The Lake Placid Central School District board issued a proclamation at a meeting Tuesday in recognition of National Bullying Prevention Month this October. The proclamation said that bullying is widespread in-person and online, acknowledging that both targets, bystanders and perpetrators of bullying are impacted negatively by the issue.

“Targets of bullying are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school,” the proclamation reads. “Whereas, children who bully are at greater risk of engaging in more serious violent behavior.”

The district has a number of measures in place that aim to prevent and mitigate the harm caused by bullying, most of which have been in place for years or even decades, according to Superintendent Tim Seymour.

These measures include character education curriculum at both schools. The Positivity Project provides the high school curriculum and includes videos that are included in their daily news brief as well as discussions in their homeroom classrooms. The elementary school curriculum, provided by the Center on Postive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, has been in place for decades and is taught by the school guidance counselor.

The schools also provide bystander training — which encourages students who witness bullying to speak up — as well as guidance counseling and conflict resolution, when needed. In compliance with the Dignity for All Students Act, which was signed into state law in 2010, the school also provides a dignity act coordinator in each building. More information about procedures and requirements under DASA can be found on the LPCSD website.

Parents or students can submit anonymous complaints or concerns about bullying or other suspicious activity through Anonymous Alerts, which can be accessed through the LPCSD website homepage. The system is monitored 7 a.m. through 3 p.m. during the school year and has been in place for around five years.

“It’s just another tool in the belt,” Seymour said.

He said the district doesn’t receive a large volume of complaints, but there are always a few incidents where the anonymous reporting seems to be useful. Both the elementary and middle/high schools also have DASA complaint forms available on the website, where detailed information about bullying or harassment incidents can be reported.

By and large, Seymour said the biggest challenge when it comes to bullying prevention is the added element of social media, especially platforms like Snapchat where posts and messages are not saved unless someone takes a screenshot.

“Social media has taken something that has historically occurred, and it’s amplified it,” Seymour said. “It’s removed some of the sanctuary areas in people’s lives.”

The district recently banned cellphones during the day at the middle/high school, extending the policy that was previously in place at the elementary school. Seymour said the staff response to this new policy has been very positive so far.

“It’ll be interesting to see, over the course of the year, if we also see decreases in some of the behavior that social media created,” Seymour said.