We Are AFSCME: Hall Monitor Charles Martin

by Kate Childs Graham  |  August 16, 2012

Charles Martin, an AFSCME Local 44 member, is a Hall Monitor at Freedom Academy in Baltimore, Md.

It’s back-to-school season, and in addition to fussing over new backpacks and textbooks, some students and parents are feeling the added anxiety that comes from school bullying. Will this year be like last year? Will anyone step in to help if it starts? 

AFSCME members who work with young people across the country are committed to making sure that someone steps in when bullying starts. That includes Charles Martin, an AFSCME Local 44 member in Baltimore, Md., who is a Hall Monitor at Freedom Academy. He’s responsible for keeping students safe, from the time the students walk in the door until they time they go home. He’s seen it all:  eighth graders towering over sixth graders and demanding use of cell phones, students refusing to let another student sit near them at lunch, and students who cling to their bully, almost as “part of their entourage.”

“They feel safer if they are around them than if they aren’t,” Martin said.

In recent years, school bullying has garnered increased national attention, following a number of student suicides attributed to bullying at school and online after school. President Obama has championed anti-bullying efforts, stating “Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people.  And it’s not something we have to accept. As parents and students; teachers and communities, we can take steps that will help prevent bullying and create a climate in our schools in which all of our children can feel safe.”

Even with the president’s advocacy, the most dangerous place for some students is still at school. And the adults there can be a vital lifeline.

“I’m in the hallways, the playground and the cafeteria,” Martin noted, “These are the most bullied areas.”

Martin has become something of an expert on bullying, studying children day after day, making him able to see patterns and prevent bullying when possible. As the new school year approaches, Martin knows that there will be certain kids he has to keep a special eye on – kids who will be bullied.

“Within the first few days of school, I’ll know which children will be bullied,” Martin said.

 “One little girl used to get in fights all the time,” he said. “One day, I was filling out another incident report and I noticed that she got in a fight every Monday. The next Monday, I watched her. It turned out that she lived with her grandmother who wasn’t focused on having her hair done. So, every Monday, she was beating up younger girls who had their hair done over the weekend.”

The Baltimore City Public Schools Code of Conduct defines bullying as “repeatedly over time engaging in intentional negative behaviors that adversely affect another student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the school’s education or extracurricular programs.” This bullying, which includes cyberbullying, can reported via form by students, parents or school staff.

Martin is one of many AFSCME members working in schools to prevent bullying, realizing President Obama’s dream of building schools “in which all of our children can feel safe.” To find out more about the White House plan, visit stopbullying.gov.

We Are AFSCME is a regular feature in AFSCME WORKS. Click here to read more about the AFSCME members who make America happen. And drop us a line at works@afscme.org to tell us about the job you perform in your community.