DUBLIN, Ga. — Bullying doesn't get taken lightly at Southwest Laurens Elementary School. But neither does the word family.
"We are a family, but we come from all different walks of life," co-teacher Heather Clanton said.
According to a Congressional Research Service study in 2013, school-based bullying prevention programs decrease bullying by up to 25%.
She said that Clanton doesn't believe the school has a bullying problem because they have "zero tolerance" for bullying.
Still, she said that's no reason not to teach kids about bullying. That's why anti-bullying speaker Willie Raines came to speak with their third to fifth graders on Friday.
Raines spoke to students about loving yourself and looking out for others simultaneously.
"It was so awesome just to teach kids and show kids love yourself. Love who God created you to be," Clanton said.
The guest speaker is part of the puzzle in creating a family atmosphere at the school.
"This just reiterates what we already do. We encourage all kids to take care of each other," Principal Ed Bland said.
He said the school's approach to bullying is a proactive one. They want to shut down disrespect and encourage uplifting behavior instead.
"If we educate them on the front end so they understand how to be a friend, how to share, how to care for others, then they're going to grow up to respect each other. They're going to build each other up; they're going to love on each other," Clanton said.
The school has systems to help teach those caring behaviors, like their "buddy bench."
"We have a 'buddy bench' system, so if someone is playing on the playground and they don't have anyone to play with, they can go sit on the 'buddy bench,' and that just lets the other kids know that they can go reach out to that student," Assistant Principal Angela Howell said.
She believes it's never too early to get kids thinking about being the best versions of themselves.
"We try to promote good character all throughout the year, and the students are recognized each month in the homerooms for showing good character," Howell said.
Clanton believes leading by example is one of the most important ways to teach kids about good character.
"You wanna teach kids how to show glorious kindness. How to model like I do, we do, you do," Clanton said.
Principal Bland said this was the second year they brought Raines to speak to the children.