Recommendations

To prevent hazing, we need to send a clear anti-hazing message.

• Organize community opportunities (PTO, town meetings, or state legislature) to discuss hazing Adopt anti-hazing laws and written policies.
• Educate administration, group leaders, families, and students on hazing and its consequences.
• Provide information about the dangers of hazing in loss of civility as well as loss of life.
• Discuss in detail among diverse groups what hazing is and is not and why.
• Make student behavior part of each group leader's evaluation Develop a contract for students and their parents to sign regarding hazing.
• Require behavioral as well as academic performance to continue on extra-curricular groups.
• Establish a record of taking strong disciplinary action in cases of hazing.
• Immediately notify families and law enforcement of any suspected hazing incident.
• Take hazing seriously; discuss it everywhere-school, sports, bands, choirs, church groups.

To keep kids safe, we need to reinvent community and cultivate community elders.

• Dramatically change our culture to value and invest in community, equality, and civility.
• Train high school group leaders in community building initiation activities.
• Put our selves, as adults, personally into relationships with young people.
• Recognize successful adult and youth leaders for community building and service.
• Provide opportunities for supervised play, so young people can practice making decisions.
• Expect children to be conscious of others, and continually ask, "How does that affect others?"
• Discuss what is right and wrong and why with young people and expect to learn from them.
• Share the reasoning behind decisions with professionals, group leaders, students, and families.
• Support parenting education for parents to help their children develop decision-making skills.
• Develop community service experiences for teens.
• Expect each high school group to provide initiation rites that are meaningful and challenging: recreational times, get-to-know-you games, trips, community service, role modeling opportunities, performances, and discussion groups.
• Develop special programs for young men.

To keep the community safe, we need to learn to pay attention to teens who are excluded.

• Encourage kids to not keep secrets; there should always be some adult to talk to or to tell.
• Ensure that there are easy ways to report hazing, without having to go public.
• Be sensitive to the trauma that hazing can cause.
• Pay special attention to students who are not participating, who are excluded, or who express a desire for revenge.