1. Prevention and Intervention
A School’s Responsibility
Prevention and Intervention
of Bullying
Jeanne Buschine, Coordinator of Counseling Services for Joint School District No. 2 (Meridian)

2. Definition of Bullying
A Bully:
Targets an individual repeatedly over time.
Uses physical or psychological aggression to dominate the victim.
Creates and enforces an imbalance of power between bully and victim.
Hoover & Oliver, 1996

3. Peer Conflict---Bullying---Harassment How do we distinguish between the three?
One time or isolated event
Balance of power between students
Not a group picking on one student
Student are willing to work out conflict with assistance OR leave each other alone…

4. Peer Conflict---Bullying---Harassment How do we distinguish between the three?
One time or isolated event
Balance of power between students
Not a group picking on one student
Student are willing to work out conflict with assistance OR leave each other alone…
Bullying
Carried out REPEATEDLY OVER TIME
IMBALANCE OF POWER
INTENTIONAL, PLANNED HARM DOING
Often unprovoked

5. Peer Conflict---Bullying---Harassment How do we distinguish between the three?
One time or isolated event
Balance of power between students
Not a group picking on one student
Student are willing to work out conflict with assistance OR leave each other alone…
Bullying
Carried out REPEATEDLY OVER TIME
IMBALANCE OF POWER
INTENTIONAL, PLANNED HARM DOING
Often unprovoked
Harassment
Aggressive behavior focused on a student’s race, national origin, religion, color, disability or sex.
Behavior is severe, persistent or pervasive enough to interfere with a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from school.

6. 3 forms Direct Verbal Indirect
(hitting, pinching, kicking, punching,etc)
Verbal
(Verbal abuse, slander, threats, etc.)
Indirect
(gossip, rumors, leaving out, ignoring, etc.)

7. Myths About Bullying Behavior
It is a normal part of childhood.
Children who bully suffer from low self-esteem.
Victims bring on the bullying.
Victims ought to figure out how to stand up for themselves.

8. Statistics Bullying is not a new phenomenon.
160,000 students miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation. (Fried & Fried, 1996)
14 percent of 8th-12th graders and 22 % of 4-8 graders reported that “bullying diminished their ability to learn in school”
10 % of students who drop out of school do so because of repeated bullying. (Weinhold, 1998)

9. Statistics
Bullies identified by age eight are 6 times more likely to be convicted of a crime by age 24.
Roughly two-thirds of school shooters had “felt persecuted, bullied, threatened, attacked, or injured by others…a number of the teenagers had suffered sustained, severe bullying and harassment”. (Bowman, 2001)

10. Bullying and school violence: the tip of the iceberg Barry K. Weinhold
“By definition, bullying is behavior that is designed to gain power over or to dominate another person. It happens on a regular basis through power plays, intimidation and threats. Bullying is actually the most common form of violence in our society.”

11. Statistics
30% of American children are regularly involved in bullying, either as bullies, victims, or both
Approximately 15 percent of students are “severely traumatized or distressed”
8 percent reported being victimized at school at least once a week
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory

12. Consequences of Bullying…
Lower achievement
Lower attendance
Increased incidence of violence and juvenile crime
Bullies may become violent adults
Victims may suffer from anxiety, low self-esteem and depression
Witnesses of bullying at school may suffer from a less secure learning environment and the fear that they may be the target of the bully
2001-NorthwestRegional Educational Laboratory

13. Gender Differences
Both boys and girls bully, their tactics are usually different.
Girls use social alienation or humiliation to bully. This type of bullying is often more subtle and harder to detect than bullying by boys. Girls are more likely to bully other girls and bully in a group.
Boys tend to use physical aggression to bully. Boys bully both boys and girls.

14. Remember:
Conflict between two students having somewhat equal physical and psychological powers or friendly, playful teasing is not bullying or peer harassment.

15. Profile of a Bully Not an outcast Often an attention seeker
Usually more popular than victim
Less likely to empathize with the victim or understand someone else’s point of view
Brags about their actual or imagined superiority
Chooses others who are smaller or weaker
Often comes from family with harsh discipline
May have parents who verbally abuse each other
Sadistic—enjoys seeing others suffer
“Induces” some of the followers to do the “dirty work”
Frequently fights to assert dominance

16. Profile of a Victim Difficulty defending him/herself Somewhat helpless
Loner, desperate to fit in
Stands out—physical characteristics
Traditionally passive and emotionally vulnerable
Can be “provocative”--poor social skills that agitate/aggravate others
Makes excuses to stay near adults during breaks or recesses
Often self blaming
Unappealing thus doesn’t have support from teachers or classmates
Makes excuses to stay home or go to nurses office
Experiences personnel belonging being stolen or damaged

17. Bystander Responsibilities
Stand Up/Get Help
Report the Incident
Show Empathy
Be Assertive
Be a Part of the Solution NOT a Part of the Problem

18. Bystander Power
We must teach students compassion, empathy, respect and responsibility. By standing up to the bully, peers can then become a powerful force in school and shift the imbalance of power to the silent majority.

19. A Simple Solution… Develop Friendships & Peer Connections
Victims need friends or individuals willing to be “friendly”
Victims need a peer support group
Students who have friends/peer group are less likely to be bullied.

20. Solutions and advice for parents and educators
Initiate conversations with students about bullying Fried
Be prepared to intervene. –1998 USDOE
Don’t expect students to solve things themselves. –1998 USDOE
Encourage students to report incidents of bullying. –1996 Fried & Fried
Express strong disapproval of bullying when it occurs or comes up in conversation.
–1996 Kreidler

21. Solutions…
Work with students on developing assertiveness and conflict resolution skills. –1998 USDOE
Focus on developing empathy and respect for others. –1996 Kreidler
Avoid physical forms of discipline, such as spanking Fried & Fried
Keep a log of bullying incidents. –1996 Kreidler
Deal with bullying incidents consistently, in a manner appropriate to the situation. –1996 Kreidler

22. REMEMBER…
The single most effective deterrent to bullying is adult authority. Children cannot handle true bullying situations, they do need help! Adults in charge of a school need to learn to recognize bullying behavior and stop it.

23. Potential Pitfalls
Schools that have struggled to implement anti-bullying programs frequently cite time, lack of support, and inadequate training as the main obstacles to building an effective program.

24. To Increase Chances of Success…
Avoid creating a great deal of extra paperwork for school staff.
Secure administrative support at both the school and district levels.
Be careful that the bullying program does not result in students being stigmatized.
The most effective anti-bullying programs are ongoing and integrated with
Curriculum
Discipline Policies
Violence Prevention Efforts
Don’t expect change overnight.

25. Remember…
Effectively addressing bullying behavior takes time, and will require a sustained and conscious effort to change the overall culture of the school.

26. Conclusion
There is nothing “normal” about ongoing incidents of harassment, violence, and intimidation. Bullying not only leads to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem in students who are targeted, but also causes other students to feel unsafe at school and significantly interferes with learning.

27. Take the First Step…
Taking bullying behavior seriously is an important step in working towards safe and effective schools. Through training, collaboration, and carefully designed programs, educators, policymakers, parents, and students can work together to ensure that schools are a place where students feel welcome, included, and ready to learn.