GROVE CITY — Picked on. Teased. Bullied.

However you want to say it, students harassing their peers in today’s schools has become a major social problem.

“It usually ends up in the school’s lap on Monday,” said assistant superintendent Tom Bell, of Grove City Area School District.

“Monday morning is when it escalates because of something that went on in Facebook (an online social network), someone texted something (on their cell phone) or sent an e-mail,” he said.

Starting rumors, excluding people, controlling, “messing with someone’s locker, telling someone their dress is ugly, not letting a kid sit with you at lunch” are other types of bullying the district sees daily among students, Bell added.

“Some of these victims can only take it so long and can explode on someone. Thankfully, we don’t have a lot of that,” he said.

“We’re so fortunate here that someone hasn’t gone and done something to themselves, like other communities have faced. People don’t realize how much an emotional toll this takes on these kids.”

Bell realized how much bullying had become a problem in Grove City when acting as principal at the middle school last year before Larry Connelly was hired.

“There were a lot of days I spent 2 to 4 hours talking to kids about who said what, who sent the text message, who put what on Facebook,” Bell said.

“I was getting a real world experience. (Bullying) is the No. 1 issue and the most time consuming for administrators.”

In the lower grades, it’s especially evident in fifth and sixth grades, he added.

“In third grade, it’s a big building. The kids are young. They still say stuff to each other that’s inappropriate, but by fifth and sixth grade, they’re the kingpins up there.”

Dow Misenhelter, guidance counselor, has been working a lot with middle school students about bullying, Bell said. “One of the things he was teaching was telling an adult about bullying.”

Last year it paid off when a couple of “very popular kids” told Bell about the “unmerciful” behavior of middle school students toward one kid, he said.

When asked, the bullied student stated that “It was a routine day for him,” Bell said. He was proud of the popular kids reporting the behavior, “but the saddest part is (the bullied student) accepted it,” he added.

“I cornered the guys involved and they certainly got the message that it won’t be tolerated, and that other kids are watching what was going on.”

Oftentimes, kids Ð and their parents Ð don’t report bullying because they fear it will escalate.

“The reality is, if they don’t say something, it’ll get worse,” Bell said.

Traditionally, principals and guidance counselors had assemblies or talks in health classes about bullying; and were the primary people to address those situations.

The district once had a representative from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office address cyber bullying, since the advent of computers and cell phones has made it worse.

“The kids listen, go home and right back to doing it,” Bell said.

The bullying talks are too “hit and miss,” “mismatched” and “hodgepodged,” Bell said. “Herein lies the problem.”

In searching for a solution, the district has embarked on a journey to introduce the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in grades K to 8 this school year.

“This is a bullying program all through the school year by everybody,” Bell said, including administrators, teachers, custodians, secretaries, aides, etc.

Developed by Dan Olweus, a psychologist from Sweden, “It’s been around for quite a while,” Bell said. “It’s supposedly, by statistics and research, the best program out there.”

In May, a core team was trained in the Olweus program by a representative from the Midwestern Intermediate Unit V in Edinboro.

The team includes Bell; principals Jennifer Connelly, Tammi Martin and Larry Connelly; guidance counselors Misenhelter and Terri Persch; and one teacher per grade level from kindergarten to 8.

Two representatives from the Grove City Ministerial Association were also invited for training, Bell noted, including Warren Throckmorton, a professor at Grove City College, who teaches about Olweus; and the Rev. Mark Erskine, pastor of the Grove City Church of the Nazarene.

“Our principals and guidance counselors generally meet with Ministerial Association about issues and how we can help each other. That’s how it came about,” he said.

“Some of the kids who are leaders in church groups are coming to school and exhibiting behavior that is atrocious.”

Parents are also invited to be part of the Olweus program.

A parent information meeting will be held in the cafeteria of Hillview Intermediate Center, East Main Street Extension, Grove City, at 7 p.m. Sept. 14.

When school begins after Labor Day, core leaders will begin training their teachers in Olweus, Bell added. Support staff will be trained throughout the school year.

“Training with students will be through teachers in class, home rooms and activity periods. There’s a minimum of times you have to meet,” Bell said.

He also hopes that groups involved with youth activities, like “churches, Scouts, dance schools, Little Eagles” show interest in being trained by the district in Olweus, he said.

“The more people who want to be involved, the better the outcome.”

Olweus is “very expensive” but won’t cost the district a dime, since it received a grant through the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV in Grove City.

It’s an extension of a grant for the School Wide Positive Behavior Program at the elementary school, which teaches kids about being “good citizens,” Bell said.

“We’ve been doing School Wide for probably four years.”

Bullying at the high school will eventually need to be addressed as well.

“It’s every bit as bad, if not worse,” Bell said. With technology, “They take it to a whole new level.” However, “Starting with K through 8 is a lot to bite off in one year.”

Bell knows Olweus won’t completely end bullying.

“Not everybody likes everybody,” he said. “We talk about that a lot. If there is somebody like that, kids have to be taught how to interact with them.”

Despite problems with bullying in the district, Bell wouldn’t exchange Grove City students for any other, he added.

“The irony of this situation is if I lined up all kids in county, I’d pick our kids over anybody. Our kids are fabulous,” Bell said.

“I’m not saying our kids are terrible and that’s why we need a bullying program. Sometimes they cross the line and don’t think of how the other person feels.

“Our kids are good but we always want them to do better.”