Creating a BullyFree School

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Creating a Bully-Free School
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• I believe schoolshave a positive duty to be
  vigilantto guard against bullying and to deal
  with it and stamp it out if it occurs. The
  consequences of a failure to do that can be very
  profound.
• 1997 Coroners Report (New Zealand)

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Here are the statistics

• A recent Secret Service study found that
  two-thirds of school shooters said they felt
  persecuted, bullied, threatened, attacked or
  injured.
• National Threat Assessment Center and
  Secret Service
• A 2002 NEA study found that more than 160,000
  kids do not go to school each day because they
  fear being bullied.
• National Education Association National
  Association of School Psychologists
• A 1999 study conducted by CNN showed that 4 out
  of 5 middle school students had engaged in
  bullying behavior in the last 30 days.

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What is bullying?

• An intentional written, verbal, or physical act
  against a student which is motivated by the
  bullys perception of that students
• Race, color, or creed
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Other distinguishing characteristics
• Paraphrased from Senate Bill 5528 adopted
  03-09-02

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What is bullying?

• When the intentional act
• Physically harms a student or damages his/her
  property
• Substantially interferes with the students
  education
• Is so severe, persistent or pervasive that it
  creates an intimidating or threatening
  educational environment
• Or substantially disrupts the orderly operation
  of a school.
• Paraphrased from Senate Bill 5528 adopted
  03-09-02

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How does bullying happen?

• When one person intimidates or subjects another
  person to hostility or ill treatment.
• When one person harasses, picks on or pesters
  another.
• When actions cause another person to feel afraid,
  humiliated, embarrassed, threatened or shamed.
• When repeated incidents create and enforce an
  imbalance of power.

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What bullying is NOT

• A normal childhood activity
• A rite of passage
• The targets fault

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Bullying happens in 4 ways

• Verbal (Direct or Indirect)
• Direct Teasing, jokes, threats, group threats
  Indirect Ignoring/isolation, gossip
• Physical
• Blocking someones path, physical restraint,
  pushing/kicking, hazing, drive-bys, murder
• Sexual
• Teasing, touching, slapping, pictures, emails,
  graffiti, sexual assault, rape
• Property
• Hiding belongings, theft, arson, extortion,
  vandalism, destruction

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For the target, bullying is a loss experience.

• loss of a feeling of safety
• loss of confidence and self-esteem
• loss of a sense of belonging
• loss of control over your life
• Stan Davis Stop Bullying
  Now

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Effects of Bullying on the Target

• Physical Effects
• Stomach aches
• Weight loss/gain
• Headaches
• Drop in grades
• Drug or alcohol use
• Sexual activity
• Assaultive
• Suicidal
• Homicidal

• Emotional Effects
• Alienation
• Low self esteem
• Insecurity
• FEAR
• Depression
• Withdrawn
• Aggression
• Anger
• Vengeful

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Warning SignsTHAT A STUDENT IS BEING BULLIED

• Frequently teased, taunted belittled, ridiculed,
  intimidated threatened, dominated or subdued
• Has a derogatory nickname
• Regularly has bruises or injuries that cant be
  explained
• Has belongings taken or damaged
• Few or no close friends at school

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Warning Signs (CONT.)

• Frequently socially isolated
• Chosen last for teams or other group activities
• Less assertive or lacks the skills to respond to
  others teasing or harassment
• Appears weak or easily dominated
• Tries to stay close to a teacher or other adult
  at recess or breaks

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There is no hard evidence to show that children
who are targeted by bullies share certain
physical characteristics.Hoover Oliver (1996).
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What about the bully?

• Studies show that children identified as bullies
  by age 8 are 6 times more likely to be convicted
  of a crime by age 24 National Association of
  School Psychologists
• 60 of kids characterized as bullies in the
  6th-9th grade had at least 1 criminal conviction
  by age 24. Office of Juvenile Justice and
  Delinquency Prevention
• Bullies are 5 times more likely to end up with a
  serious criminal record by age 30. National
  Association of School Psychologists

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What causes bullying?

• Home-Life Factors lack of warmth attention,
  modeling of aggressive behavior in the home, poor
  role-models, poor supervision.
• Personal Factors ill-tempered, active
  impulsive personality, craves attention.
• School Environmental Factors overall climate of
  the school.
• London Family Court Clinic

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What motivates a bully?

• Bullies prey on an imbalance of power.
• They are seeking attention.
• They need to make themselves feel more important.
• They need a particular reaction from the other
  members of the group.
• Bullies believe their behavior is exciting and
  makes them more popular.

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What motivates a bully?

• They may be coping with a loss.
• They may have an active impulsive temperament.
• They may be victims of abuse.
• They may see violence modeled at home.
• They probably have a low self-esteem.

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Remember

• No matter what the reason, there is NEVER an
  excuse for bullying behavior.

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Profile of a bully

• Aggressive, physically strong
• Routinely violent
• Poor communication skills
• High or low self-esteem
• Insecure, with a need to control
• From a dysfunctional family
• Thrives on domination

• Attention seeking
• Immature and envious
• Disruptive, divisive, oppositional
• A low achiever, low anxiety
• Lies, denies responsibility and violates school
  rules
• Uncaring - lacks empathy remorse
• Exploitative

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There are 3 types of bullies

• The Confident Bully
• physically strong, enjoy aggression, feel secure,
  average popularity, commit violence, theft
  destruction of property
• The Anxious Bully
• academically weak, poor concentration, less
  popular, less secure, use teasing name-calling,
  use peer influence to socially exclude targets
• The Bully / Victim
• are bullies in some situations and victimized by
  bullies in other situations, generally unpopular,
  may taunt and provoke bullies

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Time to take ACTION!

• Recognize bullying when it happens.
• Get involved.
• Confront the bully.
• Support the target.
• Report the incident.

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Take Action NOW!

• RECOGNIZE an incident when it occurs.
• Remember the 4 ways bullying occurs verbal
  (direct indirect), physical, sexual and
  property.
• Look for the warning signs.
• Ask questions.

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Take Action NOW!

• GET INVOLVED when you see an incident or when
  one is reported to you.
• Take an active role in changing the norm.
• Share information with other teachers.
• Get out in the halls between classes KNOW WHAT
  IS HAPPENING AROUND YOU!!!

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Take Action NOW!

• CONFRONT THE BULLY
• Remove the bully from the situation.
• Consider safety if the student is agitated,
  have at least one other staff member with you.
• You may need to allow time for the student to
  deescalate.
• Identify the behavior and tell them it is
  inappropriate and will not be tolerated.
• Offer corrective counseling
• Ask the bully to identify why the behavior is
  inappropriate.
• Ask the bully to give an example of a more
  constructive way to interact with others.

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Take Action NOW!

• CONFRONT THE BULLY
• Let them know that the incident will be reported
  (in writing) to the school administration, and
  law enforcement (if appropriate).
• Advise the bully of potential consequences for
  continuing the behavior.

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Take Action NOW!

• SUPPORT THE TARGET
• Rememberthe problem is the bully NOT the
  target.
• Offer a compliment or encouraging word.
• Let them know they are not alone, and their
  feelings ARE important.
• DO NOT offer excuses for the bullys behavior.
• Allow the target to help determine the best way
  to deal with the bullying situation.

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Take Action NOW!

• REPORT IT
• Bullying is a violation of school policy.
• Bullies need to be held accountable for their
  actions.
• Reporting bullying helps insure the bully gets
  the appropriate counseling.
• By law, when you witness a bullying incident or
  have reliable information that an incident has
  occurred, you are encouraged to report the
  incident to the appropriate school official.

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What are the consequences for the bully?

• Warning
• Verbal and written
• Permanently documented
• Counseling
• Anger Management, Conflict Resolution/
• Communication/Problem Solving Skills,
  Diversity Training during Saturday school or
  after school detention.
• May be provided by administrators, teachers,
  counselors, school psychologists or school
  resource officers
• Referral to Law Enforcement (when applicable)
• Suspension / Expulsion

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Bullying Discipline Continuum
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How can we PREVENT bullying?

• Make it clear that you dont condone any kind of
  harassment or mistreatment of others.
• Avoid using negative or derogatory humor with
  staff or students.
• Take reports of bullying seriously.

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How can we PREVENT bullying?

• Infuse anti-bullying and violence prevention into
  your curriculum.
• Use group activities or assignments that require
  sharing or collaboration.
• Praise students for acts of kindness and respect.
• Choose stories and books that have a bullying
  theme.
• Develop exercises to help students appreciate
  each others uniqueness!

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How can we PREVENT bullying?

• Promote empathy and awareness for others
  feelings in your classroom.
• Educate your students on the difference between
  tattling and reporting.
• Get to know your students so you can recognize
  any warning signs.

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How can we PREVENT bullying?

• Initiate conversations with students about
  bullying.
• Dont assume that because you havent heard about
  it, its not happening!
• Keep a log of all bullying incidents.
• Include who was involved, where it occurred, how
  often, and what strategies you used to address it.

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To prevent bullying, educators need to do nothing
less than change school culture, the social
environment in which learning takes place.

• J. David Hawkins
• University of Washington

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• TOGETHER
• EVERYONE
• ACHIEVES
• MORE!!!