Belhaven Middle School Bullying Prevention Program Committee Members: Dr. Frank Rudnesky, Principal Christine Brown, School Counselor Nancy Eachus, Social Studies Teacher Elizabeth Moss, Social Studies Teacher Mark Haviland, Social Studies Teacher John Napoli, Social Studies Teacher Lisa Davis, School Psychologist Robin Moore, Art Teacher Kim Petrella, Parent Representative

Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength. STAND UP, SPEAK OUT Belhaven Middle School Olweus Bullying Prevention Program 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.” Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength.

Bullying at Belhaven Survey Results – May 2006 18% of students were bullied at least 2-3 times over the last few months 9% of students have taken part in bullying another student over the last few months. _________________________________ Approximately 27% of students are involved in bully/victim problems (average from other participating schools is 15%)

Bullying at Belhaven Survey Results – May 2006 Students who were bullied (254 students): 51% were called mean names, were made fun of and teased in a hurtful way 44% were kept out of things on purpose, excluded from their group or completely ignored 42 % reported that other students told lies or false rumors about them or tried to make others dislike them 21% were bullied with mean names, comments or gestures with a sexual meaning 16 % were hit, kicked, pushed, shoved around or locked indoors

Bullying at Belhaven Survey Results – May 2006 Other facts about bullying at Belhaven: 68 % of bullied students tell someone; 32 % of bullied students do not tell anyone Nine students were bullied several times per week with mean names or comments about their race or color Thirty-one students were bullied at school several times per week over the past few months 60 % of bullying lasts six months or more

© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004 Against Bullying We will not bully others. We will help students who are bullied. We will include students who are left out. If we know that someone is being bullied we will stand up and speak out by telling an adult. All schools have rules that govern student behavior. While most schools have rules that implicitly address different forms of bullying (e.g., physical bullying, name-calling), many schools do not have rules that explicitly address bullying behavior. These rules often do not use the term, “bullying” and frequently do not include more indirect or subtle forms of bullying (e.g., social exclusion). The Olweus program recommends that schools adopt these four rules. They may wish to use their own wording, but they are encouraged not to make substantial changes. Note that only one of the 4 rules addresses children who bully (or potential bullies). Three of the 4 rules focus on the behavior of bystanders. It is critical that all children understand the school’s expectations regarding their behavior: students will not bully AND they will take action to help students who are bullied. School rules should be developed prior to the launch of the program, posted throughout the school, and discussed in detail with students. Refer to Teacher Handbook chapter 5 for a detailed discussion of the school rules. Belhaven Middle School, Linwood STAND UP, SPEAK OUT! © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004 Program Components Classroom School-wide Individual Community Note that we will begin the training with a very brief overview of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Although we will discuss the program in detail later in the training, it is important to have in mind from the onset that the various “puzzle pieces” that comprise the Olweus program. The program includes 4 different types of program elements (or interventions): there are school-wide elements, classroom elements, individual elements (working with individual students and their parents), and broader community elements to this program. © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

The Bullying Circle: Students’ Mode of Reactions/Roles in an Acute Bullying Situation Starts the bullying and take an active part A Bully/bullies Defender of the victim Victim Dislikes the bullying, helps or tries to help the victim Takes an active part, but do not start the bullying B Follower Henchman V The one who is exposed Supporter Passive Bully/bullies Supports the bullying, but do not take an active part C Possible Defender F The Olweus “Bullying Circle” provides a good representation of the philosophical framework of the Olweus Model. Here you have the variety of roles and behaviors students adopt. One goal of the Olweus program is to shift attitudes along this continuum, away from acceptance toward bullying behavior and toward support for victims and defenders of victims. The school climate is positively impacted when students stop seeing bullying as funny, entertaining, and a way of life at school. The “Circle” can represent a shift in climate, giving the “BULLY” and “HENCHMAN” students much less power, giving the “VICTIM” and “DEFENDER” students more safety and support, and inspiring involvement from those who are disengaged. We’ll revisit the “Circle” later in the training. Passive Supporter Possible Bully Dislikes the bullying and think they ought to help, but don’t do it D Likes the bullying, but do not display open support Disengaged Onlooker E Teacher’s Handbook, Ch.3: Pg. 21 Watches what happens * Is none of my business * Doesn’t take a stand © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004 Direct Bullying Hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting… Taunting, hurtful teasing, degrading racial or sexual comments Threatening, obscene gestures © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004 Indirect Bullying Getting another person to assault someone Spreading rumors Deliberate exclusion from a group or activity Cyber-bullying Note that bullying can also be more subtle, or indirect in nature. “Cyber bullying” (bullying through use of e-mail, messages on websites, text messages) is a new frontier for bullying, which can be particularly difficult for schools to discover and address. © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

Relational Bullying Combines direct & indirect bullying strategies. Targets relationships and social status to cause harm to peers. BULLYING © Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

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 Before moving farther, it is important to discuss why we should be concerned about bullying problems. (This slide provides an overview of some of the main reasons for concern. We’ll discuss each in turn.) © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

Short-term Effects of Being Bullied Lower self-esteem Depression & anxiety Illness Absenteeism Thoughts of suicide Bullying may seriously affect the psychosocial functioning, academic work, and the health of children who are targeted. Bully victimization has been found to be related to lower self-esteem, higher rates of depression, loneliness, and anxiety. Recent studies also indicate that children who are frequently bullied report a variety health problems. For example, they report more headaches, problems sleeping, abdominal pain, listlessness, skin problems and bed-wetting. (See Fekkes, Pijpers, & Verloove-Vanhorick (2003). Victims are more likely to report wanting to avoid attending school and have higher school absenteeism rates. (See Rigby, 1996) Bullied children also report more suicidal ideation than their non-bullied peers. For example, in a study of Australian school children, those who reported being bullied at least once a week were twice as likely as their peers to “wish they were dead” or admit to having a recurring idea of taking their own life (Rigby, 1996). Suicide is a relatively rare event, but quite a number of cases have been linked to persistent bullying. © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

Lasting Effects of Being Bullied Lower self-esteem Higher rates of depression Higher rates of Post Traumatic Stress Olweus’ research has found that for some individuals, bullying can persist into adulthood. Adults who were bullied as children are more likely to have lower self-esteem and higher rates of depression (see Bullying at School.) Recent research also indicates that for some victims of bullying have higher rates of post traumatic stress. © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

Why Adults Don’t Always Intervene: Have difficulty recognizing bullying Fail to recognize the importance of intervening Uncertain how best to intervene Before talking about how best to intervene to stop bullying, it is important to discuss why adults don’t always intervene. Unfortunately, research suggests that adults within the school environment dramatically overestimate our effectiveness in identifying and intervening in bullying situations. Seventy percent of teachers in one study (Charach et al., 1995) believed that teachers intervene “almost always” in bullying situations, while only 25% of the students agreed with their assessment. Why don’t adults intervene more often? (Solicit other possible reasons why adults don’t always intervene. Perhaps there isn’t administrative support for teachers, etc.) © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

1. On-the-Spot Interventions: The “Teachable Moment” 1. Stop the bullying 2. Support the victim 3. Name the bullying behavior 4. Refer to the school rules 5. Impose immediate consequences (where appropriate) 6. Encourage the bystanders All adults in the school environment should be able to intervene to stop bullying that they witness. Just as we encourage students to role play (or practice) effective interventions, adults need to practice our interventions. Do role play of effective “on-the-spot” intervention, which involves these 6 steps. © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

2. Follow-Up Interventions 1. Report the incident, increase adult vigilance communication, and prevent retaliation. 2. Identify staff person to talk with the parties. 3. Conduct separate talks with the child who is bullied, and the children who bully, beginning with the child who is bullied. 4. Implement supports for child who is bullied. 5. Impose consequences for the children who bully. 6. Talk with parents. 7. Follow-up with the involved individuals later. In nearly every incident of bullying, it will be important to follow up after the on-the-spot intervention. Do role play of effective follow-up interventions. Refer to scripts and checklists. Refer to Teacher Handbook, chapter 9, for more information on holding meetings with students and parents. © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

When There Are Suspicions of Bullying... Intensify your observations of the possible victim Confer with colleagues Collect information from students Contact parents Of course, adults don’t always witness bullying incidents first-hand. Sometimes, staff members may suspect a child is being bullied (even if the child denies that it is happening. Suspicions may arise because: He or she displays some “warning signs” (see Blueprint) such as spending time alone during lunch or recess, or acting anxious or depressed. Other students report that a child is being bullied. Parents suspect that their child is being bullied. Other ways?? Such suspicions deserve follow-up action on the part of staff members. Here are some suggested actions. © The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

Bullying Incident Report Belhaven Middle School Incident Report of Bullying, Harassment or Intimidation Date of incident: _______________ Time of incident: _______________ Description of incident: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name of student/students in violation of Bullying policy: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Optional: Name of student/students filing report: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This form may remain anonymous. Please return this form to the guidance office or principal’s office.