Bullying Proofing through SW-PBS

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Bullying Proofing through SW-PBS
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Missouri Schools

• REQUIREMENT TO ADOPT AN ANTI-BULLYING POLICY, SB
  894 2006 (Creates 160.775)
• School districts must adopt an anti-bullying
  policy no later than September 1, 2007. The act
  defines "bullying" as intimidation or harassment
  that causes a reasonable student to fear for his
  or her physical safety or property.
• The policy shall not contain specific lists of
  protected classes of students. The policy shall
  require district employees to report any bullying
  instance of which the employee has firsthand
  knowledge and shall address employee training in
  its requirements.
• (Missouri Center for Safe Schools)

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What is Bullying?

• Bullying, unlike isolated conflicts between
  individuals, occurs when a student or group of
  students targets an individual repeatedly over
  time, using physical or psychological aggression
  to dominate the victim.
• (Hoover Oliver, 1996 Rigby, 1995 USDOE, 1998)

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Bullying

• Done by someone with more power or social support
  to someone with less power or social support
• Often includes the abuser blaming the target for
  the abuse
• Often it leads to the target blaming him or
  herself for the abuse

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Often a Hidden Problem

• One incident of bullying every seven minutes
• Adult intervention in 4 of incidents
• Peer intervention in 11 of incidents
• (Craig Pepler, 1997)

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What To Do?

• Reduce, if not eliminate, existing bully/victim
  problems among students in and outside of the
  school setting
• Prevent the development of new bully/victim
  problems and
• Achieve better peer relations at school and
  create conditions that allow in particular,
  victims and bullies to get along and function
  better in and outside of the school setting.
• (Recommendations from Safe Schools Fact Sheets)

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What Doesnt Work

• Interventions not part of comprehensive plan
• Asking the target to solve the problem
• One time presentations or awareness sessions
• Tell what not to do instead of teaching what to do

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Bullying Proofing Is

• Blending prevention, instruction, and social
  culture
• Focusing on real practices and not broad
  philosophies
• Creating respectful, responsible, safe, and
  successful environments

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Focusing on Behavior

• Improving the quality of school
• Goals align getting rid of what is
  inappropriate
• Need to create positive and predictable
  environments
• Have to focus on the desired behaviors
• Sustain impact

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The Challenge

• Implementation of SW-PBS will often encounter
  competing initiatives
• When the competing initiative is focused on
  improved behavior support
• Start with outcome measures
• Integrate with PBS to make ONE implementation
  effort.

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It Is About Behavior

• Integrate into teaching expectations
• Already teaching schoolwide expectations
• Have a shared understanding
• Use a common language
• Add empowerment

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Bullying Proofing

• Victims
• Need to know when being bullied
• Need ways to remove themselves from bully
• Understand that bullying is taken seriously

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Bully Proofing

• Bystanders
• Need to know what is bullying behavior
• Need ways to intervene in a bullying situation
• Need to be activated

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Bully Proofing

• Bullies
• Need to understand behavior is inappropriate
• Name the bullying behavior
• Need to learn skills to change behavior

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Bully Proofing

• Stop Walk Swalk
• Say stop to those being disrepectful to you or
  others
• Walk away or take the victim away with you
• Tell an adult Come to us

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Bully Proofing

• Helpful questions to ask bullies
• Why did you do that?
• Why was that an inappropriate thing to do?
• Who did you hurt?
• What were you trying to accomplish?
• Next time you have that goal, how will you meet
  it without hurting anybody?

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Resources

• For Kids
• www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov
• www.mcgruff.org
• http//www.wordscanheal.org/
• http//www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/
• For Staff
• www.stopbullyingnow.com