Bullying Prevention in the PVUSD

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Bullying Prevention in the PVUSD
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Definition of Bullying

• Is aggressive behavior that intends to cause harm
  or distress.
• Usually is repeated over time.
• Occurs in a relationship where there is an
  imbalance of power or strength.

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DIRECT Face to Face
Physical Shoves, pushes, hitting, kicking,
assault
Verbal Insults, putdowns, teasing,
harassmentRacial slurs, taunting
Psychological Rolling eyes, dirty looks, mad
dogging, uttering threats, extortion
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INDIRECT Behind someones back
Relational Aggression Telling people not to be
friends with a victim
Exclusion Leaving out Shunning
Gossip Lowering peoples opinion About the victim
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The Bullying Circle
Disengaged Onlooker
Follower/Henchman Takes an active part, but does
not start the bullying behavior
Possible Defender Dislikes the bullying and
thinks he ought to help but doesnt
T
Supporter Supports the bullying but does not take
an active part
Defender of the Target Dislikes the bullying and
helps or tries to help the student who was
targeted
Passive Supporter (Possible Bully) Likes the
bullying but does not display open support
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Myth 1 Students who bully are rejected by their
peers and have no friends

• Often enjoy high status and have lots of friends.
• During the middle school years, some students who
  bully are actually quite popular and perceived as
  especially cool.
• Enjoy a new kind of notoriety. Many classmates
  admire their toughness and may even try to
  imitate them.

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Myth 2 Students who bully have low self-esteem.

• Self-esteem movement of the 1980s when many
  people argued that raising self-esteem was the
  key to improving the outcomes of children with
  academic and social problems.
• Many studies report that students who bully
  perceive themselves in a positive light, perhaps
  sometimes displaying inflated self-views
• High self-esteem can sometimes encourage students
  who bully to rationalize their antisocial actions.

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Myth 3 Being a victim builds character

• Research quite clearly shows that bullying
  experiences increase the vulnerabilities of
  children.
• Children who are passive and socially withdrawn
  are at heightened risk of getting bullied and
  that these children become even more withdrawn
  after incidents of harassment

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Myth 4 Many childhood victims of harassment
become violent as teens.

• Most children who are targets of bullying are
  more likely to suffer in silence than to
  retaliate.
• Many students who are targeted experience
  psychological adjustment problems like depression
  and low self-esteem, which may make them inclined
  to turn inward rather than outward.

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Myth 5 There is a victim personality.

• Certain personality characteristics (e.g., the
  tendency to be shy or withdrawn) place children
  at higher risk for being bullied,
• Also a host of situational and social factors
  (e.g., being a new student in school, not having
  a friend)
• These situational factors explain why there are
  more temporary than chronic targets of bullying.

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Myth 6 Bullying involves only perpetrators and
victims.

• Bullying incidents are typically public (rather
  than private) events that have witnesses.
• Playground observations have found that in most
  incidents, at least four other peers were
  present.
• In more than 50 of the observed incidents of
  bullying, peers reinforced the bullying behavior
  by passively watching.
• In only about 25 of the incidents did witnesses
  support the target by directly intervening,
  distracting, or discouraging the student who
  bullied.

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Out-dated Beliefs

• Bullying is a normal part of growing up.
• Children who bully will grow out of it.
• Children are always best left to resolve their
  own conflicts.
• Childrens conflicts reflect play fighting and
  teasing will do no real harm.
• Sometimes victims provoke attacks.
• Adults should not encourage tattling.
• No way to stop it.

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Children Who Bully are More Likely To

• Feel a need to regain power
• Come from homes where they are bullied or abused
• Have high self esteem
• Be popular
• Get into frequent fights
• Be injured in a fight
• Steal, vandalize property
• Drink alcohol, smoke
• Be truant, drop out of school
• Struggle academically
• Perceive a negative climate at school
• Carry a weapon

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Children Who are Targets of Bullying Behavior

• Often have lower self esteem
• Tend to feel more depressed, anxious, lonely and
  insecure
• Have more psychosomatic complaints (stomachaches,
  headaches)
• Have higher absenteeism rates
• Often blame themselves and see themselves as
  social failures
• Tend to view school as less supportive
• Academic problems include avoidance, truancy and
  greater risk of dropout
• Have more suicidal ideation
• Have more peer rejection often blamed by peers
  for being targets

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Reports of Bullying to School Staff

• Many do not report being bullied.
• Older children and boys are less likely to report
  victimization.
• Why dont children report?
• 66 of children who were targeted felt that staff
  responded poorly
• 6 believed that staff responded very well.
  (Hoover et al., 1992)

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What works in bullying prevention?

• What is required to reduce bullying in schools is
  nothing less than a change in the school climate
  and change in norms for behavior.
• This requires a comprehensive, school-wide effort
  involving the entire school community

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What Can You Do?

• Students who bully need to learn strategies that
  help them control their anger and their tendency
  to blame other people for their problems.
• Students who are targets of harassment need
  interventions that help them develop more
  positive self-views and teach them not to blame
  themselves for their experiences with harassment.
• Peers need to learn that bullying is a whole
  school problem for which everyone is responsible.
  There is no such thing as an innocent bystander.

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Bullying Problems Requires Systematic,
Systemic SolutionEducate all concerned about
seriousness of problem, across community not
just in school district/schools.

• Within schools, parents, staff, and students
  learn about their respective roles.
• Parents learn to talk to children about
  bullying.
• Teachers are trained to identify and handle
  bullying.
• Students learn to empathize with students who are
  targets of bullying as well as ways of dealing
  with and responding to students who bully

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What Works

• Maintain adequate supervision of children.
• Make sure the entire school understands that
  bullying, teasing, and harassing will not be
  tolerated.
• All staff adopt zero tolerance stance and respond
  quickly to early signs of bullying (e.g.
  name-calling).
• Train and expect teachers, cafeteria workers, bus
  drivers to intervene immediately in both direct
  and indirect bullying situations.
• Communicate clear policies and consequences to
  staff and students for dealing with bullying.
• Establish a confidential reporting system that
  allows children to report victimization and that
  records details of bullying incidents

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What Works

• Discipline students who bully in a no-nonsense
  style.
• Phone the parents of both the student who bullied
  and the student who was targeted. If possible,
  involve the parents in designing a plan of
  action.
• Do NOT blame the victim
• Students who are targeted may be offered
  counseling and skill building
• Continue to monitor the behavior of the student
  who bullied and the safety of the target.
• Consult administrators, teachers, and staff
  members to alert them to the problem and to get a
  better understanding of it.
• If the situation doesn't change, remove the
  student who bullied not the victim - from the
  classroom.
• Offer immediate rewards for inclusive behavior.

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Supporting the Student Who was Targeted

• Reduce fear by being empathetic and supportive.
• Reduce self-blame by identifying cruel behavior.
  
• Connect the student to helpful peers and provide
  education about social skills.
• Teach strategies to avoid revictimization.
• Seek assistance from an adult, friend, or peer
  when a potentially threatening situation arises
  or when other strategies aren't working.
• Assert Yourself. Make assertive statements to the
  student who bullied, addressing your feelings
  about the his or her behavior.
• Avoid. Walk away or avoid certain places in
  order to avoid a bullying situation.
• Self-Talk. Use positive self-talk to maintain
  positive self-esteem.

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Strategies for Classroom Teachers

• Provide classroom lessons about bullying behavior
• Develop a classroom action plan to ensure that
  students know what to do when they observe
  bullying behavior
• Take immediate action when bullying behavior is
  observed
• Confront the student who bullied in private
  (challenging in public either gives or takes away
  power)
• Notify parents of all parties immediately
• Refer students who are targets and students who
  are aggressors to counseling when appropriate
• Create a buddy system for students who have been
  targeted

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Setting up a bully-free classroom

• Hang anti-bullying posters
• Talk to your students about bullying (set the
  tone on the first day of class)
• Make anti-bullying part of one of your lessons
• Have the students sign an anti-bullying class
  pledge on a banner and hang that banner in the
  classroom
• Train students on how to deal with bullying (ex
  scenarios)
• Do activities that promote class unity
• Have an anonymous notes-to-the-teacher box
• Do not allow students to pick their own groups
  (for group work)
• Get students involved in an anti-bullying
  campaign
• Keep your eyes and ears open at all times!
• Take every students complaint seriously
• (Source http//www.bullyfree.com/resources/teach
  ers.php)

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Moving Silent Bystanders

• 85 of students are not directly involved
• These students generally have well developed
  social skills
• They are often confused about their roles and
  responsibilities in bullying situations
• May get drawn into bullying behavior because of
  negative peer pressure
• May experience feelings of guilt and helplessness
• They do not get involved because
• They dont know what to do
• Fear retaliation (snitch rat tattle tale)
• Fear making the situation worse
• Worry about losing social status

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to Caring Bystanders

• Students need to learn they share the
  responsibility for keeping their school safe and
  caring.
• Students should be assured that their fears are
  normal and that there is strength in numbers.
• Students need to have specific methods for
  reporting bullying incidents anonymously or
  privately.

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How to Intervene to Stop Bullying Tips for
Onthe-Spot InterventionImmediately stop the
bullying

• Stand between the child or children who bullied
  and those who were bullied, preferably blocking
  eye contact between them.
• Don't send any students awayespecially
  bystanders.
• Don't immediately ask about or discuss the reason
  for the bullying or try to sort out the facts.

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Refer to the bullying behavior and to the
relevant school rules against bullying.

• Use a matter-of-fact tone of voice to state what
  behaviors you saw/heard.
• Let students know that bullying is unacceptable
  and against school rules (e.g., Calling someone
  names is bullying and is against our school
  rules, or That was bullying. I won't allow
  students to push or hurt each other that way).

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Support the child who was targeted in a way that
allows him or her to regain self-control, to
save face, and to feel supported and safe from
retaliation.

• Make a point to see the child later in private if
  he or she is upset.
• Don't ask what happened at the time of the
  incident. It can be very uncomfortable to be
  questioned in front of other students.
• Let his or her teachers know what happened so
  that they may provide additional support and
  protection.
• Increase supervision to assure that the bullying
  is not repeated and does not escalate.

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Include bystanders in the conversation and give
them guidance about how they might appropriately
intervene or get help next time.

• Don't put bystanders on the spot to explain
  publicly what they observed.
• Use a calm, matter-of-fact, supportive tone of
  voice to let them know that you noticed their
  inaction or that you are pleased with the way
  they tried to helpeven if they weren't
  successful.
• If they did not act, or if they responded in
  aggressive ways, encourage them to take a more
  active or prosocial role next time (e.g., Maybe
  you weren't sure what to do. Next time, please
  tell the person to stop or get an adult to help
  if you feel you can't work together to handle
  the situation).

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If appropriate, impose immediate consequences for
students who bully others.

• Do not require students to apologize or make
  amends during the heat of the moment
• All consequences should be logical and connected
  to the offense. As a first step, you might take
  away social opportunities (recess, lunch in the
  cafeteria)
• Let students who bully know that you will be
  watching them and their friends closely to be
  sure that there is no retaliation.
• Notify colleagues.

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Do not require the students to meet and work
things out.

• Unlike conflicts, bullying involves a power
  imbalance, which means this strategy will not
  work. Trying to find a way to work things out
  can retraumatize the student who was bullied and
  does not generally improve relationships between
  the parties.
• Instead, encourage the student who bullied to
  make amends in a way (after follow-up with an
  adult) that would be meaningful for the child who
  was bullied.

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Strategies for Students

• Seek adult help
• Do not participate in the bullying behavior
• Offer kind words to the student who was targeted
• Do not become involved in rumors or gossip
• If possible, tell the student who is bullying
  that what (s)he is doing is wrong
• Do not become involved in physical or verbal
  fights with a student who displays bullying
  behavior

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Cyber Bullying

• Being cruel to others by sending or posting
  harmful
• material using technological means
• an individual or group that uses information and
  communication involving electronic technologies
  to facilitate deliberate and repeated harassment
  or threat to an individual or group.
• Also known as
• Electronic Bullying Online Social Cruelty

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Cyber Bullies Technology

• E-mail
• Cell phones
• Text messages
• Instant messaging
• Facebook, My Space
• Defamatory personal web sites
• Defamatory online personal polling web sites
• Chat rooms

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How Cyberbullying is Different

• ANONYMOUS
• Occurs off school property
• Good relationships with teachers
• Fear loss of technology privileges
• Further under the radar than bullying
• Emotional reactions cannot be determined
• (McKenna Bargh, 2004 Ybarra Mitchell, 2004)

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Cyberbully Categories

• Power-Hungry
• Want reaction
• Controlling with fear
• Vengeful Angel
• Righting wrongs
• Protecting themselves
• Revenge of the Nerds
• (Subset of Power-Hungry)
• Often Victims of school-yard bullies
• Throw cyber-weight around
• Not school-yard bullies like Power-Hungry Mean
  Girls

• Inadvertent
• Role-play
• Responding
• May not realize its cyber bullying
• Mean Girls
• Bored Entertainment
• Ego based promote own social status
• Often do in a group
• Intimidate on and off line
• Need others to bully if isolated, stop

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Cyber Bullying Terms

• Flaming Online fights using electronic
  messages with angry and vulgar language
• Harassment Repeatedly sending offensive, rude,
  and insulting messages
• Cyber stalking Repeatedly sending messages
  that include threats of harm or are highly
  intimidating. Engaging in other on-line
  activities that make a person afraid for his or
  her own safety
• Denigration Dissing someone online. Sending
  or posting cruel gossip or rumors about a person
  to damage his or her reputation or friendships

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Cyber Bully Terms

• Impersonation Pretending to be someone else
  and sending or posting material online that makes
  that person look bad, gets that person in trouble
  or danger, or damages that persons reputation or
  friendships
• Outing and Trickery Sharing someones secret
  or embarrassing information online. Tricking
  someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing
  information which is then shared online
• Exclusion Intentionally excluding someone from
  an on-line group, like a buddy list
• (Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D., Director of the
  Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use)

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Legal Issues

• Educators Guide To Cyber bullying
• Addressing the Harm of On-line Social Cruelty
• (Nancy Willard, 2005)
• Law Enforcement should be contacted if educator
  becomes aware of
• Death threats or threats of other forms of
  violence to a person or property
• Excessive intimidation or extortion
• Threats or intimidation that involve any form of
  bias or discrimination
• Any evidence of sexual exploitation

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What Students Needs to Know About Cyber bullying
(Aftab)

• All actions have consequences
• Cyber bullying hurts
• Cyber bully and accomplices often become the
  target of cyber bullying themselves
• Important to care about others and stand up for
  whats right

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http//library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00117/ What
You Can Do About Cyberbullying

• If you are being cyberbullied, you should
  definitely tell an adult. To start with, tell
  your parents. If the bullying is just someone's
  idea of fun, perhaps your parents can put an end
  to it.
• For people who send you mean e-mail(s), just add
  them to your spam filter, and their messages will
  be deleted automatically.
• If the student who is bullying has more sinister
  motives, your parents might have to take up the
  matter with the school, the phone or Internet
  service provider, or even the police. They can
  track the student down, and they can stop calls
  and messages from the person from reaching you.
  If necessary, they can close his/her account to
  prevent him/her from troubling you further.
• If you are depressed by cyberbullying, get away
  from the computer or the phone, and just hang out
  with your friends. You will quickly see how much
  fun you can have in the physical world, without
  computers and mobile phones.
• Cyberbullying is easy to stop, as long as you are
  willing to take the help of your parents and
  teachers.

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Cyber Bullying Resources

• Teenangels.org trains teens preteens to be
  part of solution
• WiredKids and WiredTeens programs for schools
  and communities
• Wiredsafety.org one to one hotline and multiple
  resources Videos, Lesson Plans and Activities

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Bulllying Websites

• http//www.eyesonbullying.org/toolkit.html
• http//www.findyouthinfo.gov/topic_bullying_whatCa
  nEducatorsDo.shtml
• http//www.jaspermiddleschool.org/documents/Bully_
  proofing_your_middle_school.pdf
• http//www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/
• http//www.olweus.org/public/bullying.page
• http//facs.pppst.com/bullying.html
• http//www.anonymoustips.com/index.php