•September 8, 2021•
By Cheri Burcham
Family Life Educator

As we enter a new school year, I would like to share another great article from Extension Educator Karla Belzer that addresses something that can happen in the school environment – bullying. Karla says: As children return to schools and classrooms this fall after a year of a variety of learning environments, many parents and caregivers may find themselves concerned about bullying. Recent research indicated, not surprisingly, that rates of school bullying dropped during the pandemic – likely as a result of many students participating in remote learning environments. And, as students spend more and more time in digital, on-line learning environments, the risk for cyberbullying can increase as well.
A concerned parent once approached me with a myriad of questions on bullying. Why was her child being excluded from the peer group? What about name calling – is that bullying? Why is her child being picked on? What can she do to help? As the questions went on, one in particular stood out to me: “Is this normal?” It became clear: this parent was having difficulty distinguishing between “normal” peer conflict and bullying.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.