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Westchester Expert Gives Tips For Preventing Bullying

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Along with the usual jitters that accompany back to school are the worries about bullying, a topic that never seems to go out of the news.

New Rochelle resident Tara Fishler works with schools in the tri-state area around bullying and other issues.

New Rochelle resident Tara Fishler works with schools in the tri-state area around bullying and other issues.

Photo Credit: Submitted

According to Tara Fishler, CEO of New Rochelle-based Customized Training Solutions, a provider of conflict resolution and management services for a host of schools in the tri-state area, at least one in four children are bullied on a regular basis. 

Direct bullying, more common to males, includes physical aggression such as punching, kicking, slapping or embarrassing remarks or actions, such as knocking over books.

Indirect bullying, also known as social aggression, is more common to females and young children and forces the victim into social isolation using techniques such as spreading gossip, refusing to socialize with the victim, bullying other people who wish to socialize with the victim, and criticizing the victim’s clothing or other socially significant markers.

She advises parents to be as proactive as possible before school begins. 

Some general tips: 

* Create allies. Get to know your child’s teachers, paraprofessionals, even lunchroom workers and bus monitors.

* If you can spend time in the classroom, do so. Let your child’s classmates get to know you.

*If your school doesn’t have an anti-bullying program, press for one. If it has one, support it.

·*Leverage your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Ask your IEP team: who should your child go to for help? How will staff handle incidents? How can they prevent them?

·*If your school has a peer advocate program, use it. If it doesn’t, get one implemented.

·*Connect with other parents. There’s power in numbers.

*Get your child involved in school and community activities. Studies show that students who don’t participate in peer activities are 30 percent more likely to be bullied than those who do.

“Kids are less likely to bully a friend of their family,” emphasized Fishler, “So the more relationships you forge, the more your child benefits.”

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