Oct. 1, 2025 – For Chaffee Trail Elementary School Counselor Joshua Nelson, the reasoning behind bullying prevention education is simple.
“The overall purpose is we want students to feel safe,” said Nelson. “Because when students feel safe, they come to school. And when they come to school, they’re able to reach their academic goals.”
Chaffee Trail is one of 58 district schools implementing the nationally recognized Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). It’s a schoolwide program that equips schools with a variety of resources, strategies, and lessons to educate students and families about how to recognize, prevent, and report bullying.
“I think it's important because it helps others not to be a bully, and it helps us to know what to do if anybody would bully us,” said Noah Nelson, a fifth grader at the school.
Program implementation was made possible through the federal Stronger Connections grant. The program is currently required in all Team Duval middle schools and is available to elementary schools. Participating schools receive training, materials, supplies, and more.
One example of the program in action can be seen in the anti-bullying posters on display throughout the school. Titled “Everyone Deserves Respect,” the posters list four anti-bullying rules adapted from OBPP:
We will not bully others.
We will try to help students who are bullied.
We will try to include students who are left out.
If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.
Nelson says these principles are discussed regularly throughout the year, in addition to lessons delivered through other tools such as storybooks, activities, worksheets, and class discussions.
“Creating a community of students who understand that bullying is not expected behavior…helps reduce those bullying actions,” said Nelson.
The grant is scheduled to end in September 2026, but district leaders hope to extend the program.
Duval County Public Schools takes all reported acts of bullying seriously and has staff dedicated to investigating incidents. Acts of bullying or harassment can be reported in multiple ways:
Contacting the Bullying Prevention Hotline at 904-390-2255
Sending a text message or email to 390Call
Contacting the school principal or assistant principal directly by phone, email, or in person
You can also learn more by visiting our Bullying Prevention page.