BOARD MEMBER WANTS BULLY-TRACKING STUDY TRUSTEE LOOKING FOR PATTERN OF AGGRESSION.

Byline: Angie Valencia Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - School board member Carla Kurachi wants the Simi Valley district to keep better track of bullying incidents at its 29 campuses to see how widespread the problem is.

Kurachi, who works as a school psychologist in Los Angeles, said the district could partner with a university to conduct an informal study of bullying at different grade levels or work with principals to gather statistics.

``The first thing we need to ask ourselves is, Is this a problem in our schools?'' Kurachi said. ``The findings will lead to some form of action.''

Kurachi expects to raise the issue at the board's May retreat.

Board members now are informed of major assaults and other criminal behavior at schools - such as bullying - via phone calls, e-mails and weekly packets from the district office. More minor incidents go unreported beyond individual schools or classrooms.

Nationally, about one in seven schoolchildren is either a bully or a victim - affecting about 5 million elementary and junior high school students, according to research from the National Association of School Psychologists.

About 282,000 students are physically attacked in America's secondary schools each month and nearly 8 percent of urban junior and senior high school students miss one day of school each month because they are afraid to attend, research shows.

``This is a growing problem across the nation,'' Kurachi said. ``I want to know if this is a growing problem in Simi Valley.''

School psychologist Linda Vandaveer said statistics on bullying vary because many incidents go unreported. Incidents range from playground tauntings to outright attacks.

Bullying studies show that boys are more physically aggressive, whereas girls tend to be more verbally aggressive - spreading rumors or telling lies, for instance.

Research also shows that bullying is most common in sixth to eighth grades.

School board member Janice Di Fatta said the Simi Valley Unified School District has made a conscious effort to address bullying.

``It's not something we've ignored up to this point,'' she said. ``It's certainly communicated that bullying is not tolerated.''

But board President Steven Gould said the issue deserves to be addressed.

``We've got sixth-graders picking on the younger kids in elementary schools,'' he said. ``At the middle schools and high schools, the students are together during gym or lunch ... it's an opportunity for kids to bully.''

Costs, however, could bar the district from implementing an anti-bullying program, Gould warned. Kurachi, however, said that she's aware of several free programs for schools.

Schools Superintendent Kathryn Scroggin said playground bullying is an issue that all schools deal with on a daily basis. The district takes a positive approach to prevent it, she said.

``Anti-bullying posters in our classrooms remind students that schools are nonbullying zones,'' she said. ``At the elementary level, we've established a character-education program that puts an emphasis on character development.''

Fifth-graders across the district participate in a Get Real About Violence program, which teaches children how to best handle uncomfortable situations.

Taking it one step forward, Sinaloa Middle School launched an anti-bullying program last year.

``If one person speaks up, the bullying will stop,'' Vandaveer said. ``The issue ought to be addressed schoolwide or even districtwide so everyone is aware, not just the victim or bully. We tend to forget that there's always bystanders ... it's a systemic issue.''

For more information, Kurachi can be contacted by e-mail at carlakurachi(at)pacbell.net.

Angie Valencia, [phone]

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com