Karen Glenn was targeted by a bully growing up, so she knows how students feel in the situation, which is prevalent in Hamilton County – and that’s only based on reported incidences.
As the director of STARS, she now helps others in that situation, utilizing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program for the Hamilton County school district to train teachers to educate their students on how to stop bullying in their schools.
STARS Director Karen Glenn holds materials she uses to train teachers in Hamilton County schools on the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. STARS is an acronym for Students Taking a Right Stand.“I know what it’s like to be afraid to go to school and not be able to focus on academics,” said Glenn, who attended a Hamilton County elementary school at the time she was bullied. “A classmate of mine bullied me and I was terrified. I used to sit in the teacher parking lot after school to hide. One day he hit me in the face.”
Glenn said the sad thing was it was an “elephant in the closet” and no one reported it.
“One of the goals [of the Olweus curriculum in Hamilton County schools] is to see increases of students reporting bullying so we can address it,” said Glenn. “Increases in reporting mean decreases in discipline referrals because the problem is addressed before it escalates.”