McGrath Sets the Standard for Bullying Awareness and Response Training
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- "Bullying is no small matter. In terms of harm to the target, it is right up there with sexual harassment or sexual abuse in schools. It often scars the person for life - if they live through it," said Mary Jo McGrath, attorney, author and national expert on school bullying. The lasting harm is why McGrath became involved in bullying prevention over 20 years ago. "You can't just work with the children on this issue," continued McGrath. "You must thoroughly educate the adults as well - teachers, administrators, custodians, playground supervisors - everyone. Things get bad when the adults in charge don't have the eyes to see, and don't know what to do or how to do it well."
Legally speaking, school bullying is a complex issue. Legal liability doesn't always lie in whether or not the district stopped the conduct. Instead, cases hinge on whether the district responded in a negligent or deliberately indifferent fashion. Without proper training, many administrators and district office personnel don't know the difference. Bullying prevention and response training for adults offers schools a two-fold advantage. In addition to promoting learning by creating a safer environment for children, the training also protects schools from legal liability and costly lawsuits.
The safety of children is a personal passion for McGrath, who made it her life's work to develop bullying prevention programs that span all age groups. McGrath began focusing her legal skills on anti-bullying and legal liability workshops for district staff and administrators in 1989. The workshops have been so successful and so well regarded that they were funded throughout the state of Florida this school year by Florida's Department of Education. McGrath's book, School Bullying: Tools for Avoiding Harm and Liability, is one of very few that addresses how adults need to respond to bullying rather than trying to suppress the behavior itself. The book also gives in-depth coverage of required complaint management and investigation techniques.
McGrath also produced two video series, The Early Faces of Violence: From Schoolyard Bullying to Sexual Harassment and Sexual Harassment and Abuse: Minimize the Risk, that are used in more than 3,000 school districts nationwide. The series' 13 age-appropriate titles start at the pre-K level and run through 12th grade, offering classroom curriculum designed to stop bullying and harassment before it ever starts. McGrath CyberSchool offers education's most comprehensive online training in bullying and harassment response and investigation techniques. The course is used throughout the nation, particularly in New York state and Washington state.
Founded in 1989 by Mary Jo McGrath, McGrath Training Systems delivers workshops on topics of bullying, sexual harassment and abuse awareness, complaint intake and management, athletic liability and employee supervision, evaluation, communication and leadership.
Contact:
800.733.1638
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SOURCE McGrath Training Systems
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