CREATING AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY TO COUNTER BULLYING IN SCHOOLS PARENT TRAINING AND INFORMATION Presented By: San Elijo Middle School.
Download ReportTranscript CREATING AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY TO COUNTER BULLYING IN SCHOOLS PARENT TRAINING AND INFORMATION Presented By: San Elijo Middle School.
CREATING AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY TO COUNTER BULLYING IN SCHOOLS PARENT TRAINING AND INFORMATION Presented By: San Elijo Middle School Wide spread and underreported Impacts Students’ sense of security Long-lasting harmful effects Victim – psychological harm Bully – more likely to develop a criminal record Two-thirds of recent school shootings, the attacker had previously been bullied Repeated harmful acts An imbalance of power Repeated verbal, physical, or psychological attacks or intimidation Victim cannot properly defend him/herself Size or strength Outnumbered Less psychologically resilient Assault Tripping Intimidation Rumor-spreading Isolation Demands for money Destruction of property Destruction of valued possessions Destruction of another’s work Name-calling Sexual harassment Ostracism based on perceived sexual orientation or gender-identity Hazing Victim Reasons Fear retaliation Shame Fear not believed Don’t want to worry parents Nothing will change Make problem worse Tell the bully Seen as a snitch Witness Reasons Make them a target Not their responsibility “An essential criterion for well educated students: a sense of responsibility for the well-being of others” There’s Only One Way to Stop a Bully, The New York Times, July 22, 2010. Girls Tend to bully other girls Disrupt social relationships Teasing Gossiping Social isolation Rumor-spreading Boys Tend to bully boys and girls Physical aggression Name calling Taunting Bullies Aggressive, dominant Average popularity Lack empathy for victims Remain bullies without intervention Victims No friends – more likely to be victimized (51%) Smaller and weaker Passive/Don’t defend themselves 25% bullied because of race or religion 61% bullied because of actual or perceived sexual orientation Low or absent adult supervision School yard Cafeterias Bathrooms Hallways Stairwells Classrooms Embarrassment Psychological and/or physical distress Low self-esteem Depression Frequent absences Poor health Poor concentration on school work Social dysfunction Insomnia Anxiety Attempted suicide Disability Gender Gender Identity Appearance/Behavior Nationality Race/Ethnicity Religion Sexual Orientation Spend time with the child, learn and listen Praise the child for their courage to discuss bullying incidents with you and helpfulness Ask the child what he/she needs to feel safe and follow through Urge the child to report any further incidents of bullying What doesn’t work Zero tolerance policies May discourage reporting Bullies need positive, pro-social role modeling Conflict resolution and peer mediation Bullying is a form of victimization, not conflict May send inappropriate message May further victimize the bullied child Short term solutions Piecemeal Will do little to significantly reduce bullying problem “I feel safe at school.” Yes- 73.2% Sometimes- 24.5% No- 2.3% “How many times has someone called you mean names or made fun of you this school year?” Never- 36.6% 1-2- 27.9% 3-4- 12.8% 5-6- 4.1% 7 or more- 18.6% “How many times have you called someone mean names or made fun of them this school year?” Never- 59.0% 1-2- 29.0% 3-4- 5.8% 5-6 1.3% 7 or more- 4.9% “How many times have you been excluded or felt alone this school year?” Never- 44.8% 1-2- 29.8% 3-4- 10.6% 5-6- 4.8% 7 or more- 10.0% “How many good friends do you have at school?” None- 2.5% 1- 2.0% 2- 4.6% 3- 6.0% 4 or more- 84.9% “If you saw someone being bullied at school, would you try to stop it?” Yes- 53.0% No- 4.2% Maybe- 30.3% Not sure- 12.5% Where have you been bullied at school? (students can pick more than one) In the classroom- 46.5% In the restroom- 16.8% In the cafeteria- 34.5% In the parking lot- 13.4% On the computer- 18.6% On the playground- 35.8% In the hallway- 35.8% On the stairways- 26.1% In the locker rooms- 31.3% On the phone- 23.3% Focusing on the social environment of the school It is “uncool” to bully It is “cool” to help students who are bullied It is normal for staff to notice incidents of bullying and to intervene Assessed bullying at all school and staff’s commitment to address it Administered anonymous student questionnaire to assess the nature, extent, and location of bullying problems in your school Administered staff questionnaire to assess the staff’s understanding of the bullying problems in their schools Held parent information trainings Established and enforce rules and policies Adopt comprehensive policies that include ALL protected classes Post rules in every classroom Discuss rules with students and parents Develop positive and negative consequences Increased adult supervision in “hot spots” identified by survey Focused some class time on bullying 20-30 minutes bi-weekly Candid discussion about bullying and potential harm Provided tools to students to address bullying Incorporated anti-bullying themes and messages into curriculum SEMS has formed a group to coordinate prevention activities Administrator, teacher from each grade, nonteaching staff, school counselor, and hopefully adding a parent and student representative Meet regularly, review data, motivate staff, students, and parents, ensure continuing efforts over time San Elijo Middle School Counselor A-L= Celena Breining Counselor M-Z= Michelle Santiago [email protected] #760-290-2838 Assistant Principal A-L= Gary DeBora [email protected] #760-290-2809 [email protected] #760-290-2823 Assistant Principal M-Z= Virginia Kim [email protected] #760-290-2824