INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis public school is using a new approach to help address the issue of bullying in its school.
Fredrick Douglass School 19, a K-8 school, is using a new software program to help students make anonymous reports about how they’re feeling throughout the day.
“Now we are able to go into the system and release what’s inside us and a leader will show up immediately,” former Indianapolis Colt Marlin Jackson said.
The program and gaming software was created by Jackson’s foundation, Building Dreams.
"This platform anonymously tells us what's going on with their lives so then, as a staff, we are better prepared to handle their situation," Jackson said.
Just like in football, kids can throw flags for themselves or their peers to share something they're going thorough.
"It's helping to support students through social emotional learning" Jackson said.
When a flag is thrown, leaders are notified so they can address the issue.
“There’s not a time delay. I can already be ahead of it by thinking about how we can take the next steps to help them through what’s going on,” Bryan Hair, Dean of Climate and Culture for School 19, said.
The goal is to promote a safe, more respectful school environment while empowering each student to have a voice.
In the last few months, more than 240 flags have been thrown with more than 25 of them for physical abuse.
It's an issue that Fredrick Douglass isn't alone in. Numbers released in August show Indiana schools reported an uptick in bullying incidents during the 2022-23 school year.
Schools reported 5,460 bullying incidents last school year, a 7% increase from the year before.
The breakdown from the state shows the following:
- 2,060 verbal incidents
- 1,656 physical incidents
- 619 social or relational incidents
- 529 electronic or written incidents
- 597 combination incidents
The principal at Fredrick Douglass says they are working hard to combat the issue.
"Bullying is definitely an issue. Sometimes we see it right away, sometimes it’s quiet,” Principal Daria Parham said.
IPS says other schools have inquired about the program, and they hope to launch it elsewhere soon.
For more information on the Building Dreams Flag Feature, click here.
