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Cochise County student advisory council outlines anti-bullying plan, seeks wider school participation
Summary
A newly formed Cochise County Student Advisory Council presented plans to promote anti-bullying measures across county schools, including anonymous reporting, social media outreach and in-school events; county staff said federal grant funding and an anonymous tip tool will support the effort.
Students from Cochise County’s Student Advisory Council presented an anti-bullying awareness plan to the Cochise County Board of Supervisors during the June 17 meeting, describing planned outreach, anonymous reporting and school-to-school collaboration.
Kendra Hamberger, a freshman at Wilcox High School speaking for the council, said the group currently includes 14 participants from eight schools and that anti-bullying was selected after applicants identified top issues facing students.
Council members outlined four purposes: elevate student voice, provide two-way communication with the county superintendent, develop student leadership and build relationships between students and adults. Proposed actions include installing anonymous concern boxes, creating official social media accounts to reach students and schools, coordinating events with schools and county staff, and visiting schools to teach leadership and bully-response skills.
“By creating safe spaces for dialogue, we can better understand the impact bullying has on young people and work together to develop effective strategies to prevent and address it within each school,” student Abigail Born said. Staff and students noted the presentation was a first step and that applications remain open for students from fifth through 12th grade to join.
Cynthia Myers, county outreach manager, told the board the initiative will link to a federal grant and an anonymous tip reporting tool—referred to in the presentation as the BGA STOP grant and an anonymous tip line—to help promote school reporting and prevention tools. She said the council will brief the board at least quarterly and has a student representative selected for the State Advisory Council.
Vice Chairman Tom Crosby and Supervisor Gomez praised the students’ presentations and urged them to expand participation to other Cochise County communities, naming Douglas, Tombstone, Bisbee, Wilcox and Benson as places to recruit additional members.
Students said planned next steps include touring schools across the county, briefing the State Board of Education and reaching out for additional membership and support from schools and county staff.
