Teaching Parents to Spot Online, Classroom Bullying

Parents of students in the Belmont School District are invited to hear Dr. Elizabeth Englander, professor of Psychology and director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University, speak on bullying and cyberbullying on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

The presentation is free thanks to the generous support of the Foundation for Belmont Education. The public is welcome to attend.

The parent presentation will emphasize practical, concrete knowledge about student behavior and peer aggression. This knowledge will help parents gain a better understanding of what bullying is and how they can work with their children and partner with schools to prevent and respond to bullying and cyberbullying situations.

Parents will learn about recent research and new statistics on where bullying is happening and the different kinds of children who are most likely to be involved. The role of technology in children’s lives and the importance of cyber safety will also be examined.

Englander is an important contributor to the national conversation on peer aggression in our schools and online, having been cited in the New York Times, the Boston Globe and numerous other publications.

Dr. Englander has trained tens of thousands of students and educators across the Commonwealth and spoke with thousands of parents about her research, which examines bullying and cyberbullying behavior throughout the student's school years.

More information about this event and Belmont’s Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan is available online at www.belmont.k12.ma.us/bpip .