Bayonne school officials turn to students to find out how to confront bullying
BAYONNE, N.J. -- Students in Bayonne have come up with a creative way to tackle the growing problem of bullying, and they tell CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis they hope it makes a difference.
"All over Jersey and America, kids are killing themselves, and that's a really, really big problem. It's hurting families. It's hurting everyone," Bayonne High School senior Giancarlo Nieves said.
Giancarlo is among students DeAngelis sat down with who say much of it starts on social media.
"When you post something, kids always have negative feedback," senior Isaiah Phillips said.
"Fights, bullying, taunting, and I think it's just a big, widespread problem," senior Jillian Garces said.
To address the problem, the superintendent and principal turned to the students for solutions, gathering a group of about 75 student leaders in a series of meetings to brainstorm ideas.
"We're working with our students to ask them, 'What can we do for you? What works? What do you think will work?'" Bayonne Superintendent of Schools John Niesz said.
The students came up with an unconventional approach to anti-bullying, which school leadership is backing.
"If you can continue to respect everyone in this building, good things are gonna happen," Bayonne Principal Richard Baccarella said.
It's that simple: less fighting and bullying at school will result in rewards.
"Like a half day on a Friday or a delayed opening on a Monday or a random dress-down day here or a fun pep rally here. Just a bunch of different ways to stop bullying," junior Rocky Rodriguez said.
The students say they feel it's a more effective approach than traditional methods like suspension.
"There are some kids who just don't care if they get suspended," junior Amelia Diaz said.
"I feel like with this new rule, you can come together as a big group from freshmen to seniors and everyone can work together," Isaiah said.
"I think everything works better as a team," senior Taylor Monteleone said.
"This is the first time we're doing it. We're not sure if it's actually gonna prevent, like, stopping fights, but it's definitely making our community a lot stronger and more positive," senior Nicholas Maharaj said.
The students will get their first incentive Friday -- a half day of school -- with hopefully more to come to help curb bullying.
The district also brought in outside experts to help the students have courageous conversations about bullying, including the NAACP, interfaith leaders and police.
Bullying can lead to mental health problems for teens already in crisis. In a series of special reports, CBS2 has explored the challenges children face and how they are finding ways to cope. To hear more about the issues and the solutions, join us for our half-hour special "Breaking the Stigma: Children and Mental Health" Thursday at 5:30 p.m.