PARIS — A forum will be held Thursday at the Paris Elementary School for parents to discuss concerns facing their children, including drugs, violence and the Internet.
“Educating parents is a big part of it,” said police Chief David Verrier, who will lead the discussion along with the school resource officer Hartley Mowatt.
The meeting is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The PTO will provide child-care services in the gym.
Verrier said it is important for parents to be aware of the dangers facing their children, predominantly the issue of bullying on social media sites such as Facebook. Verrier said the problems start largely in the fifth grade.
“These cases are very hard for us. Nine out of 10 (cases) are referred back to their parents,” he said. But parents must be proactive in reporting cases to Facebook and other social medias where bullying and harassment issues are seen.
“We see some harassment and some bullying more at elementary level than in the middle school,” Verrier said. More than half of fifth-graders report some sort of bullying or harassment concerns, he said. While drug and alcohol abuse are more of an issue at the middle school level, Verrier said there are a few cases seen at the elementary school.
Parents will hear about other safety concerns, including family violence that school officials say is on the rise and needs attention.
Paris Elementary School Principal Jane Fahey told the Oxford Hills School Board of Directors recently that the forum will help parents and the community address the issues.
“It’s time for some honest talk with people about what’s going on,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll leave with a plan.”
ldixon@sunjournal.com
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