by Highmark Healthy High 5, an initiative of the Highmark Foundation.
Participants in this session will:
- be introduced to the concepts of criminal and civil liability
- learn the definition of protected class, as it relates to issues of race, gender, and disability-related harassment; and
- apply these concepts to a case study of bullying in schools
Following a 30-minute presentation, participants will have the opportunity to meet online with a Pennsylvania Olweus Technical Assistance Consultant (OTAC) to obtain general support with implementation issues related to the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). Legal questions related to specific issues in your schools will not be addressed.
If you are currently working in a PA CARES and HALT! school, please consider attending this session to learn about bullying and the law.
REGISTER NOW
Click here to register for this live, online session
There is no cost to participate.
All registrants will receive an e-mail confirmation regarding the status of their participation and instructions on how to access the meeting room in order to participate in the event.
Downloading the necessary software to participate in the online session is easy and can be obtained for free.
If you have any questions about this online session, please contact Debby Barry at the Center for Schools and Communities at dbarry@csc.csiu.org or call 717.763.1661 ext. 114.
PA CARES Bullying Prevention Grant Application
Announcement of new GRANT FUNDING to prevent bullying in Pennsylvania Schools
The Center for Safe Schools and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, through a unique partnership with Highmark Healthy High 5, an initiative of the Highmark Foundation, is pleased to announce the availability of grants of up to $7500 for Pennsylvania schools to address the serious issue of bullying.
The Center for Safe Schools (CSS) administers the PA CARES (Creating an Atmosphere of Respect and Environment for Success) initiative. This program strives to help school personnel strengthen their efforts to eliminate bullying behaviors and provide safe and nurturing learning environments. The PA CARES initiative provides bullying prevention readiness tools, technical assistance support and resources to selected schools across the Highmark regions of Pennsylvania. From the applications received in response to this announcement, the CSS will select up to 35 schools to receive PA CARES initiative funding during 2009-10, for implementation during 2010-11 school year.
Selected schools will be expected to fully implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) for at least three years, complete the online Preventing School Violence Readiness Series and participate in training and evaluation activities conducted by the Center for Safe Schools.
The deadline for submission was November 6, 2009. For more information, please click here.
Readiness Series
The Center for Safe Schools, through funding provided by Highmark Healthy High 5, an initiative of the Highmark Foundation, announces the availability of the Readiness Series to Implement Comprehensive School Violence Programs online course.
This course has been developed to provide individuals, school teams and districts with an overview of research findings and tools to help determine readiness for successful implementation and sustainability of comprehensive violence prevention programs. Examining needs, organizational structures and capacities, existing policies, overall climate and existing resources are all essential steps to be taken prior to selecting a systems-wide approach to improving school climate. Upon completion of this series, users will have a more in depth understanding of the necessity of attending to elements of readiness as part of ongoing school safety planning and youth violence prevention programming.
The Readiness Series is relevant to potential grant applicants, particularly those who may wish to apply for bullying prevention funding as part of the PA CARES initiative. The PA CARES (Creating an Atmosphere of Respect and Environment for Success) initiative, funded by the Highmark Foundation’s Healthy High 5 Initiative, offers schools within Highmark service regions the opportunity to apply for a mini-grant to implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). Completion of the Readiness Series is a requirement of the PA CARES application process. A grant announcement for PA CARES Cohort 3 is expected to be released in late September 2009. School representatives are encouraged to complete the Readiness Series in advance of the application process.
The Readiness Series can be accessed by clicking here.