Shenandoah County School Board gives update on bullying concerns

SHENANDOAH COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - Shenandoah County schools are working to address bullying in its schools.

In Jan, parents and students brought up bullying concerns, especially at Signal Knob Middle School.

Thursday, principals and the superintendent gave an update on how they handle student behavior.

Principals from all three school levels gave a briefing on how they handle misconduct within their schools.

They agreed that children’s behavior has changed after being fully back in school after the pandemic.

”Kids came back to school after the pandemic in terms of behaviors are a little different because of their mental health. Teachers need new tools in their tool kits, so we spend time working with our teachers and giving them new tools that they can use to deal with different behaviors that maybe they didn’t see before,” Holly Rusher, principal at Signal Knob Middle School said.

Rusher said they deal with student behavior on a case-by-case basis.

She said this way, the children are treated like an individual, but the consequences are the same as the handbook outlines.

The principals discussed the importance of knowing and being present with the children that attend their schools to have a better understanding when it comes to discipline.

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