Hays High School, along with the rest of the area schools, is taking bullying very seriously.  As more examples of student-on-student harassment are springing up around the nation (a recent case being the physical hazing and branding of lower classmen by their Hutchinson football teammates) school staff in the area remain on the lookout.  Hays High School principal Martin Straub told Hays Post that he doesn’t feel like Hays sees as much bullying as other schools in the region, in part because of the efforts of adults.

Straub believes that school staff, parents, and the community as a whole play a big part in shaping students and helping them make responsible decisions, including how to interact with others.  He said that bullying and harassment have evolved and adults have had to adapt as well, especially in recent years.

“The type of bullying over the years; the biggest change we’ve seen is through social media.  Even social media bullying has changed in that kids carry around a computer in their phones.  When it happens it’s just very seldom done here at school because they have access to technology 24/7 now.”

He said that school staff maintains a constant presence in the halls and around the building when students are about, which he feels helps prevent bullying.  Straub added that that while staff may not observe it as often, when any student is seen mistreating another, it’s addressed immediately, but not through punishment.

“You try to intervene on behalf of the victim and try to empower them to stand up for themselves but many of them can’t or won’t, so you advocate for them.  Fortunately for us in Hays, usually conferencing with a kid and letting those parents know that their kid is being identified as somebody who is saying something inappropriate or taking advantage of a kid is usually enough.”

Straub said taking this approach before jumping straight to punishment has been very beneficial in his 30 year experience, as it helps prepare the students for life beyond high school, helping them think beyond the immediate future while encouraging students to make the responsible decisions.

“It is part of our society and we need to do more than just punish kids.  We need to work them through it and try to appeal to their sense of decency, empathy, morality and understanding that every kid in our school is different, every adult is different.  And we take time to talk about those things.”

Straub added that Hays High School has an eclectic mix of students with various backgrounds and interests, which also helps promote the need to respect others despite their perceived differences.