DOVER, Del. -- In order to help resolve bullying conflicts, students at Dover High School are helping to mediate those situations through groups that meet with victims and their aggressors.
Senior Barry Jones said he and a handful of other classmates participate in Solution Groups that listen to victims of bullying and try to find ways to smooth things over between them and their aggressors. He said the groups are effective because they allow students to talk with their peers.
"Sometimes with students, it's easier for them to confide with someone their age," he said. "Sometimes it can be hard for them to come up and talk to an adult about what they're going through."
A group can be formed after a tip about bullying is either dropped off in one of the "Stop Bullying" boxes around the school or through a smartphone that can scan a QR code located on the boxes.
So far, the group has mediated in one conflict. Jones said it ended with an apology to the bullying victim.
Assistant Principal Tiff McCullough reviews bullying complaints to substantiate them before the group meets. He said the "Stop Bullying" method can be used in other schools and it can make a difference because it allows bullying victims to sit down with the person harassing them.
"Five of the six are doing the right thing but then that sixth kid is sitting in the chair a little uncomfortable because he or she is in fact the bully," he said. "It speaks volumes."
Jones said no student should be afraid to tell someone they are being bullied.
"Talk about it, let people know," he said."(Do that) instead of just holding it in, because that's when we start to see bad things happen."
