Transcript Training

Keeping Our Children Safe
in Our Schools
FASA’s Florida Bullying
Prevention Initiative
The Florida Jeffry Johnston
Stand Up Against Bullying Act
State law that requires:
School district policy and action to

Prevent

Intervene

Investigate

Provide consequences for
bullying that occurs in the school OR disrupts the
education of a student in the school.
In YOUR District’s Policy
Bullying Means:
Systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt
or psychological distress….
Unwanted and repeated written, verbal or physical
behavior
[that includes] ANY threatening, insulting or
dehumanizing gesture…that creates an
intimidating, hostile or offensive educational
environment
causes discomfort or humiliation or
unreasonably interferes with the individual’s school
performance or participation
In Your District :
All school employees are required to report
alleged violations….to the principal or the
principal’s designee
The principal of each school must establish
and prominently publicize to the school
community
how a report of bullying or harassment may
be filed either in person or anonymously
and how this report will be acted upon.
In Your District:
Investigation is required with documented
interviews of the victim, alleged
perpetrator and witnesses, conducted
privately, separately and confidentially
10 school days shall be the limit for the
completion of the investigation
Immediate notification to the parents of a
victim of bullying & the perpetrator(s)
Required notification to local agencies where
criminal charges may be pursued.
What Does All This Mean?
It’s against the law:
for anyone in a school to bully in any way,
and bullying is very broadly defined
for school staff to not intervene in and
investigate a bullying incident
for a school not to have a program to
prevent and intervene in bullying
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What Does this Mean?
If schools or staff members break
this law and district policy,
they doesn’t have much of a
defense against disciplinary
action, loosing their jobs or a
law suit.
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Protect with Respect
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KIM WARNER ON BULLYING
Hurtful Teasing
Involves humiliating, denigrating,
cruel or bigoted comments
thinly disguised as jokes.
Surprise!
Some teachers do this.
The Downward Spiral of Victimization
Repeatedly bullied
Lowered self esteem
More ineffective responses
More bullying
Increases disapproval/avoidance
by peers
Thoughts of self-blame, “I
deserve it.”
Hopelessness
More bullying
Suicidal thoughts
Protect with Respect
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Why Address Bullying in Schools?
You might save a life or a future
You can stop ongoing misery
You can help build a school climate where
students are safe to learn
For the larger community’s safety
It’s Florida law and district policy
So you don’t get lose your job or get sued
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Bullying Prevention Needs to Be

Designed for ALL students

Preventive AND responsive

Focused on changing norms

Research-based

NOT time-limited: Requires systematic
efforts over time

Supported by administrative leadership

Involve ongoing commitment of all adults
in the school.
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Bullying Prevention must be
schoolwide and comprehensive.
It requires onsite training of every
adult and student in the school.
It requires procedures for
intervention, documentation,
support of victims and
consequences for bulliers.
Bullying Prevention works when it
focuses on the social environment
of the school
It must become uncool to bully, tacitly
approve bullying, passively standby.
It must become cool to help those who
are bullied.
© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2009
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Steps in Bullying Prevention
Step 1: Establish & Faithfully Enforce
District & School Policies against
Bullying
Be Sure Everyone Knows
Policy on bullying (your district has one)
Easily understood anti-bullying rules for
the students
Procedures for positive support and
negative consequences
© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2009
School Rules
1.
We will not bully others.
2.
We will try to help students who are
bullied.
3.
We will try to include students who
are left out.
4.
If we know that somebody is being
bullied, we will tell an adult at school
and an adult at home.
© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2009
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Step 2: Form a group to
coordinate bullying prevention

Investigate strategies and programs that work;
recommend to administration

Plan program implementation at school

Communicate with staff and parents

Coordinate the program with other activities

Monitor with feedback from stakeholders

Represent the program to parents, community,
media
© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2009
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Step 3: Assess Bullying at Your School
What?
Who?
When?
Why?
Where?
How?
© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2009
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A Well-Designed Questionnaire Tells
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Locations of hotspots
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Patterns for girls & boys
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Insights into school climate
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Information to assess student supervision
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Adult & student attitudes about bullying

Impact of bullying on students

Can motivate adults to take action
© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2009
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Step 4: Conduct Staff Training
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Facts about bullying
District policy on bullying
Delineate normal behavior from bullying
behavior
Signs of bullying
Increased supervision of hot spots
Appropriate responses to bullying
Intervention techniques
Follow up strategies
Importance of schoolwide focus
Holding staff discussions about bullying
© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2009
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Step 5: Refine the
Supervisory System
•
Develop strategies to increase supervision,
especially in “hot spots”
•
Orient staff to be looking for bullying
•
Develop ways of tracking and reporting
bullying incidents schoolwide
•
Evaluate your school’s physical design to
reduce bullying
© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2009
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Step 6:
Partner with Parents

Coordinate with PTA/PTO/SAC

Ask them to serve on the Committee

Keep them informed

Attend parent meetings about bullying
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Talk with their children about bullying

Report bullying to school officials
© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2001
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Step 7:
Do Classroom Activities

Post and enforce schoolwide rules

Reiterate appropriate and inappropriate
behavior

Explain consequences for bullying

Hold class meetings where students can
discuss concerns

Empower students to seek help
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Encourage bystanders to speak out
against bullying behavior
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Step 8: Implement IndividualLevel Components
•
Ensure that all staff intervene onthe-spot when bullying occurs
•
Hold meetings with students
involved in bullying
•
Develop individual intervention plans
for involved students
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Get to the Adults
Bullying prevention is as much about
changing the way adults think and act
as it is about working with students.
Adults need to be willing to step out of
their comfort zone and act to save
children.
Step 9.
Develop Community-level
Components
Involve community members on the
coordinating committee
Develop partnerships with community
members to support your program; can
help funding
Help spread anti-bullying messages and
principles of best practice throughout
the community
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Selecting Strategies or a
Comprehensive Program

Do you research. Find something that is likely
to work

This presentation is not a bullying prevention
program

Using this PowerPoint in your school is not a
bullying prevention program

It won’t keep you from getting sued

But implementing with fidelity a proven-effective
program is a good defense.
Comprehensive Bullying
Prevention Program
A good program:

Designed for all school staff and students

Both preventive and responsive

Focuses on changing norms

Specific research-based how-to strategies
(getting-started scripts and to-do lists)

Not time-limited; requires systematic efforts
over time.
Recognition of the Olweus Bullying
Prevention Program

Blueprint Model Program (Center
for the Study & Prevention of
Violence)
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Model Program (SAMHSA)
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Effective Program (OJJDP)
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Level 2 Program (US Dept. of
Education)
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Other Resources
National Media Campaign
Take a Stand Lend a Hand,
Stop Bullying Now!
http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov
Other Resources
 www.bullying.com
 Protect
with Respect Bullying Prevention and
Intervention Program
 Internet safety training for educators, parents,
and students. www.ISafe.org
www.safeflorida.net/safesurf
 Hazelden also has programs for cyberbullying,
dating violence (Safe Dates) and school bus
safety
http://fasa.net/FBPI/
Beware of vendors selling assembly speakers
Dating Violence
Dating violence is another form of
bullying.
Developing caring relationships is an
important life skill that not all teens
learn at home.
Florida has a new law requiring schools
and communities to address the
problem of dating violence.
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Dating Abuse
Dating abuse includes behavior by a
dating partner that
 Is used to manipulate, gain control over
someone
 Makes a person feel bad about himself or
herself or other people who are close to
this person
 Makes a person afraid of her or his
boyfriend or girlfriend
DATING ABUSE BEHAVIORS
May include:
Physical abuse
Psychological or emotional abuse
Sexual abuse
It is important to realize that emotionally
abusive behaviors can be just as hurtful
as physically abusive behaviors
Dating Violence with Teens
1 in 3 teenagers report knowing a friend or
peer who has been hit, punched, kicked,
slapped, choked or physically hurt by their
partner.
(Liz Claiborne Inc., Conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2008)
A comparison of intimate partner violence rates
between teens and adults reveals that teens
are at higher risk of intimate partner abuse.
(Journal of American Medical Association, 2001)
Dating Violence with Teens
– Females ages 16-24 are more vulnerable to
intimate partner violence than any other age
group—at a rate almost triple the national
average.
(U.S. Department of Justice, 2001)
– 58% of rape victims report being raped
between the ages of 12-24.
(Health Resources and Services Administration, 2002)
Need to Know Warning Signs
As educators, we should learn warning
signs and be prepared to intervene, if we
see them.
We should also teach students to know
these “red flags,” because teens often will
confide in a friend before they will confide
in an adult.
What Should Schools Do?

Establish policies about reporting dating abuse
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Train staff to recognize signs and intervene
appropriately

Teach students about dating abuse
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Host a schoolwide dating abuse campaign
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Educate parents
Help students get community resources
 Work to create a school environment where
respect and responsibility are promoted.
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Florida Dating Violence
Resources
Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-500-1119
TTY Hotline
1-800-621-4202
www.fcadv.org
Florida Dating Violence Resources
Florida Department of Health
Sexual Violence Prevention Program
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin # A-13
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1723
Telephone: (850) 245-4455
Education/Campaign resources
National Dating Violence
Resources
National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline
1-866-331-9474
loveisrespect.org
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Other Dating Violence Resources
Choose Respect—CDC Site
www.chooserespect.org
National Youth Violence Prevention
Resource Center
www.safeyouth.org
Break the Cycle
www.breakthecycle.org
Highly engaging and
interactive, Safe Dates
helps teens recognize
the difference between
caring, supportive
relationships and
controlling,
manipulative, or
abusive dating
relationships.
Safe Dates Components
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Curriculum – 10 sessions, 50 minutes each
teaching guide and reproducible
student materials
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Dating abuse play and poster contest
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Parent materials
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Teacher training materials
Includes: An agenda and training
outline for a 3-hour session
Topics Covered
Defining caring relationships
Defining dating abuse
Why do people abuse?
How to help friends
Helping friends
Overcoming gender stereotypes
Equal power through communication
How we feel? How we deal?
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Preventing sexual assault
Here is Nan Scholz of the
Hazelden Foundation
Take-Home Message

Bullying in its many forms is a
serious problem

Stopping bullying takes a
whole-school, long-term effort

Change the school culture
about bullying—both students
and adults
Contact Information
Mike Tremor, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Florida Association of
School Administrators
Coordinator, Florida Bullying Prevention
Initiative
[email protected]
850.224.3626
www.fasa.net/fbpi