ROCHESTER — The School Board voted unanimously Thursday to hire a "student safety and behavior support specialist" to address bullying and harassment at the Rochester Middle School, to be the first ever of its kind in the district, according to Principal Valerie McKenney. 

McKenney said before the meeting, the position is one she crafted with the district this year after several complaints came forward from the community regarding student behavior issues.

Superintendent Michael Hopkins told the board on Thursday the middle school administration will still meet with parents to address behavioral issues with students, but the specialist will work to investigate initial complaints that come in from students.

"Aside from dealing with all the initial reports," he added, "(the specialist) can really focus on what we call 'red zone' students."

Hopkins described these as 40 to 50 students identified every year as consistently being involved in incidents throughout the school year and are labeled "red zone." The specialist would also lead Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program meetings, where red zone students meet in teams to work on issues at an individual level.

McKenney described the in-depth process RMS has been conducting for years, where once a student lodges a complaint on "blue forms," a thorough investigation is done by staff and administration to come to a resolution for all parties involved. If the matter is determined to be one that needs conflict resolution, the perpetrator and the victim fill out forms with families and staff to develop "a plan" following the investigation, where students assume responsibilities to avoid conflicts in the future. If an incident turns violent, McKenney said students can face suspension of three-, five- or 10-day periods.

A call to reexamine the school district's policies on bullying came forward last month when a local mother and grandfather went before the School Board on June 14 with concerns for their middle school student. Their names are still being withheld by Foster's so as to protect the identity of the juvenile who was reportedly being bullied.

At that time, the mother said her child had been severely damaged by teasing and even pulled into a closet by staff, which she believed to be inappropriate. She told the board when she requested surveillance footage of the incident, she was denied and given different answers. McKenney told Foster's while parents are shown video footage from time to time, if only the camera captures their child, footage is taped over digitally by the camera and erased every 72 hours.

McKenney explained the specialist position — which will entail compensation matching a teacher's salary only during the school year — came out of that family's concerns as well as others. McKenney stressed the school is committed to addressing all concerns raised by parents, hosting workshops for families and regular training for teachers and staff regarding school policies.

"We're trying to do everything that we can possibly think of to make our kids aware it's not what should be happening here," she said. "I don't think it's a significant problem ¿ I think all middle schools have these kinds of issues, (but) I think the amount of time that's spent investigating it is significant." 

She told the School Board the previous week she personally investigates every single blue form incident, interviewing students and parents, and on average receives two forms a day. She said the investigations take a lot of her time, and incidents falling under her responsibility include those that occur outside of the classroom as well as in the cyberworld. 

"I investigate these, every single one that comes in," she said. "Our policy says that we are responsible for incidents that take place at the bus stop, on the bus, walking to school, in school, on the bus on the way home, walking home or even really, it would translate to (when a child) gets off the bus and is headed home."

Chairman of the School Board Robert Watson said before the motion for the new position he feels nationwide, new policies are coming forward to address bullying issues at school but the Rochester school district took it upon themselves to have a policy in place before that.

"The district has done a great job addressing bullying. We've really been a head of the curve," he said. "The Legislature a few years ago said that districts have to have a policy to address bullying but we've had those policies on the books for many years. We've taken them seriously for many years."

Another Rochester resident told Foster's he was greatly disappointed in the administration for their response to his younger sister who attends RMS. He said the teenager had been picked on for months before the bullying escalated to a brawl in the school cafeteria last year. Again, the man's name is being withheld so as to protect the juvenile.

The resident said his family was told by the School Department to file a complaint with the police against the student after his sister was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. He said nothing ever came of the report and referred to the issue as a "disconnect" between the school's policies and the carrying out of them.

"There's a disconnect between the promises they make and what they do," he said. "There should be a something in place in the school system ¿ because it's gotten out of control."

McKenney said she is not authorized, according to school policies, to inform families if another child has been reprimanded or received disciplinary measures, stating she can only inform families on matters specifically pertaining to their child.

Watson stressed on behalf of the board, his group is constantly reviewing and re-evaluating policies, and even discussing specific issues, though those meeting are held nonpublicly, often time with the Discipline Committee.

"Are there specific cases that may need to be addressed? Possibly," he added, "but again, those specific issues involving specific children (are) nothing that the board can talk about publicly ¿ I can assure you that anything that comes to the board or the administration involving bullying we take very seriously and those things are addressed."