Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. E-mail this story to a friend Bullying remains one of the more underrated but important issues plaguing schools today, according to experts who say its consequences are underestimated. It affects how children feel about themselves, which parents and teachers sometimes take for granted, according to Elizabeth Kuhlman, executive director of the Franklin County Children's Task Force. But there are times when there is an imbalance of power, and this advice doesn't work any more. As the long-standing effects of bullying are becoming better understood, schools are searching for resources to help them address the problem.
Educators say bullying and all forms of violence are interrelated.
They also agree any approach should begin in the youngest grades and continue through high school. And parents must be involved. Schools in central Maine are trying different ways to tackle the problem. A School-Based Violence Prevention Project. Through her efforts, the University of Colorado's nationally recognized Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence has selected the Cape Cod Hill School in New Sharon as one of five pilot sites to implement a bullying prevention program next fall.