A Bullying Prevention Program Baldwin-Whitehall School District Donna K. Milanovich, Ed.D. Randal A. Lutz

Advice from Kids When kids tease, I imagine I’m a big tree. I imagine their words are the wind blowing through the branches, but they can’t hurt the tree. Melissa, 7

Advice from Kids A boy in my class kept calling me a ‘dork.’ My dad told me to think about the time I made a goal in soccer and everybody cheered when I did. Matt, 10

Advice from Kids Some girls were cutting be out and making mean remarks about my clothes. I told myself, ‘they’ll get tired of this if you don’t react. You can handle it. You have other friends.’ Tessa, 13 McCoy, Elin, What To Do…When Kids Are Mean To Your Child, “Kid Tactics 1: Stay Calm & Ignore It,” page 55.

Session Goals Participant will be able to:  Define bullying/victimization  Review current literature on bullying/victimization  Identify components of an effective bullying prevention program  Review awareness activities and resources appropriate for professional development and classroom use

Guiding Questions 1.Define the term “bullying/victimization” and discuss at least four scenarios of bullying/victimization that include two direct and two indirect forms.

Guiding Questions 2.Describe the scope of the bullying/victimization problem facing schools. Include facts or statistical examples to support the description.

Guiding Questions 3.Summarize the elements of Olweus’s research-based bullying prevention program. Include program goals, target population, prerequisites, and components in the answer.

Why implement a district bullying prevention program?

Bullying Statistics 15% or one in seven school children are involved in bully-victim problems. Of those children, about 9% are victims and 7% are bullies. One in ten students is regularly harassed or attacked by bullies. In a mid-sized school, bullying happens once every 7 minutes.

Bullying Statistics One long-term study showed that 60% of the boys who were named as bullies in middle school had at least one criminal conviction by age 24. By the age of 7 or 8, bullies are already in the habit of misinterpreting innocent behavior as an attack. 7% of American 8 th graders miss school monthly in order to avoid bullies.

Bullying Statistics 87% of the 15,000 4 th grade students surveyed by the Weekly Reader reported being bullied. The percentage of students who report being victims of bullying decreases with age (grades 2-9). While 16% to 17% of 2 nd grade students reported being bullied, only 3% of girls and 6.5% of boys reported bullying incidents by grade 9.

Myth or fact? 1. Determine whether each of the listed statements is a “myth” or a “fact.” 2. Discuss your response with a partner. 3. Check your response against the answers in the book.

Baldwin-Whitehall Bullying Prevention Program Based upon the research of Professor Dan Olweus

Bullying or Victimization A student is being 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. Olweus, 1986 and 1991

Types of Bullying Direct Bullying Verbal attacks Physical attacks Indirect Bullying Social exclusion Slandering Spreading rumors

Share a personal experience

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Program Goals  Reduce existing bully/victim problems  Prevent development of new bully/victim problems  Achieve better peer relations

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Targeted Population  Primary Target  All students  Secondary Target  At-risk students  Bullies  Victims

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program General Prerequisites  Awareness of the problems  Involvement of all adults in the school

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Program Components  School level  Classroom level  Individual level

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program School Level  Bullying Prevention Committee  Survey  School Conference Day (In-service)  Staff Supervision  Parent Meetings

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Classroom Level  Rules Against Bullying  Positive and Negative Consequences  Student Meetings  Parent Meetings

Student Meetings  Introduced to students as a tool for behavior intervention  Allow both the teacher and students to resolve problems before they become major issues  Involve students in solving their own problems  Provide students opportunity to improve their social and problem-solving skills Jones & Jones, (2001)

Student Meetings Guidelines for Implementation: Teacher and students seated in a circle All problems relating to class as a group can be discussed Agenda created for each meeting Discussion focused on solutions that are not punishments Student permission for individual issues Student responsibilities during the meetings Role of facilitator

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Individual Level  Conference with the Bully/Bullies  Conference with the Victim(s)  Parent Meetings

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Rules for Bully-Proofing Our School 1. We will not bully other students 2. We will help others who are being bullied by speaking out and by getting adult help 3. We will use extra effort to include all students in activities at our school

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Playground Behavior  Rough and Tumble Play  Fighting  Bullying

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Effective Verbal Rebukes  Intervene early in the course of events  Approach the student(s) who are to be rebuked  Look the student(s) in the eyes  Be brief, clear, and behavior-specific  Be firm and determined, but not overly emotional  Do not make empty threats Olweus, (1999)

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Talking with the Bully  Indicate that the facts are known (documentation)  Give a “stop bullying” message seriously and firmly  Share that the situation will be watched closely  State that additional and more serious consequences will follow if the bullying continues

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Practice Bullying Intervention Skills

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Bullying Prevention Program Getting started in your district