Ninth Grade Bullying & Harassment Prevention Lesson

Agenda Bullying True or False? Types of Bullying Sexual Harassment What you can do The Bystander

True or False? Most bullying happens when adults are present. Answer: FALSE Most bullying and harassment occurs at school in the hallways, bathrooms, locker rooms, cafeteria, etc.

True or False? Bullies have low self-esteem. Answer: FALSE Many studies have shown just the opposite in that bullies often have very high self esteem and bullying only makes them feel more powerful.

True or False? Bullying is a “normal” part of growing up and it builds character. Answer: FALSE.EXTREMELY FALSE. Bullying and harassment does not make a person stronger.

True or False? Bullying only ever involves the student who is bullying and the student who is being targeted. Answer: FALSE Bullying incidents are typically public according to Education.com and have bystanders that are present.

BULLYING DEFINED Bullying is when a person or group of people repeatedly uses words or actions to intentionally cause physical or emotional harm to another person.

Remember the 4 TYPES of BULLYING? Physical Verbal Relational Hitting Punching Shoving Kicking Etc.. Teasing Name-calling Jokes about a person’s religion, gender, ethnicity or the way they look Ignoring Isolating Excluding Shunning Breaking up friendships Rumor spreading And……

CYBERBULLYING …the use of technology such as the internet and cell phones to degrade or humiliate another person or group CYBERBULLIES will do one or all of the below: Pretend they are other people online to trick others (Impersonation) Spread lies and rumors about victims (Denigration) Send threatening online messages or forward mean text messages (Flaming) Post pictures or share secrets of victims without their consent (Outing) Harass someone OVER and OVER again to create fear (Cyberstalking)

Who is experiencing the MOST bullying and harassment? 36.1% of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual &Transgender) students are being bullied compared to 20.1% of heterosexual students Over the course of a year, one-fourth of students across grades reported they had been bullied and/or harassed on school property because of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability. (BullyFree.com) (Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2011). Cyberbullying and Sexual Orienctation. Cyberbullying Research Center (www.cyberbullying.us).

Harassment and Bullying BOTH intend harm! BUT…. Harassment is “ALWAYS linked to Anti-discrimination Laws and will focus on gender, race, ethnic background, color, religion or belief, sexual orientation or disability. It may be a single incident or a series of incidents.” (FAQ about harassment and bullying: Equality and Diversity, University of Sussex.) Harassment is legal idea that can be one event and is linked to areas of discrimination. Bullying is how an event takes place and involves a series of events over time.

There is a form of harassment in the schools that is UNWANTED and UNWELCOME (how the person FEELS about how the other is behaving) of a sexual nature that interferes with learning and can lead to a hostile environment.

3 Types of Sexual Harassment Physical- Grabbing or touching, tearing or pulling at clothing, bumping or brushing someone on purpose, kissing someone against his/her will Verbal- Sexual jokes, sexual name-calling, comments about someone’s body Visual- Staring at someone’s body, posting sexual material about someone around the school, obscene gestures

Sexual Harassment-How do you know? Is the behavior UNWELCOMED by anyone involved? (Does it make you or anyone uncomfortable?) Is the behavior of a sexual matter? Does the behavior interfere with anyone’s ability to learn or enjoy school?

IMPACT OF BULLYING & HARASSMENT Anxiety School and social withdrawal Low self-esteem Depression Psychosomatic symptoms Drug and alcohol abuse Fatigue

Why targets of bullying and sexual harassment don’t report They don’t know who to tell or how to report it They fear retaliation They feel isolated, hopeless and powerless They feel they will not be taken seriously They blame themselves

Don’t forget! If you are being bullied or harassed… Tell the person who is bullying and/or harassing you to STOP. Let them know where you stand. Do TELL a trusted adult –teacher, parent, coach, counselor, administrator. SAVE any inappropriate messages, texts or pictures to share with people who will help. Remember, it’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.

WHO IS THE ONE PERSON OR PERSONS THAT CAN HELP THE MOST? THE BYSTANDER

What can a bystander do? Tell the bully or harasser to STOP Help the bullying target to walk away TELL A TRUSTED ADULT (Teacher, Administrator, Counselor, Coach, Parent) Don’t delete any online messages, texts, e-mails, etc

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