March 28, 2018

Buckbee, New Milford Youth Services Host Anti-Bullying Forum

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PHOTO (from left to right): Scott Hoffman, Health Education Teacher, Schaghticoke Middle School; Principal Christopher Longo, Schaghticoke Middle School; Leslie Carson, CT State Dept. of Education, Turnaround Office Consultant; Superintendent Josh Smith, New Milford Public Schools; Chief of Police Shawn Boyne, New Milford Police Dept.; Jason O’Connor, Youth Advocate – New Milford Youth Services.

NEW MILFORD – State Representative Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) and New Milford Youth Services recently hosted an Anti-Bullying Forum at The Maxx. The forum included a panel of community experts who facilitated an open discussion regarding the signs, preventative measures, and solutions one can take in order to respond to acts of bullying.

“This was a great event and I appreciated the involvement of those who chose to come out and be a part of this important discussion. Our community has the resources to put an end to the bullying culture that has slowly become the accepted status quo. I also want to thank our panelists, who are a testament to the fact that we are all committed to working on creating a healthier environment for our children and families,” explained Rep. Buckbee.

Each panelist was given the opportunity to speak and provide their own perspective on the issue of bullying. Following the panelist discussion, members of the audience were encouraged to pose questions to the panel.

Some of the themes discussed at the forum included:

Establish communication with school authorities starting with the teacher and progressing to the counselor and other administrative staff including the Assistant Principal and Principal.
Keep records of reported incidences, including correspondence records and photographs or screen shots.
Collectively come to conflict resolution. Positive behavior results from opportunities to make amends with others in the community through honorable reintegration.

“It’s obvious that the classic approach to bullying, by simply making an authoritative decision to punish wrong doing, is failing to work. It’s important for those in authority positions to work with both the victim and aggressor to reconcile conflicts. In turn, this strengthens our community by diminishing opportunities for bullying in the future,” concluded Buckbee.

Buckbee proudly serves on the legislature’s Committee on Children, which focuses on creating public policy to foster growth and education of Connecticut’s most vulnerable citizens.

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