Kansas State Board of Education approves anti-bullying measures, but backs off requiring statewide program

Opera on bullying

An all-girl opera about bullying will be shown next month at the Lawrence Arts Center.

“One False Move” will be presented at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at the center, 940 N.H.

The production is being brought by the Lyric Opera of Kansas City in partnership with GaDuGi SafeCenter, Willow Domestic Violence Center and the Lawrence Arts Center.

After each show, there will be a discussion about the issues in the opera.

For ticket information call the Lawrence Arts Center at 843-2787 or go to www.lawrenceartscenter.org. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for youth and $8.00 per person for groups of 10 or more.

The program is presented in part by the Kansas Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts.

Topeka ? The State Board of Education on Wednesday backed off mandating a statewide anti-bullying program in schools.

But the board did approve several measures that members said they hoped would help increase awareness about bullying and combat the problem.

“It’s a very serious problem, but school districts are working hard,” to prevent bullying, said Janet Waugh, a Democrat from Kansas City who is chairwoman of the board.

In approving the measures, the board rejected the idea of requiring that school districts implement a specific anti-bullying program or curriculum that would be used statewide.

Currently, school districts must have an anti-bullying program but can pick from a variety of such programs.

Most members of the Education Board said it was better to allow school districts to pick a program that fit their needs.

The board approved:

— Asking for a resolution from the governor or Legislature to designate a week in October as bullying awareness week.

— Issuing a board statement about the serious impacts of bullying.

— Developing model character developments standards that school officials can use, which will include information on bullying.

The issue was brought to the forefront by Board Member Walt Chappell, D-Wichita, who said incidents of violence and disruption at schools were increasing.

Chappell acknowledged schools were working on the problem but said there were exceptions. “The bottom line, I think for all of us, are the ones who fall through the cracks,” he said.

He said school officials cannot ignore bullying and must be held accountable.