Elkhart schools describe Olweus anti‑bullying program, Project AWARE mental‑health supports

Lindsay Brander presented Elkhart Community Schools’ reimplementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and described how Project AWARE grant funds have been used to expand school‑based mental‑health services.

Brander told the board that the district is one of the few in Indiana using Olweus, an evidence‑based program developed in partnership with Clemson University. “It really is a culture shift within the building,” she said, explaining that the program trains every staff member — from cafeteria workers to custodians — to recognize bullying, intervene on the spot and report incidents.

Brander said the district aligned Olweus lessons with Elkhart’s PRIDE framework and runs kickoff events, weekly or biweekly class lessons, and building‑level activities such as Box Out Bullying. “The rules are: we will not bully others; we will try to help students who are bullied; we will try to include students who are left out; if we know somebody is being bullied, we will report this to an adult,” she said.

Brander also reviewed the district’s investigation protocol and recent state changes that affect timelines. She said Elkhart’s protocol “follows state laws and Elkhart Community Schools board policy,” and noted two statutory timing changes that the district already had in practice: notifying the parents of the alleged target and alleged perpetrator by the next instructional day, and completing the investigation and reporting written findings to the principal no later than five school days after the initial report. She emphasized that the principal — or the principal’s designee — makes the formal determination of whether an event meets the legal definition of bullying.

Brander described Sprigio, the district’s anonymous safety‑reporting app, as widely used on student and staff iPads. She said the district receives “hundreds, almost a thousand” Sprigio reports a year but that those reports are triaged; not all reports warrant a bullying investigation. “That was not 788 incidents of bullying that were reported,” she said, clarifying the difference between total reports and confirmed bullying incidents.

On mental‑health supports, Brander told the board that Project AWARE — a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education and SAMHSA — has funded Olweus implementation, bullying prevention coordinators, additional social workers, school‑based therapy, youth clubs and training for staff. “We were able to hire additional social workers. We’ve been able to offer direct access to school‑based therapy,” she said.

Students and advisors with the Bring Change to Mind club described student‑led activities funded in part by a small national club grant: affirmation mirrors, a communication café where students asked peers about coping strategies, stress‑relief bags at finals, and a large washable coloring tapestry used at a World Mental Health Day event. “We give other teens a chance to talk about what they’ve been going through,” said student Noemi, describing regular meetings and peer support within the club.

Board members praised the students and staff. Trustee comments emphasized that bullying prevention is also a mental‑health intervention and commended school leaders for building student voice and peer supports.

The presentation closed with Brander noting that the Project AWARE grant was originally a five‑year award; the district is in its fifth year and said the final award status was still to be determined.