School Shooting in Perry Hall Prompts Local Man to Offer Workshops on Bully Prevention

The shooting in Perry Hall on Monday, where one teen was critically injured and another 15-year old is in police custody, is prompting one local businessman to offer free bully prevention classes to parents. Joe Van Duren, owner of Balanced Life Skills, and president of South River High School’s Business Advisory Board, said that over the summer he taught a class for teachers at Anne Arundel Community College, “Creating a Culture of Peace in the Classroom.” He now wants to offer the class to parents.

Van Duren said that preventing school bullying starts with creating a peaceful learning environment.

The first free seminar will be at 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 4th at Balanced Life Skills in Annapolis. There is not cost for the seminar.

Van Duren said that “every child deserves to feel safe in school, and it is our responsibility to work together as a team.” He said that parents, teachers, and the community should work together to build a culture of peace in schools.

Van Duren asks, “Have you ever wondered why some schools with the same programs and rules in place have a culture of kindness and others do not?”

He said that his Bully Prevention Seminar for Parents will answer this question, and many more.  Van Duren will offer the courses on a schedule, but will also schedule a seminar for groups at other times as needed.

The parent seminar will cover the following subjects:

• What is bullying?
• What are the effects of bullying on all the parties involved?
• Why don’t children tell?
• Six things every child must learn and how to teach them
• What to do if your child is the target of bullying.
• What to do if your child is the bully.
• What to do if your child is a follower.