Cyber Bullying & School Bullying

• A lack of warmth and involvement on the part of parents
• Overly permissive parenting (including a lack of limits for children’s behavior)
• A lack of supervision by parents
• Harsh, physical discipline
• Bullying incidences at home

Source: HRSA

Research shows that bullying can be a sign of other serious antisocial and/or violent behavior. Children who frequently bully their peers are more likely than others to:

• Get into frequent fights
• Be injured in a fight
• Vandalize or steal property
• Drink alcohol
• Smoke
• Be truant from school
• Drop out of school
• Carry a weapon

Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

• Impulsive, hot-headed, dominant
• Easily frustrated
• Lack empathy
• Have difficulty following rules
• View violence in a positive way
• Boys who bully tend to be physically stronger than other children.

There is no single cause of bullying among children. A host of different factors can place a child at risk for bullying his or her peers. However, it has been found that children who bully are more likely than their non-bullying peers to come from homes with certain characteristics.

Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

There are many school-based bullying prevention programs. Although they vary in size and scope, the most promising programs incorporate the following characteristics:

• focus on creating a school-wide environment, or climate that discourages bullying,
• Surveys of students to assess the nature and extent of bullying behavior and attitudes toward bullying,
• Training to prepare staff to recognize and respond to bullying,
• Development of consistent rules against bullying,
• Review and enhancement of the school’s disciplinary code related to bullying behavior,
• Classroom activities to discuss issues related to bullying,
• Integration of bullying prevention themes across the curriculum,
• Individual and group work with children who have been bullied,
• Individual work with children who have bullied their peers,
• Involvement of parents in bullying prevention and intervention activities, and
• Use of teacher or staff groups to increase staff knowledge and motivation related to bullying.

Source: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

If you suspect your child is being bullied, remember to support your child, inform others and take action.

• First, focus on your child. Be supportive and gather information about the bullying. Tell your child you are concerned about him or her and ask questions.
• Contact your child’s teacher and/or principal. He or she will probably be in the best position to understand the relationships between your child and other peers at school. Ask the teacher to talk to other adults who interact with your child at school to see if they have observed students bullying your child.
• If you know your child is being bullied, take quick action. There is nothing worse than doing nothing, and bullying can have serious effects.

If, after talking with your child and staff at his or her school, you don’t believe your child is being bullied, be alert to other possible problems your child may be having. Share your concerns with a counselor at your child’s school.

Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

There are many signs that a child is being bullied. Some signs to look for:

• The child comes home with torn, damaged, or missing pieces of clothing, books or other belongings.
• The child has unexplained bruises, cuts or scratches.
• The child seems afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, riding the school bus or taking part in organized activities with peers.
• The child appears sad, moody, teary or depressed when he or she comes home.
• The child frequently appears anxious and/or suffers from low self-esteem.

Source: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional, repeated over time, and involves an imbalance of power or strength. A child who is being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself.

Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

A bullying  prevention and intervention coordinating team might include:

• an administrator
• a teacher from each grade
• a member of the non-teaching staff
• a school counselor or other school-based mental health professional
• a parent

The team should meet regularly to review findings from the school’s survey; plan specific bullying prevention activities; motivate staff, students, and parents; and ensure that the efforts continue over time.
1. Provide training for school staff in bullying prevention. All administrators, faculty and staff at a school should be trained in bullying prevention and intervention. In-service training can help staff members to better understand the nature of bullying and its effects, how to respond if they observe bullying, and how to work with others at the school to help prevent bullying.
2. Establish and enforce school rules and policies related to bullying. Developing simple, clear rules about bullying can help to ensure that students are aware of adults’ expectations that they not bully others and that they help students who are bullied. School rules and policies should be posted and discussed with students and parents. Appropriate positive and negative consequences should be developed.
3. Increase adult supervision in “hot spots” for bullying. Bullying tends to thrive in locations where adults are not present or are not watchful. Adults should look for creative ways to increase adult presence in locations that students identify as “hot spots.”
4. Intervene consistently and appropriately when you see bullying. Observed or suspected bullying should never be ignored by adults. All school staff should learn effective strategies to intervene on-the-spot to stop bullying. Staff members also should be designated to hold sensitive follow-up meetings with students who are bullied and (separately) with students who bully. Staff members should involve parents whenever possible.
5. Devote some class time to bullying prevention. Students can benefit if teachers set aside a regular period of time (e.g., 20-30 minutes each week or every other week) to discuss bullying and improving peer relations. These meetings can help teachers to keep their fingers on the pulse of students’ concerns, allow time for discussions about bullying and the harms that it can cause, and provide tools for students to address bullying problems. Anti-bullying messages also can be incorporated throughout the school curriculum.
6. Continue these efforts. There should be no “end date” for bullying prevention activities. Bullying prevention should be continued over time and woven into the fabric of the school environment.

Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

A review of bullying prevention programs and feedback from educators in the field led us to suggest 10 strategies that represent “best practice” in bullying prevention and intervention.

1. Focus on the social environment of the school. In order to reduce bullying, it is important to change the social climate of the school and the social norms with regards to bullying. This requires the efforts of everyone in the school environment—teachers, administrators, counselors school nurses other non-teaching staff (such as bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and/or school librarians), parents, and students.
2. Assess bullying at your school. Adults are not always very good at estimating the nature and prevalence of bullying at their school. As a result, it can be quite useful to administer an anonymous questionnaire to students about bullying. A number of bullying prevention programs listed in the Catalog of Resources include these measures.
3. Obtain staff and parent buy-in and support for bullying prevention. Bullying prevention should not be the sole responsibility of any single individual at a school. To be most effective, bullying prevention efforts require buy-in from the majority of the staff and from parents. However, bullying prevention efforts should still begin even if immediate buy-in from all isn’t achievable. Usually, more and more supporters will join the effort once they see what it’s accomplishing.
4. Form a group to coordinate the school’s bullying prevention activities. Bullying prevention efforts seem to work best if they are coordinated by a representative group from the school. This coordinating team might include:
   • an administrator
   • a teacher from each grade
   • a member of the non-teaching staff
   • a school counselor or other school-based mental health professional
   • a parent

Source: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Common Sense Rules for Parents

Much research on family conditions and the upbringing of children has led to this important conclusion:

A lot of love and involvement from the people bringing up children, clear limits for what behavior is allowed and not allowed, as well as the use of nonviolent methods of upbringing, creates non-aggressive, harmonious, and independent children.

Here are some common sense rules for parents/caregivers who want to help children have a positive childhood.

• Let your child feel he or she is important. Children have a great need to feel they are important to their parents. Children grow on love and challenges.
• Laugh with and not at your child. Children are proud and can be deeply hurt when they feel you are making fun of them. Laugh with your child; humor is positive.
• Do not give in to your child to avoid conflict. Children feel more secure when they have limits set for them in their everyday life, but they often cannot refrain from testing their limits.
• Keep the agreements you make with your children. Children feel helpless if you break agreements without good reason. If your child isnt sure whether he or she can rely on you, whom can he or she rely on? Remember that what you do today contributes to forming the future.
• Praise your child frequently. Encouragement and kind words motivate a child to cooperate. Positive support strengthens the childs self-image and creates an enthusiastic spirit. When new challenges arise, your child will be able to meet them confidently.
• Remember that you are a role model for your child. Your child is bonded with you in the deepest love and admiration. That is why he or she wants to be like you, at least when he or she is young. Whatever you do, your child will do. Whatever you say or believe, your child will repeat.
• Do not frighten your child unnecessarily. Sometimes you may need to scare your child to keep him or her away from dangerous situations, but children should not be scared into obedience. Spare your child upsetting knowledge about things he or she cannot do anything about.

Source: SAMHSA Health Information Network