Bullying Prevention at St. Francis School, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan

Peggy TelferUniversity of New England

St. Francis School Commitment

We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment where students are able to learn in a respectful environment free from bullying and harassment.

In order to provide that environment, we need to work as a team to establish a safe place for our students to learn.

Definition of BullyingAccording to Espelage and Swearer (2003) bullying is most commonly defined by aggressive behavioral actions committed against a target or victim repeatedly over a period of time. These actions may include both physical and verbal aggression, and the bullying behavior often results in an imbalance of power, with the bully holding all of the cards and the victim feeling completely powerless.

Behaviors that Administration and Teachers Have Seen at

St. Francis SchoolO Increased number of office referrals – up 14% from

last year for teasing, fighting and other behaviors classified as bullying.

O 80% of total office referrals for inappropriate behavior occur within the last 15 minutes of a 50 minute lunch break.

O Parent complaints about children being bullied at school.

O Increased number of behavioral referrals to Behavior Interventionists in our school division – up 12% from last school year.

O Teachers are seeing an increased lack of respect for staff, students and school property.

Alarming Events Very Close to HomeIn light of the events that occurred this week in Saskatoon – only over an hour away from our city – the administration and Student Support team feels it is imperative that bullying is addressed before violence against students or staff occurs. Two students brought and shot bee-bee guns at inside of a school at Mayfair School in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. We need to prevent the same events from occurring at our school.

http://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/youths-charged-after-bb-gun-incident-at-school-1.1068232

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p579_qhnO0s

The Reality of Bullying and the

Horrifying Statistics

Picture from: http://photographerjob.org/photographer-cyberbullying/

PBISOPBIS stands for Positive Behavioral

Interventions and Supports.OThe main goal of PBIS is to create a

positive school environment that emphasizes preventative measures accompanied by more positive approaches to discipline (Netzel & Eber, 2003).

OWe need to adopt PBIS in our school. This will help to ensure a safe environment.

Some Words from an Expert on How to Eradicate Bullying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHDfgj0cXXU

STOP

What Interventions are Useful?

O The best anti-bullying programs focus on preventing bullying by incorporating anti-bullying strategies at both school-wide and classroom-wide levels (Dake, Price, Telljohann, & Funk, 2003).

O This is a school wide issue that needs a school wide response!!

O It is important that the whole school develop a common plan so we are able to address the issue as a team.

What Can We Do as a Team to Adopt PBIS?

Some things that we need to think about before we gather again:O What needs to be done from the classroom

level?O What needs to be done from the whole school

level?O What can be done at the community and

parent level?O How can we keep our language common and

our expectations consistent in all areas of the school?

Useful Classroom Resources to Review

O http://www.safeschools.info/bullying-prevention

O http://bullyproofclassroom.com/great-anti-bullying-activities

O http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/cyberbullying-toolkit

ReferencesAuthor Unknown. (2011). Stop Bullying Now – Bullying Statistics. Retrieved From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p579_qhnO0s.Coloroso, B. (2012). Barbara Coloroso at Erase Bullying Summit. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHDfgj0cXXU.CTV News. (2012). Youths Charged After BB Gun Incident at School. CTV News. Retrieved from http://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/youths-charged-after-bb-gun-incident-at-school-1.1068232.Dake, J., Price, J., Telljohann, S., and Funk, J. (2003). Teacher Perceptions and Practices Regarding School Bullying Prevention. Journal of School Health. 73(9), 347-355.

References ContinuedEspelage, D. and Swearer, S. (2003). Research on School Bullying and Victimization: What Have We Learned and Where Do We Go From Here? School Psychology Review. 32(3), 365-383.

Netzel, D. and Eber, L. (2003). Shifting From Reactive to Proactive Discipline In An Urban School District: A Change of Focus

Through PBIS Implementation. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. 5(2), 71-79.