In Nyack, progress is being made to prevent bullying.

Jason Friedman, interim superintendent for the Nyack School District, said bullying continues to be a serious concern for school administrators, particularly in light of recent events throughout the country. (Cottage Lane is working to combat a similar problem.)

Friedman added that for the last several years, the district has been working to introduce tools and systems to curtail such behavior.

One particular method is the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, a well-known system developed by Swedish psychologist Dr. Dan Olweus.

At the Nov. 30 School Board meeting, Regina Cappiello—district director of curriculum and development for the Nyack School system—gave a presentation discussing how administrators and teachers are incorporating the Olweus initiative.

Cappiello said the Olweus system calls on educators to take a proactive stance in defining what bullying is, and to acting swiftly and accordingly when it occurs.

This year, schools are teaching staff how to differentiate between fighting, horseplay and bullying, Cappiello added. Included in this instruction is the importance of empowering bystanders to step in when inappropriate behavior goes on.

Another aspect of this year's efforts include teaching students how to distinguish between tattling and reporting bad behavior. Cappiello said students are learning it is more appropriate to report an incident of bullying that involves one of their classmates being physically or emotionally hurt, rather than telling on someone who hasn't committed as serious an offense.

Finally, Nyack students are being taught how to formulate alternative strategies to stand up to bullying. Cappiello said it is a goal of school administrators to teach kids they don't have to respond to teasing by getting physical with perpetrators.

As the year progresses, the district also plans to look into bullying on buses and cyber-bullying. In addition, schools are scheduled to conduct bullying survey—these results will be compared to data compiled from surveys taken in 2007, when the district began anti-bullying activities in earnest.

"We will continue to work with staff and the community to reduce bullying as much as we possibly can," Cappielo concluded.

Public participation was limited. However, Emily Feiner, the parent of children attending Nyack schools, said she does not think enough of the district's teachers have adopted the Olweus system. She spoke about incidents where she addressed bullying issues with teachers and found not all seemed to be in tune with the program.

In response, School Board Trustee Dan Juechter and Friedman said this is a matter that needs to be looked into right away.

"We have to make sure all our teachers are buying in to this plan," said School Board vice president Michael Mark.

Trustee Thomas LaColla added that bullying on buses is a growing problem and it is important the district address it.