What is Bullying?
“Bullying is repeated exposure, over time, to negative actions from one or more other students. Negative actions can include physical, verbal or indirect actions that are intended to inflect injury or discomfort upon another.”
| Dan Olweus Blueprints for Violence Prevention Bullying Prevention Program
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Students:
If bullies, tell your parents.
Telling is not tattling.
Tell a trusted teacher, counselor, principal, or have your parents talk to the school.
Don not retaliate or get angry.
Respond evenly and firmly or say nothing and walk away.
Develop friendships and stick up for each other.
Act confident.
Take a different route to and from school.
Avoid unsupervised areas of school.
Do not bring expensive items to school.
Parents:
Encourage your child to share programs with you with the assurance that it is not tattling.
Praise and encourage your child – a confident child is less likely to be bullied.
Help our child develop new friendships – new peers can provide a new chance.
Maintain contact with your child’s school. Keep a detailed record of bullying episodes and communications with the school.
Encourage your child to participate in sports or physical activity to improve esteem.
Schools:
Establish a bullying prevention committee.
Create a long-term anti-bullying plan and raise school and community awareness and involvement.
Use student surveys to determine if there is a bullying problem.
Involve parents in planning, discussions and action plans.
Establish classroom rules against bullying.
Create positive and negative consequences regarding bullying.
Initiate serious talks with bullies and victims of bullying.
Source: www.colorado.edu/cspv/safeschools/bullying
A child is bullied or victimized when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other students. Children oftentimes will not tell their parents that they are being victimized.
Warning Signs:
Comes home from school with torn, damaged, or missing clothing, books, and belongings.
Has unexplained bruises, injuries, cuts, and scratches.
Does not bring classmates or other peers home after school and seldom spends time in the homes of classmates or peers.
Seems isolated from peers and may not have a good friend to share time with.
Appears to be fearful about attending school, walking to and from school, or riding the bus.
Has poor appetite, headaches, and stomach pains (particularly in the morning).
Chooses a longer, “illogical” route for going to and from school.
Asks for or takes extra money from family (money that may go to a bully).
Appears anxious, distressed, unhappy, depressed or tearful when he or she comes home from school.
Shows unexpected mood shifts, irritability, or sudden outbursts of temper.
Has sleeping or eating problems.
May lose interest in school work and experience a decline in academic performance.
Talks about or attempts suicide
Source: www.colorado.edu/cspv/safeschools/bullying
Advice for Students
How can you help a victim of bullying?
Do not join in if you see someone that is being bullied. Try to help the victim if you can, but do not place yourself at risk. If you do nothing it implies that you think that it is okay to bully and hurt others.
Refuse to join in if the bully tries to get you to taunt and torment someone.
Get a teacher, parent, or other responsible adult to come help. This is not tattling. You are saying that you do not think that bullying is acceptable and do not want anyone to get hurt.
Try to get the child that is being bulling to tell his or her parents or a trusted teacher. Tell the victor that you will go with them.
Tell a trusted adult yourself if the victim is unwilling to report the bullying. Do not let the bully know so that he or she does not become aggressive toward you.
Source: National Resource Center for Safe Schools
