District 66 Now Has Bullying Hotline

Students and parents in now have a new way to help stop and prevent bullying at school. The district has installed a phone hotline (630-783-5210) to report incidents of bullying at any of its three buildings: , and .

District Superintendent Jay Tiede said bullying isn't a big problem, but the district wants to be prepared.

"Sometimes, if there is an incident, we don't get all the information until it's hit a crisis stage," Tiede said. "We will ask why didn't you say something? And the parents will say they didn't want to risk retaliation against their child."

The hotline is on a dedicated private line that rings directly into the District 66 office inside Prairieview. A caller will reach a recording and be asked to provide details about a incident including who was involved, when and where the incident happened.

A note sent home to all parents states reports can be made anonymously, but doing so "may limit the ability to effectively investigate the incident."

The line is monitored daily by district staff. Tiede said they have not received any calls so far this year.

"If we do get a call the district office will send the information to the appropriate principal and he or she can follow up from there," he said.

Tiede said the decision to add the hotline came out of the strategic planning process last year. The district held focus groups that included teachers, staff, parents and students.

The topic of bullying came up and district officials decided they wanted to address it. It fit into their new discipline program - PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) - which was implemented last year.

"We thought it would open another avenue for dealing with these things before they become a crisis," said Tiede. "But our students are generally respectful of people, places and property."

Editor's note: For more information about District 66's bullying policy, you can check its website www.ccsd66.org.