- 1. Recognizing, Preventing, and Intervening with Bullying for
K-12 School StaffAmanda Nickerson, Ph.D.Alberti Center for Bullying
Abuse Prevention | University at
[email protected]/alberticenterSUNY
Geneseo Wipe Out Bullying February 4, 2013
2. Overview Bullying Definition & Complexity Warning Signs
Best Practices in School Bullying Prevention and Intervention
Dignity for All Students Act School Climate Comprehensive Efforts
in Schools 3. Bullying Acts of aggression intended to cause harm By
a peer (or group of peers) operating from a position of strength or
power Usually repeated Olweus (1978); Stopbullyingnow.gov 4. Types
of Bullying Physical bullying punching, shoving, acts that hurt
people (declines with age) Verbal bullying name calling, making
offensive remarks Indirect bullying spreading rumors, excluding,
ganging up Cyber bullying willful and repeated harm inflicted
through the use ofcomputers, cell phones, and other electronic
devices Hinduja & Patchin (2009) 5. Quick Bullying Facts
Estimates vary WIDELY, but about 1 in 3 children andadolescents are
involved in as bully, target, or both Bullying peaks in grades 4-7
Bullying is more likely to occur in less closely
supervisedareas(bathrooms, hallways, playground, lunch, bus,
online) Both boys and girls bully, but there are some
within-sexdifferences Boys more likely to be direct/physical with
younger, vulnerabletarget Girls may engage in more subtle, indirect
forms with same-agegirls Cowie (2000); Nansel et al. (2001); Perry,
Kusel, & Perry (1988); Skiba & Fontanini (2000) 6. Bullying
vs. Conflict vs. PlayingConflict: A struggle, dispute,
ormisunderstanding between twoequal forcesPlaying: Mutually
desirable interaction(positive affect, give-and-take) rough and
tumble and playing thedozens often mistaken for bullying 7.
Bullying is ComplexFamily School (Staff & Peers) Bullys family
may have School staff may be unclear rules, poor unaware or not
take supervision, violence seriously Targets family may be Peers
are more likely to overly close, protectivejoin in than stand up
(mother-son) or not School climate and encourage assertion
normsBully & TargetCommunity & Bully:Culturepower/control,
aggress Exposure to violent TVive attitude, lack ofand video
gamesempathy Violence in community Target: lack of Norms
ofassertiveness, position Bullying competition, superioritof
weaknessy, intolerance 8. Warning Signs that Child May be Bullying
Others Refer to others negatively (wimp, loser) Lack empathy Strong
need to get his or her own way Hostile/defiant attitude Anger
easily Deny involvement or blame others whenbehavior addressed 9.
Warning Signs that Child May be Bullied Unexplained illnesses,
cuts/bruises Not want to go to school or be in social situations
Change in behavior Lack of interest Withdrawn 10. Short- and
Long-Term Consequences Students who Bully More likely to experience
legal or criminal troubles asadults Poor ability to maintain
positive relationships in later life Students who are Bullied
Loneliness, peer rejection Desire to avoid school Increased
anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation; low self-esteem In some
cases, may respond with extreme violence (two-thirds of school
shooters were victims of bullying)Andershed, Kerr, & Stattin
(2001); Boivin, Hymel, & Bukowski (1995); Farrington (2009);
Farrington, & Ttofi(2009, 2011);Nickeson & Slater (2009);
Oliver, Hoover, & Hazler (1994); Olweus (1993); Ttofi &
Farrington 11. Alberti Center Slideshow Summary of Issues Moving
Toward Solutions 12. Best Practices in School Bullying Prevention
and Intervention 13. Dignity Act for All Students (NY state
legislation effective July 1, 2012) The intent of the Dignity for
All Students Act (Dignity Act) is toprovide all public school
students with an environment freefrom discrimination and
harassment, as well as to foster civilityin public schools NYSED
Policy (& Code of Conduct in age-appropriate language)
Designated Dignity Act Coordinator in each school Instruction for
students (K-12; excludes charter) on civility andprohibition of
harassment or bullying of protected classes School employee
training Annual reporting 14. Guiding Principles for Positive
School Climate Reflect on your use of power in relationships Treat
students the way you want them to treat each other Help all
students look valuable in their classmates eyes Take action when
bullying is observed or reported to you Accept the person, but do
not accept the bullying behavior People will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how
you made them feel. Maya Angelou Dillon (2012); Morrison &
Marachi (2011) 15. Teach Increase Social, Emotion Awareness &
al, & Behavioral Supervision Skills Whole-School Respond Along
Anti-Bullying ContinuumPolicyBullyingCollect and Use DataPrevention
Include Parents in SchoolsHazler & Carney (2012); Rigby (2000);
Ttofi & Farrington (2011); Swearer, Espelage, & Napolitan
(2009) 16. Collect and Use Data Bullying happens in larger school
context Examine issues, strengths, & needs in your setting Use
data to inform and continually improve Resource: CDC Measures of
Bullying Victimization, Perpetration and Bystander Experiences
http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/measuring_bullying.html
17. Develop & Implement Anti-Bullying Policy Definition of
bullying Statement about expected behaviors and prohibitions
Reporting procedure (consider anonymous procedures) Investigation
and disciplinary actions Continuum of logical consequences and
interventions Training and prevention procedures Assistance and
support for target Resource: Dignity Act website
www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact/ 18. Teach & Reinforce Social,
Emotional, and Behavioral Skills Positive Behavioral Interventions
and Supports www.pbis.org Social-Emotional Learning CASEL Guide to
Preschool & Elementary School Programs http://casel.org/guide/
Schoolwide Bullying Prevention Programs Alberti Center Guide to
School-Wide Bullying Prevention Programs
gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter/publications/materials 19. Programs
Included in the GuideAls Pals: Kids Making Healthy ChoicesBully
BustersBullying Prevention in Positive BehavioralIntervention and
SupportBullying-Proofing Your SchoolCreating a Safe SchoolGet Real
About ViolenceOlweus Bullying Prevention ProgramSecond Step: A
Violence PreventionCurriculumSteps to Respect: A Bullying
PreventionProgram 20. Increase Awareness and Supervision Learn
facts and strategies about bullying
Resources:Education.comwww.education.com/topic/school-bullying-teasing/Stop
Bullying.govwww.stopbullying.govAlberti Center for Bullying Abuse
Preventionwww.gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenterCyberbullying Research
Centerhttp://www.cyberbullying.us/ 21. Visit
gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenterfor other resources 22. Sample
multi-media to use with adolescents (with a LOL break) 23. Respond
Along Continuum Name the specific behavior and why it is not
acceptable Make teachable moment (include bystanders) Apply
consequences then and there if clear violation (besensitive to
humiliation and possible retaliation) Conduct investigation to
gather facts (if necessary) and document Focus on positive and
constructive change Progressive discipline (reparation, loss
ofprivilege, increased supervision, parentcontact, counseling)
Intervention plan based on function of behavior (SwearerTarget
Bullying Intervention) for repeated instances Follow-up privately
with target to provide support 24. Example of Individual Response
to Bullying 25. Communicating with Parents Be timely with
communication! Focus on the behavior (not the person) Avoid blaming
or judging (expect denial) Emphasize how this type of behavior can
be a problem for their child, the other person, and the school
environment Inform parent about school response Work together to
help child behave in other ways 26. Teach Students to be Upstanders
Most bullying happens when peers are present (and adults arenot)
create a culture that is not consistent with bullying Specific
strategies Dont join in speak up if it is safe to do so Band
together as a group against bullies Tell an adult about the
bullying Tattling/ratting = telling an adult to get someone in
trouble Telling/reporting = telling an adult because someones
behavioris unsafe or hurtful to another Reach out to isolated
peers, offer support 27. Visit us at gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter
Thank you for your interest and attention!