Sometimes, it takes the voice of a young person to bring an idea forward. That was exactly what happened at the October meeting of the Pulaski County School Board when a local Cub Scout made a presentation.
Jacob Slaughter, a second-grader at Dublin Elementary School, is a member of Cub Scout Pack 742 in Dublin. He has earned the rank of Wolf Cub. As a Cub Scout, young students are challenged to learn new skills and complete “adventures” which increase in difficulty as each young Scout advances.
For his next adventure, Slaughter is taking on the challenge of bringing awareness to a cause that is near and dear to his heart. Bullying is a problem for many children. Slaughter himself was severely bullied at a previous school and doesn’t want other students to face the same things he did.
At the School Board meeting, Slaughter stood before the board and those in attendance to present his idea of having a Pulaski County Unity Day, bringing awareness to the issue.
In his presentation, Slaughter stated that one out of every five students report being bullied. He went on to talk about how bullying affects witnesses, as well as the targets. Witnesses are more likely to use tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs, and have increased mental health problems and issues with missing or skipping school.
Bullied students indicate that bullying has a negative impact on how they feel about themselves, their relationships with friends and family, their school work, and their physical health.
Slaughter stated that students have a unique power to prevent bullying. More than half of bullying situations stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the students being bullied. Students that experience bullying reported that allying and supportive actions from their peers, such as spending time with the student, talking to them, helping them get away, or giving advice, were the most helpful actions from bystanders.
Unfortunately, peer bystanders intervene in bullying less that 20% of the time, Slaughter stated.
Slaughter pointed out that Dublin Elementary School and all of Pulaski County Public Schools have polices against bullying. This is included in the Student Code of Conduct and PCSB Policy JFC-R4 and JFC-R1.
To help bring awareness, Slaughter proposed the idea of a Pulaski County Unity Day. He asked that the board consider participating in this event as a part of National Bullying Prevention Month, which began in 2006. National Unity Day was created as the signature event for the month, and is usually held on the third and sometimes fourth Wednesday of October. During the event, supporters are asked to wear and share the color orange to show their solidarity against bullying and to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
After his presentation, Slaughter was questioned by Pulaski County Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Rob Graham, on the particulars of his suggestion. School Board member Bill Benson stated that he thought the idea was a wonderful one, and that he would fully support it.
With that, the request was moved to an action item, and the board voted unanimously to proclaim Wednesday, October 18, 2023, as “Orange Out Bullying Day," in honor of Jacob Slaughter. PCPS students, teachers, and staff are encouraged to wear orange and share the message against bullying.
"For a second grader, I was amazed at Jacob's poise with his presentation and his commitment to making a stand on bullying,” Mr. Graham said. “Even as young as he is, he is a wonderful role model for all of us. I look forward to participating in, "Orange Out Bullying Day," and appreciate Jacob's efforts in bringing this issue to our attention as well as providing us with a great recommendation to help combat bullying in public schools."
Jacob Slaughter is the son of proud parents Cody and Brittany Slaughter of Dublin.
