Incidents of bullying have plagued media headlines the last several years, so as we approach the first day of school, the entire staff at Niles Community Schools once again is committed to minimizing, if not eliminating bullying throughout the district’s campuses.

Bullying can threaten students’ physical and emotional safety, as well as negatively affecting their ability to learn. That’s why at Niles Community Schools, we address bullying before it starts and employ several tactics to promote a warm and inviting atmosphere dedicated to student learning.

With the popularity of smartphones and social media, bullying has become a 24/7 concern for parents and educators. According to the website StopBullying.gov, nearly one in three students between grades six and 12 reported being bullied during the school year. Even worse, 64 percent of children who were bullied failed to report it.

Bullying is defined as unwanted or aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, and those who are bullied and those who bully others often times have serious and lasting problems.

Every day, nearly 160,000 children miss school because they are scared of bullying. Additionally, victims of bullying are more likely to do poorly in school, have low self-esteem, feel depressed and even turn to violent behavior to protect themselves or get revenge on bullies.

Fortunately, research shows school-based prevention programs have helped to decrease bullying by 25 percent.

At Niles, we take pride in focusing on our schools’ climate in order to reduce bullying and create a positive environment where youth feel safe and connected, and most importantly able to focus on learning. In addition, we seek to raise support for bullying prevention through enthusiastic support from school leaders, faculty, staff, students and community partners.

District wide, we realize bullying prevention is an ongoing, holistic effort, and we plan to continue to enhance our anti-bullying efforts moving forward.

In addition to the efforts the district takes to combat bullying, parents also play a central role. Parents teach their children to solve problems without using violence, ask their students about their day and listen to them talk about school, social events, their classmates or any problems that arise. In addition, parents teach kids how to stand up to the bully with confidence. Understanding what bullying means to children is an integral part of bullying prevention efforts. In addition, it’s crucial for adults and parents to understand how to respond when they see a child going after a victim, and how to be a person that students can turn to when they need help.

Bullying is an issue we will continue to address in order to foster a positive environment throughout our schools and the community.

Dr. Michael Lindley is superintendent of Niles Community Schools.