Two Sandy-area school officials say the key to preventing bullying starts with a simple question: Is this behavior intentional and repeated?

Eric Gardner, principal of Albion Middle School, drew that line in an episode of the Canyons School District podcast Connect Canyons, published Oct. 13 on the district's website.

"When someone does something unintentionally and it offends you or hurts your feelings, it's rude or mean," Gardner said. "And then the one that we try to teach kids is when someone's saying and doing something intentionally repeatedly after you've asked them to stop multiple times, that's when we get into bullying."

That distinction matters for parents trying to figure out when to call the school. October is Bullying Prevention Month, and Canyons District used the occasion to outline what its middle schools are doing and what families should watch for at home.

At Mount Jordan Middle School, counselor Jaycee Wickham said staff run a program called Caught Being Kind. Students or staff can nominate anyone for random acts of kindness they witnessed or experienced. Wickham said the effort is about being "…really intentional about being kind towards others and recognizing it because a small act of kindness can also change a day for a kid."

Wickham also flagged warning signs parents can track. Attendance drops, stomach aches, headaches and excuses to stay home can all signal a child is struggling, she said.

Getting teenagers to talk is hard. Wickham recommends a daily conversation tool she calls "high, low, buffalo." Each day, parents ask their child to share a high point, a low point and something random. The random element keeps the exchange from feeling like an interrogation.

The district encourages students and parents to report concerns to teachers, administrators or counselors. They can also use the SafeUT app, a free, confidential service staffed by licensed counselors at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute at University of Utah Health. The app is available around the clock and lets users submit anonymous safety tips about bullying, self-harm or school threats.

Statewide, bullying remains a persistent problem. The Utah State Board of Education's 2025 School Disciplinary and Law Enforcement Action Report logged 2,910 bullying incidents, with sixth- and eighth-graders reporting the highest numbers, according to KUTV. The state board has updated its bullying policies to address cyberbullying and deepfakes, Becca Rae, the board's Bullying Prevention and Behavior Support Specialist, told the station.

Utah schools are required to create action plans for both the targeted student and the student who bullied, with consequences tailored to address the underlying problem, Rae said.

Gardner said he wants parents to keep perspective: "There are 100 good things that happen every day in the school to one bad thing." Families with concerns can reach SafeUT by downloading the app or visiting safeut.org.