Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools Middle School Bullying Prevention Program

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Willoughby-Eastlake City SchoolsMiddle School
Bullying Prevention Program
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Bullying . . .

• A student is being bullied when he or she is
  exposed,repeatedly and over time, to negative
  actions on the part of one or more students.

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Bullying involves an imbalance in power or
strength.
The student who is bullied has difficulty
defending himself/herself.
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Bullying Behavior

• Often part of a conduct-disordered behavior
  pattern
• This pattern may continue into young adulthood
• Olweus study Bullies were 4 times as likely to
  have 3 or more criminal convictions by age 24

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Why Focus on Bully/Victim Problems

• Because of
• Short and long-term effects on victims
• Concern about students who bully
• Impact on bystanders
• School social climate
• Legal concerns

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Concerns About Children Who Bully

• Children who bully are more likely to
• Get into frequent fights
• Be injured in a fight
• Steal, vandalize property
• Drink alcohol, smoke
• Be truant, drop out of school
• Report poorer academic achievement
• Perceive a negative climate at school
• Carry a weapon

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Short-term Effects of Being Bullied

• Lower self-esteem
• Depression anxiety
• Illness
• Absenteeism
• Thoughts of suicide

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Lasting Effects of Being Bullied

• Lower self-esteem
• Higher rates of depression
• Higher rates of Post Traumatic Stress

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Effects of Bullying on Bystanders

• Bystanders may feel
• Afraid
• Powerless to change the situation
• Guilty for not acting
• Diminished empathy for victims over time

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Effects of Bullying on School Climate

• Interferes with student learning
• Creates a climate of fear and disrespect
• Students may perceive lack of control/caring

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Types of BullyingDirect Bullying

• Hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting
• Taunting, hurtful teasing, degrading racial or
  sexual comments
• Threatening, obscene gestures

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Indirect Bullying

• Getting another person to assault someone
• Spreading rumors
• Deliberate exclusion from a group or activity
• Cyber-bullying

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Relational Bullying

• Combines direct indirect bullying strategies.
• Targets relationships and social status to cause
  harm to peers.

BULLYING
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Health Consequences of BullyingFekkes et
al.(2003) Pediatrics, 144, 17-22

• Bullied Not bullied
• Headache 16 6
• Sleep problems 42 23
• Abdominal pain 17 9
• Feeling tense 20 9
• Anxiety 28 10
• Feeling unhappy 23 5
• Depression scale
• moderate indication 49 16
• strong indication 16 2

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What Motivates Children Who Bully?

• Like to dominate others in a negative way
• Gain satisfaction from inflicting injury and
  suffering
• Receive rewards by bullying others
  (prestige,possessions)

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Gender plays a role

• Similarities
• Both boys and girls engage in frequent verbal
  bullying.
• Girls and boys are equally likely to engage in
  relational bullying.
• Differences
• Boys are bullied primarily by boys girls are
  bullied by boys and girls.
• Boys are more likely to be physically bullied.
• Girls are more likely to be bullied through
  social exclusion, rumor-spreading, cyber
  bullying, and sexual comments.

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Reporting of Victimization

• Many children do not report bullying to school
  staff.
• Older students and boys are less likely than
  younger students and girls to report their
  victimization.

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Children Who Bully Can Change

• Bullying behaviors and victimization experiences
  are relatively stable over time if there is no
  intervention.
• BUT, appropriate intervention can change
  behaviors.

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Olweus Bullying Program is

• Universal (a school-wide effort)
• Systems-oriented AND individual-oriented
• Preventive AND problem-solving
• Focused on changing norms and behavior
• Research-based
• NOT time-limited Requires systematic efforts
  over time

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Goals of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

• Reduce existing bully/victim problems among
  school children
• Prevent the development of new bully/victim
  problems
• Improve peer relations
• Improve school climate

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Program Principles-
It is critical to develop a school environment
characterized by

• Warmth Positive Interest
• Involvement from adults
• Adults acting as authorities and positive role
  models
• Firm limits

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Overview of School-Wide Elements

• 1. Form Bullying Prevention Coordinating
  Committee
• 2. Train committee and all school personnel
• 3. Develop school rules against bullying
• 5. Increase supervision
• 6. Use consistent positive and negative
• consequences
• 7. Teach monthly lessons on bullying
• 8. Involve parents

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3 Levels of Bullying

• Level 1
• Lowest level of bullying that includes
• Blaming, threatening gestures, insults, teasing,
  gossip, spreading rumors, excluding, minor
  pushing/shoving/tripping, taking items, booking,
  throwing items

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3 Levels of Bullying

• Level 2
• Middle level of bullying that includes
• Threatening physical harm, stealing personal
  property, biting/scratching, verbal threats,
  insulting ones ethnicity/ race/ gender/ family,
  embarrassing others, destruction of property,
  cyber bullying, invading ones privacy, extortion,
  repeating level 1

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3 Levels of Bullying

• Level 3
• Highest level of bullying that includes
• Repeated threats, repeated harassment, repeating
  level 2

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Consequences can include

• Verbal warning
• Written reflection form
• Phone call to parent
• Referral to guidance
• Detention
• Saturday School
• In-school suspension
• Out-of-school suspension
• Group counseling referral
• Juvenile court referral

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Why Adults Dont Always Intervene

• Have difficulty recognizing bullying
• Fail to recognize the importance of intervening
• Uncertain how best to intervene

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What the school will do

• 1. On-the-spot interventions
• 2. Follow-up discussions with children who are
  bullied
• 3. Follow-up discussions with children who bully
• 4. Parental involvement
• 4. Consequences

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What Can Parents Do If Their Child Is
Bullied?

• Help the child develop talents and positive
  attributes
• Encourage the child to make contact with friendly
  student(s) in their classes
• Encourage the child to get to know peers in new
  situations

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What Doesnt Work?

• Ignoring the problem
• Blaming your child for
  provoking bullying
• Telling the child to
  hit back
• Calling the parents of the bully unless there
  is a friendly relationship between parents

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What Can Parents Do If Their Child Bullies Others?

• Communicate directly to the child
• We know you have been involved in bullying
• Bullying is a serious behavior
• We will not tolerate any future
  bullying behavior

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What Can Parents Do If Their Child Bullies Others?

• Enforce family rules
• Reinforce positive and kind behavior
• Spend more time with your child
• Monitor the childs activities
• Build upon the childs talents
• Help child find more appropriate behavior
  patterns
• Seek professional assistance, if necessary

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What Doesnt Work?

• Ignoring the problem
• Denying that their child could do such
  a thing as bullying
• Protecting the child from consequences
• Blaming the victim for your childs problems

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Take-Home Message

• Stopping bullying takes a team effort.
• Approach the process in steps.
• Change happens in small increments.