Bullying is a range of behaviors, both verbal and physical, that intimidate others and often leads to antisocial and unlawful acts. Staff, students, and parents/guardians need to understand that bullying is a pervasive problem that leads to violence. Bullying should neither be thought of as a “kids will be kids” behavior nor accepted as a way of life. Approximately one in seven school children is either a bully or a victim. Each day, 160,000 kids stay home from school to avoid being bullied.
WHAT PTA AND PARENTS CAN DO
1. Clearly define what constitutes bullying activity with input and involvement from the school community (students, staff, parents, teachers, volunteers, and law enforcement). Communicate that definition to students, teachers, parents, and staff. The definition should include physical, verbal, and psychological aspects of bullying.
2. Based upon the above, establish specific rules prohibiting, and consequences for, bullying activity as part of a comprehensive school code of conduct.
3. Establish a reporting mechanism by which incidents of bullying can be reported. Develop a climate that encourages open communication between students and adults. It should maximize the options by which students can transmit their concerns about violence to school personnel, foster an environment of trust, and be sensitive to their fears of retaliation.
4. Ensure reporting procedures address with whom and under which circumstances information will and will not be shared. Care should be taken to: Protect witnesses and victims from retaliation.
- Meet applicable standards for confidentiality.
- Ensure that personnel involved with victims and bullies have the information they need to effectively work with them.
- Protect the accused from false allegations.
5. Establish a policy regarding the circumstances under which parents/guardians of bullies and/or their victims should be called in for an on-site conference.
6. Address bullying activities that occur on the way to and from school. Work with community policing efforts to help make students’ journeys to and from school safe and free from acts of intimidation. Consider holding focus groups on an on-going basis to discuss the nature of the problem of bullying and ways to solve it.
7. Identify community resources that can be utilized to intervene immediately, as well as those that can be used to develop additional intervention and/or prevention programs. Ensure adequate social service and mental health resources are both available and being utilized.
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
School administrators, parents, and teachers should identify and implement programs that increase positive self-respect and respect for others. In general, these programs should:
- Establish standards for how people should treat each other.
- Promote and ensure that classroom standards are consistent with school and district policies.
- Ensure classroom standards are reviewed in class and that a copy of them is sent to the parents/guardians.
- Teach students how to resist others’ efforts to intimidate or isolate them.
- Model and reinforce values such as learning, respect, character, and cooperation.
- Encourage students to work together through the use of cooperative learning techniques such as team projects.
- Encourage the contemplation of core values (respect, responsibility, trust, sharing, etc.) through use of age and curriculum appropriate writing assignments and class discussion.
- Encourage students to become actively involved in the school community.
- Recognize and reward students who exhibit positive and responsible behavior.
Coordinate cooperative efforts to create and disseminate statements of values that all affiliates of the school will be expected to follow. All members should be able to state their school’s values.
SAMPLE VALUE STATEMENTS
Statements of values should be broad in reach, but short in length. If properly used in both award and disciplinary settings, they can take on real meaning as a cornerstone of student, teacher, and staff commitment to the school and the larger community. Knowledge of school values can be reinforced by listing them on posters throughout the school, on ID holders, on stickers, and on other promotional items.
The statement of values below is from West Decatur Elementary School, Decatur, AL:
At West Decatur, we believe:
- Every individual deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
- Every individual is entitled to a quality education in a safe, nurturing, and orderly environment.
- Every individual needs to believe in the worth of themselves and others.
- Every individual needs to accept consequences for chosen behavior.
The following is an example from Colenso High School, Napier, New Zealand:
Student Charter: “This is our Place and it Belongs to all of us!”
These are our rights:
- We all have the right to learn without disruption.
- We all have the right to aim for excellence and to do our personal best.
- We all have the right to be safe.
- We all have the right to expect our possessions to be safe.
- We all have the right to a safe, clean environment.
These are our responsibilities:
- We will not interfere with the learning of others.
- We will not stand in the way of those working to do their personal best.
- We will not harm others either physically or emotionally and we will not allow others to do so either.
- We will not interfere with other people’s possessions.
- We will care for OUR PLACE and its environment.
CYBER-BULLYING
Cyber-bullying, or the use of computer, websites, the internet, cell phones, text messaging, chat rooms, and instant messaging to ridicule, harass, intimidate, humiliate, or otherwise bully another student, is a growing problem for public school students due to the increased use of such electronic devices by children both on and off public school premises.
Cyber-bullies feel protected by anonymity and by the knowledge that children who are targeted do not want to report cyber assaults because they fear losing their access to electronic devices, having the situation aggravated by adult interference, or further retaliation by the Cyber-bully.
It is important that we recognize October as National Bullying Prevention Month to help raise awareness and make an effort to stop the abuse that harms our youth. Before you make changes in policy and practice you need to know what exactly is going on in each school. We know that bullying can affect a student’s ability to learn, but what about a teacher’s ability to teach? Recent Pride data indicates that 82% of teachers said bullying interferes with instruction to some degree. Decisions should be based on fact, not conjecture.