CFAY Promotes Bullying Prevention Month

KANAGAWA, JAPAN

10.18.2021

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kaleb Sarten 

Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka

YOKOSUKA, Japan (Oct. 18, 2021) – October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and onboard Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) prevention and education are paramount to maintaining a safe environment for service members and their families.

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) defines bullying as when someone repeatedly hurts or threatens another person on purpose. Bullying comes in many forms and is not a normal rite of passage, and there is zero-tolerance for it. CFAY's Kinnick High School has numerous programs and systems in place to prevent bullying.

"The system in place isn't a standalone program that we bring out in October to hammer anti-bullying; it's yearlong," said Scott Lundberg, the Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) assigned to Kinnick. "It's a mosaic of support that addresses this issue of bullying."

The MFLC program offered at Kinnick provides a licensed professional counselor who provides behavioral consultation to families, children, and service members. For example, a behavioral consultation from an MFLC might include information on school adjustments, deployment, reintegration, conflict resolution, and bullying.

"The administrators are always out building relationships at lunches and breaks." Lundberg added, "It's really about visibility; it's about being accessible and friendly. And, just being a physical presence in a large group of kids can be a deterrent for bullying."

Another bullying prevention program available at Kinnick is a counseling appointment system. Any child can use a Quick Response code posted throughout the school to digitally schedule an appointment with a guidance counselor where the student can discuss any problems or concerns. Other programs include the Kinnick Intervention Team (KIP) and the Kinnick Advisory Panel (KAP). These layered programs begin with KAP to find out the origin of the issue. Once that is determined, the struggling student then goes through seminars with members of KIP to help resolve them.

"They assign someone, a teacher or someone on the committee, to work with the student," explained Paula Fielder, one of Kinnick's guidance counselors. "If they are having trouble, then speaking with the teacher in the subject area that they're having trouble with can be beneficial. Also, we contact parents to make sure that all of us are working on the same page to help the student be successful here at Kinnick."

Utilizing these programs, the teachers and staff work to create a bond and familiarity with the students. If the child expresses or demonstrates a greater need than KIP and KAP provide, the student support team can assist them. All of these programs collaborate to create the best possible learning environment for students.

"These teachers are trying to build relationships with their students, trusting relationships to be the trusted adult, or to help the kids find a trusted adult," said Lundberg. "So, in the event of a problem, there's this relationship that allows me to go to you because I see you every other day, and you're not a typical academic teacher; you're there to support my social, emotional, and academic success."

With the COVID-19 pandemic still in effect, the staff at Kinnick also host virtual programs to increase accessibility as much as possible. These virtual programs include events such as a digital scavenger hunt that focuses on cyberbullying, a school-wide video broadcast promoting awareness of hate speech, and a family survey sent to parents.
"It's all about climate, creating a safe place for kids to access help to report concerns, and there's no stigma about that; it's a real open system," Lundberg added.

For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.

• Date Taken: 10.18.2021
• Date Posted: 11.03.2021 23:44
• Story ID: 408655
• Location: KANAGAWA, JP