Bullying: What We Can Do Stuart Green, DMH, LCSW

1. Bullying: What We Can Do Stuart Green, DMH, LCSW NJ Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention www.njbullying.org Associate Director, Overlook Family Medicine Behavioral Scientist, Overlook Medical Center, Atlantic Health System

2. Our Students/Their World Key Findings from 2010 Survey of One School District’s High School Students Almost one in three students regularly feel hopeless (about their school careers). Almost one-half of students have no vision for their future beyond high school. And more than one-third don’t believe that any of us care. (ref. Jean Synodinos, ICF Macro, OSDFS National Conference, August 8, 2011)

3. The Wingspread Declaration on School Connections (Journal of School Health, 2004). • 1)Connectedness: from strengthened bonds with school. • 2)Requires: high expectations, feel supported, feel safe. • 3)Impacts: academic performance, fighting, truancy, drop out rates. • 4)Result: improved educational motivation, higher classroom engagement, better attendance, then higher academic achievement. • 5)Related (pos. corr.): less disruptive behavior, less substance and tobacco use, less emotional distress, later age of first sex. • 6)Built through: fair and consistent discipline, trust, high expectations, effective curriculum/teaching strategies, feeling connected to at least one member of the school staff.

4. WHAT TO DO • Whole School or Systemic Model (e.g., Olweus/OBPP), or School Climate Model (e.g., Cohen/NSCC), or Elias/Rutgers-CASEL • school the most common site • change the culture of schools • adult-initiated and led (children involved) • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

5. What Does Not Work – and What Does (ref. Stan Davis/Youth Voices Project) Does Not Work: -telling youth to solve their own problems (leaves least able least protected) -telling youth to ignore it or say ‘stop’ -telling youth bullying is ‘wrong’ Does Work: -positive staff-student connections -fair/consistent rules and discipline collectively agreed upon/fairly enforced -staff action to discourage and interrupt low-level mean student behavior (fire prevention vs. fire fighting) -supporting mistreated youth -positive peer norms/actions

6. Strengthen School Climate • emphasize warmth, engagement, inclusion, community • positive relations and shared understanding between staff • positive staff-student interactions • support/inclusion for all (diverse clubs/activities, proactive education, increase support for vulnerable groups) • character education /social-emotional learning/ ‘universal’ social skills training • clear/consensus expectations ('how we do things here') • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

7. School-Wide • Administrative support • Coordinating group/staff discussions/training • Assessment (surveys, reporting system) • Positive staff-staff and staff-student relations • Proactive effort to identify all incidents/relationships • Supervise high-risk areas (schoolyard, lunchroom, school bus, team activities, locker room, cyberspace) • Consistent rules and sanctions (staff consensus) • (well-known to students, staff, parents, community) • Involve parents • Activate peer bystanders • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

8. Bystander questionnaire Here is a picture of a person being bullied with a number of people watching. The person being threatened may be called the victim. The person threatening is the bully. How often does this sort of thing happen at your school. Place a check by your answer: Every day Most days of the week Once or twice a week Less than once a week Never or hardly ever Now please think carefully about what you think you would do if you were watching what was happening. Write a sentence or two about what you think you would do: Did you (check one): ___ ignore it. ___ tell the teacher. ___ support the victim. ___ support the bully. Now write a sentence saying why you checked the one you did.

9. Bystander behaviour (edited, from www.kenrigby.net) A classroom approach to promoting positive bystander behavior 1. Involve the whole class 2. Provide the questionnaire, ask students to complete it, anonymously. 3. Read to students some of the things they wrote.  4. Begin by selecting positive things. Some students will spontaneously ‘own’ what they wrote. Do not pressure anyone to do so.  5. Acknowledge misgivings children have about helping by picking out comments that indicate reluctance to intervene - discuss reasons given.  6. Discuss with the class ways in which bystanders can discourage bullying without taking unacceptable risks. 7. Consider as a class a project in which students as bystanders try out ways of discouraging bullying.  8. Role play situations and possible responses by bystanders. 9. Get the class to report back on actions taken and outcomes.

11. Classroom • Clear, consistent rules • Regular meetings • Collaborative learning • Curriculum integration • Proactive work on relationships • Parent involvement • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

12. Individual • Proactive information-gathering on vulnerability and relations • Meeting with each child who was bullied and call/see parent (apologize, take responsibility, absolve) • Meeting with each child who bullied and call parent • Consequences for the bullying child (reasonable, invariable, escalating), then (post-incident) reflection/empathy • Assure and arrange increased support for the bullied child. • Active monitoring after incidents. • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

13. STAFF RESPONSES TO NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS • Behaviors that violate law- Report/follow policy • Severe risk of harm- Report/follow rubric • Moderate severity- Intervene and track behavior • Unacceptable - Intervene, using own approaches (e.g., “That behavior is not allowed here because...”, discuss why the behavior is not allowed: “Why do you think we don’t allow those words?”, use immediate micro-consequences: “Sit over there to help you remember not to say (or do) that again.”, encourage students to reflect about their actions: “What did you do? What was wrong with that?”, signal the student that the action is unacceptable via a look, a signal, a short whispered conversation, or a brief talk after class is over) • Negative but acceptable- Use discretion • (e.g., ignore, advise, use mediation strategies if both students have done something wrong, or use small, in-the- moment consequences) • Ref: Stan Davis, www.stopbullyingnow.com

14. Seven Measures Which Positively Impact Bullying 1. collaborative learning models2. friendship circles3. mentoring to strengthen school engagement4. diverse clubs/activities 5. proactive diversity education 6. staff-student positive relations 7. staff-staff positive relations S. Green, www.njbullying.org

15. What can parents do about bullying? (1) Good relations/communication with children. Inform yourself. · Expect/ ask/ demand adequate school action. Expect/ ask/ demand that owners of social organizations, including networking sites and internet providers, address bullying. · Ask your child how children treat other children at school (and how your child is treated); listening is more important than advice. S. Green, www.njbullying.org

16. What can parents do about bullying? (2) When you hear children speak badly of another child, gently express discomfort, and empathy for the scorned child. Be present at your child's school; don't wait to be invited, ask to volunteer. Take action with other concerned parents.Meet (as a group) with school leaders; ask specifically about the school’s approach. S. Green, www.njbullying.org

17. What can parents do about bullying? (3) Never ignore bullying, don't walk by; if you can't intervene directly, report it. Support bullied kids in every possible way. Seek legal advice and government support. Don't accept leaders who bully, including teachers; speak out, insist on change. Consider changing schools, if possible, as a last resort. S. Green, www.njbullying.org

18. WHAT CAN TEACHERS DO (1) • Proactively identify all incidents/relationships • Actively scan for bullying involvement, consider bullying as a factor or even cause of problems/behavioral changes • Actively identify/track at-risk children • Anticipatory education/support when students likely to be targeted • Intensify/focus on (creative) support for at-risk children through activities, relationship-building, collaboration with counseling resources • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

19. WHAT CAN TEACHERS DO (2) • Have a bullying-aware classroom (materials, meetings)   • Address/engage negative peer 'leaders‘ • Be clear about what works and doesn’t work • Model positive relations with other teachers/staff • Increase positive staff (teachers, aides, any adults in classroom) and student interactions • S.Green, www.njbullying.org

20. WHAT CAN TEACHERS DO (3) • Self-aware of biases and compensate • Pay as much positive attention to improvement as to achievement • Emphasize/support/value diversity (even more so if low staff-student matching • Use character education /social-emotional learning /’universal’ social skills approaches • Clear (ideally consensus) expectations ('how we do things here') • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

21. WHAT CAN TEACHERS DO (4) • Consistent rules/sanctions (well-known to students, staff, parents, community) • Be part of coordinating group/staff discussions/training • Help monitor/survey/data-collect on bullying • Let students provide anonymous data (to you, and to pass along to admin) • Actively supervise high-risk areas/activities • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

22. WHAT CAN TEACHERS DO (5) • Collaborative learning (‘jigsaw’ – Aronson) • Curriculum integration (all subjects) • Parent involvement • Normative attitude that bullying is wrong • An atmosphere of warmth, acceptance and support • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

23. What Can Professionals Do? Screen for bullying involvement, consider bullying as a factor or even a cause of presenting problems Proactive identification of at-risk children, creative support through school action and/or preventive counseling Have a bullying-aware office Challenge negative leaders As a community leader, expect schools to address bullying, raise parental expectations Be clear about what works and doesn’t work Advocate for stronger law S. Green, www.njbullying.org

24. Systemic approach works • shown to reduce bullying in intervention studies in multiple countries, including the U.S., with improvements in subsequent years … if* • if administrative commitment and support • if staff ‘buy-in’ • if ongoing • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

25. Be clear about what doesn’t work • Zero tolerance or ‘3 strikes’ * • Social skills training/psychotherapy • as primary modalities and only directed at those bullying or those bullied when incidents have occurred • Peer mediation and conflict resolution • One-shot (e.g., assemblies) • or short-term interventions. • (NY Times, 3/6/12, The wrong approach to discipline. Re Fed DOE/OCR report) • S. Green, www.njbullying.org

26. Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution Approaches • Inadvisable to address bullying incidents: • Children who are bullied can be traumatized by such engagement with the peers who harmed them • Bullied children may be subjected to further bullying as a result • Conflict resolution misconstrues bullying as peer conflict rather than a type of personal assault. • Peer mediation often sends a message that each person is partly right and partly wrong—inappropriate for bullying • Apart from HIB, conflict resolution (lacking a strong evidence base) can be prudently used for mild forms of conflict and to promote social problem solving • Matthew Mayer, Rutgers University

27. OLWEUS Our moral obligation to help bullied children.

28. RESOURCES NJ Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention www.njbullying.org, (908) 522-2581 Stan Davis’ Schools Where Everyone Belongswww.stopbullyingnow.com) National School Climate Center (www.schoolclimate.org) www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov www.cyberbullying.us www.bullyinginfo.gov www.csriu.org www.responsiveclassroom.org www.kenrigby.net

29. WHAT THE NJ LAW NOW REQUIRES OF SCHOOLS … • School district chief appoints a district anti-bullying coordinator (ABC) • Principal in each school appoints an Anti-Bullying Specialist (ABS). (a guidance counselor; school psychologist; or other school employee similarly trained) (ABS chairs the school safety team; leads investigation of HIB incidents; acts as the primary official preventing, identifying and addressing HIB incidents) • School safety team (SST) is formed in each school: SST helps facilitate positive school climate. The SST includes the principal or designee, teacher, ABS, parent of a student in the school; others determined by principal. SST receives records of all complaints of HIB; receives copies of HIB investigation reports; identifies and addresses patterns of HIB; reviews HIB-related school policies and strengthens school climate; educates the community … (Note: parent member has no access to confidential student information from complaints, investigations, or other sources.) • Report verbally to principal on same day when school employee or contracted provider witnessesor receives reliable information aboutany incident. • Report in writing within two days of verbal report (the day the incident is witnessed or information about the incident received). • Procedure to include a provision permitting a person to anonymously report an act of HIB; however, this must not be construed to permit formal disciplinary action solely on the basis of an anonymous report. • Initiate investigation within 1 day of receiving report of incident, conducted by a school anti-bullying specialist in coordination with the principal. • Investigation completed no later than 10 school days from date of written report of the incident. • Result of investigation reported to school district’s chief admin within two school days of completion of investigation.