JACKSON, Wyo. — Bullying is a repeated form of intimidation that exists inside and outside of the classroom, and while it can be difficult to control, especially cyberbullying, the Teton County School District and Jackson’s Teton Behavior Therapy have taken an active approach in educating students about bullying behavior and harassment.
At the start of 2024, students in the Teton County School District (TCSD) ranging from grades K through 12 learned about consent, healthy relationships and where to go for help if being harassed or bullied. During advisory periods, Jackson Hole Middle School students learned about the types of harassment and bullying that can take place, including cyberbullying, verbal insults, name-calling, spreading rumors, mocking, physical intimidation (including sexual harassment), social exclusion and racial harassment.
Ellie Finnegan, a clinical Social Worker MSW, PCSW at Teton Behavior Therapy, works with students to help them decipher what bullying looks like — it could be a push in the hallway, a malicious comment under the breath when a teacher isn’t looking or a threat harassment over social media platforms.
“I help kids to recognize bullying behavior, and inform them that no one deserves to be bullied, and that it’s never okay,” Finnegan said.
Finnegan told Buckrail that she has worked with children, middle schoolers and teens who have experienced bullying through many different channels of connection, including email, social media and Snapchat. When Finnegan works with students she begins with the “three Rs: recognize, report and refuse;” recognize is knowing the difference between a one-time disagreement versus targeted, one-sided, recurring behavior, report is making sure students know how to talk to a trusted adult and refuse is teaching kids how to stop bullying.
“Last year, there were some instances that were primarily occurring over social media platforms, like Snapchat, where there was bullying behavior in terms of saying mean things, and that was challenging because unless a child saves the messages, the app clears, making no record of what’s being said,” Finnegan said. “Then, that presents itself in school where kids just feel intimidated.”
Bullying is often isolating for targeted students, and affected students can exhibit certain behaviors as a result. Finnegan explained that looking for signs of depression or anxiety can be helpful clues for caregivers. This may look like a child no longer engaged in a favorite activity, unexplainably refusing to go to school, quitting a sports team out of the blue, not wanting to participate in an extracurricular, sleeping too much or not being able to sleep and/or pulling away from family members.
According to Amy Manhart, an 8th grade science teacher at the Jackson Hole Middle School, students are becoming better skilled at recognizing what is not okay, because they are the ones that see bad behavior, especially if it is happening online. Of all the forms of bullying, cyberbullying remains the biggest problem because it’s difficult to track. Cell phones are restricted in school, so most of what happens online is after-school. Online bullying can trickle into a school day if a student feels self-conscious, upset or depressed.
“All kids need skills and some kids need skills on how to be kinder to others,” Manhart told Buckrail. “TCSD is also trying to develop skills for the kids who might be watching other kids getting bullied to help them realize that they can be superheroes. They can step in and really make a difference.”
Manhart says that most incidents at the middle school are pretty typical; kids might get picked on for their physical differences, or for being seen as smart— it’s a variety of reasons.
“We want to help kids recognize that they have a voice and there are ways to recognize when things are not healthy,” Manhart said. “Sometimes kids don’t understand that if they have friends who put them down all the time, then that’s not a healthy relationship.”
If middle school kids have an issue, the Jackson Hole Middle School Principal Matt Hoelscher, along with the faculty, will decipher whether it’s a normal adolescent conflict or a higher concern needing an investigation, follow-up and interviews. Hoelscher said that teasing and name calling is typical day-to-day behavior, and often middle schoolers fear harassment even before it happens.
Hoelscher shared that recently, a kid didn’t want to take his hood off because he was afraid he would be teased about his new haircut by his buddies. The principal talked through the issue with the student, and fortunately the student didn’t experience bullying over the haircut. Hoelscher attributes the school’s open door policy to the student being able to share how he felt.
Hoelscher explained that bullying was relatively ignored by adults when he was an adolescent, but today the schools are getting better at reporting bullying behavior.
“We have a mantra that we go by: ‘If you see something, say something,'” Hoelscher said. “I think kids are more comfortable with reporting things that bother them. I can remember struggling with that as a kid. Today, they have an avenue to report and feel safe.”
The middle school has a number of mechanisms in place to help students feel safe in reporting bad behavior. A morning check-in survey asks students a series of school-life questions, such as theme preference for a dance, but also includes questions such as, “Do you need to talk to anyone?” or “Is anything bothering you?” Every middle school student takes this survey daily, and it offers an outlet to share concerns without feeling singled out. The answers are evaluated by teachers and the administration. The school also has an advisory program that consists of small groups of students that are assigned to a teacher or adult. During this time, the individual needs of students are assessed and supported.
“Everything that is reported does get followed up on,” Manhart said. “Nothing is shrugged off as ‘kids will be kids.'”
Finnegan said that parents aren’t always aware that their child is being bullied, so in certain situations, she will invite parents into a therapy session, and the child can discuss the challenging situation in an environment with added support. A plan is then made for how to address the issue, including who at the school can be an advocate to help the student, a plan that often involves the school counselor.
“After I get parents involved, we formalize a release of information from the school, so we can really understand what is going on,” Finnegan said. “Sometimes kids are scared to go to the schools to report, and that’s when a therapist can jump on the team and help the child with self-advocacy.”
Finnegan says the number one reason a child will not report an incident is due to fear of retaliation. So a big part of the education is letting kids know about bully and retaliation laws in the state and in the county.
According to Teton County, students can approach a teacher, counselor, administrator or the front office staff for support. TCSD assures that all reports of discrimination, including harassment or bullying based on race or ethnicity, national origin, gender or gender identification, sexual orientation, religion or disability will be submitted in confidence.
“I ask parents to report to our district if your student experiences discrimination at school or outside of the school setting, including on any social media platforms that may affect your student at school,” School Superintendent Gillian Chapman wrote to parents via email on Jan. 5.
An incident report may be made by email or a phone call to the school counselor, principal, teacher, a coach or via TCSD’s online reporting platform. Students can report a concern anonymously using the Safe 2 Tell Wyoming confidential tip line via its website or by calling (844) 996-7233.
