CREATING AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY CREATING AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY TO COUNTERTO COUNTER

BULLYING IN SCHOOLSBULLYING IN SCHOOLS

PARENT TRAINING AND PARENT TRAINING AND INFORMATIONINFORMATION

Presented By:Presented By: San Elijo Middle SchoolSan Elijo Middle School

Wide spread and underreported Impacts Students’ sense of security Long-lasting harmful effects

Victim – psychological harm Bully – more likely to develop a criminal

record Two-thirds of recent school shootings, the

attacker had previously been bullied

Repeated harmful acts An imbalance of power

Repeated verbal, physical, or psychological attacks or intimidation

Victim cannot properly defend him/herself Size or strength Outnumbered Less psychologically resilient

Assault Tripping Intimidation Rumor-spreading Isolation Demands for money Destruction of property Destruction of valued possessions

Destruction of another’s work Name-calling Sexual harassment Ostracism based on perceived sexual

orientation or gender-identity Hazing

Victim Reasons Fear retaliation Shame Fear not believed Don’t want to worry parents Nothing will change Make problem worse Tell the bully Seen as a snitch

Witness Reasons Make them a target Not their responsibility

“An essential criterion for well educated students: a sense of responsibility for the well-being of others” There’s Only One Way to Stop a Bully, The New York Times, July 22, 2010.

Girls Tend to bully other girls Disrupt social relationships

Teasing Gossiping Social isolation Rumor-spreading

Boys Tend to bully boys and girls

Physical aggressionName callingTaunting

Bullies Aggressive, dominant Average popularity Lack empathy for victims Remain bullies without intervention

Victims No friends – more likely to be victimized (51%) Smaller and weaker Passive/Don’t defend themselves 25% bullied because of race or religion 61% bullied because of actual or perceived

sexual orientation

Low or absent adult supervision School yard Cafeterias Bathrooms Hallways Stairwells Classrooms

Embarrassment Psychological and/or physical distress Low self-esteem Depression Frequent absences Poor health Poor concentration on school work Social dysfunction Insomnia Anxiety Attempted suicide

DisabilityDisability GenderGender

Gender IdentityGender Identity Appearance/BehaviorAppearance/Behavior

NationalityNationality Race/EthnicityRace/Ethnicity ReligionReligion Sexual OrientationSexual Orientation

Spend time with the child, learn and listen

Praise the child for their courage to discuss bullying incidents with you and helpfulness

Ask the child what he/she needs to feel safe and follow through

Urge the child to report any further incidents of bullying

What doesn’t work Zero tolerance policies

May discourage reporting Bullies need positive, pro-social role modeling

Conflict resolution and peer mediation Bullying is a form of victimization, not conflict May send inappropriate message May further victimize the bullied child

Short term solutions Piecemeal Will do little to significantly reduce bullying

problem

“I feel safe at school.”Yes- 73.2%Sometimes- 24.5%No- 2.3%

“How many times has someone called you mean names or made fun of you this school year?” Never- 36.6% 1-2- 27.9% 3-4- 12.8% 5-6- 4.1% 7 or more- 18.6%

“How many times have you called someone mean names or made fun of them this school year?” Never- 59.0% 1-2- 29.0% 3-4- 5.8% 5-6 1.3% 7 or more- 4.9%

“How many times have you been excluded or felt alone this school year?” Never- 44.8% 1-2- 29.8% 3-4- 10.6% 5-6- 4.8% 7 or more- 10.0%

“How many good friends do you have at school?” None- 2.5% 1- 2.0% 2- 4.6% 3- 6.0% 4 or more- 84.9%

“If you saw someone being bullied at school, would you try to stop it?” Yes- 53.0% No- 4.2% Maybe- 30.3% Not sure- 12.5%

Where have you been bullied at school? (students can pick more than one)

In the classroom- 46.5% In the restroom- 16.8% In the cafeteria- 34.5% In the parking lot- 13.4% On the computer- 18.6% On the playground- 35.8% In the hallway- 35.8% On the stairways- 26.1% In the locker rooms- 31.3% On the phone- 23.3%

Focusing on the social environment of the school It is “uncool” to bullyIt is “cool” to help students who are

bulliedIt is normal for staff to notice

incidents of bullying and to intervene

Assessed bullying at all school and staff’s commitment to address it Administered anonymous student

questionnaire to assess the nature, extent, and location of bullying problems in your school

Administered staff questionnaire to assess the staff’s understanding of the bullying problems in their schools

Held parent information trainings

Established and enforce rules and policies

Adopt comprehensive policies that include ALL protected classes

Post rules in every classroom

Discuss rules with students and parents

Develop positive and negative consequences

Increased adult supervision in “hot spots” identified by survey

Focused some class time on bullying 20-30 minutes bi-weekly Candid discussion about bullying and potential

harm Provided tools to students to address bullying Incorporated anti-bullying themes and messages

into curriculum

SEMS has formed a group to coordinate prevention activities Administrator, teacher from each grade,

non-teaching staff, school counselor, and hopefully adding a parent and student representative

Meet regularly, review data, motivate staff, students, and parents, ensure continuing efforts over time

San Elijo Middle School Counselor A-L= Celena Breining

celena.breining@smusd.org #760-290-2809

Counselor M-Z= Michelle Santiago michelle.santiago@smusd.org #760-290-2838

Assistant Principal A-L= Gary DeBora gary.debora@smusd.org #760-290-2823

Assistant Principal M-Z= Virginia Kim virginia.kim@smusd.org #760-290-2824