I grew up in an era where school children would go home without telling their parents what they suffered in school. It may be a conflict with their classmates, got scolded by a teacher, or humiliation. We were able to survive them but time changes. Parents nowadays are so blessed. A growing awareness that bullying in schools is not tolerated anymore especially after the Department of Education announced Republic Act No. 10627 or An Act Requiring All Elementary and Secondary Schools To Adapt Policies To Prevent and Address The Acts of Bullying in Their Institutions. This aims to protect children against bullying and other forms of violence in schools.

A fight against bullying is a lonely battle especially if the teacher and guidance counselor of the school did not think bullying was wrong. It is sad to know that some believed that bullying is part of growing up. A child may lose interest in studying. Bullying should not be tolerated. Bullying damages the physical, social, and emotional well-being of its victims. Indeed, bullying in the school has been a common problem in the Philippines and worldwide. Negative effects of bullying on children can last a lifetime and curb their potentials.

Thus, the necessity for safe school program. This program not only covers anti-bullying intervention. It creates a safe and caring school community by providing a comprehensive, school wide framework for the prevention of bullying or any form of discrimination or harassment. There are four kinds of bullying: (1) Physical bullying – when someone hits, shoves, kicks, spits, or beats up another person; when someone damages or steals another student’s property. (2) Verbal bullying – name-calling, mocking, hurtful teasing; humiliating or threatening someone; making people do things they don’t want to do. (3) Social bullying – excluding others from the group; spreading gossip or rumors about others; making others look foolish; making sure others do not spend time with a certain student. (4) Electronic bullying – using computer, e-mail, phone or cellular phone text messages to threaten or hurt someone’s feelings; to single out, embarrass or make someone look bad;  to spread rumors or reveal secrets about someone.

Perhaps not many parents are aware of the ways their beliefs may color their views and influence on bullying such as choices they make to intervene in—or ignore—the bullying around them. Some parents admitted that someone brushed away bullying as just “away-bata”. It has been tolerated as such for many years but we know now that it can be damaging to a child’s learning potential and psychological being.

Collaborative effort of the school administration, teachers, parents, and students is needed for an effective safe school program. The first step in initiating a safe school program is the right attitude that bullying can be prevented. The goal of this program is to use interventions at the levels of the student, parents, and school and to ensure that students are given a consistent, coordinated, and strong message by everyone in the school that bullying will not be tolerated and that we can prevent bullying if we work together.

By: Lolly B. Ravago | Teacher III | Bonifacio Camacho National High School | Abucay, Bataan