Livonia Public Schools

1. Livonia Public Schools School Bullying Prevention Program Our shared vision for Livonia Public Schools includes a commitment to provide a safe, joyful, welcoming environment for all who enter & a place where students are eager to learn.

2. Statistics about Bullying • 160,000 children won’t go to school each day for fear of being bullied • Nearly 1 in 5 students is experiencing bullying in some way • Between 15% and 30% of students are victims or bullies • Between 19% and 27% of boys in grades 4-6 report being bullied in the past 3 months; for girls it’s 23%-26%. • 1 out of 4 youths aged 11-19 have been threatened via their computers or by text messaging

3. Facts about Bullying • Both boys and girls can be bullies and/or victims • Bullying is a learned behavior. • Being a bully or victim is associated with being a school dropout, experiencing poor psycho-social adjustment, engaging in criminal activity and other long-term consequences • Bystanders are also negatively impacted by bullying

4. Types of Bullying • Physical – i.e. hitting or kicking; taking or damaging the victim’s property • Verbal – i.e. name calling, insulting, making derogatory comments or constant teasing • Psychological – i.e. excluding or rejecting certain people, spreading hurtful rumors, non verbal gestures & body language • Written/Cyber – sending mean or threatening text messages, emails or IMs, posting inappropriate pictures or messages, using other’s usernames to spread rumors or lies, including on social network sites such as Facebook.

5. Defining Bullying When a person or group purposely engages in actions intended to harm someone else emotionally or physically. Bullying often consists of a series of cruel acts repeated over time. Children being bullied need and deserve adult intervention and help.

6. Effects of Bullying • Bullying can have serious consequences. • Children who are bullied are more likely than other children to exhibit the following: • depression, loneliness • low self-esteem • an increased number of absences, experience school anxiety or avoidance • physical symptoms (i.e.: headaches, stomachaches, fatigue) • declining school performance or lack of interest in school • fearfulness, withdrawal or isolation • suicidal thoughts and acts of self harm • acts of violence

7. Defining Peer Conflict It is important to note that peer conflict is a normal part of a child’s life experience and all children will experience conflict at some point during their childhood and adolescence. As children learn the give and take of friendship, group cooperation, and social interaction, conflict naturally occurs. Age-typical conflicts arise and can sometimes be resolved independently, and at other times adult intervention is required.

8. Normal Peer Conflict vs. Bullying

9. Myths about Bullying “Children who bully are loners.” Research indicates that children who bully are not socially isolated, rather they have an easier time making friends and typically have a small group of friends who support or encourage their bullying. “Children who bully have low self-esteem.” Research indicates that children who bully have average to above-average self-esteem. “Children will outgrow bullying.” Unless someone intervenes, the bullying will likely continue, in some cases, grow into violence and other serious problems. Children who consistently bully others often continue their aggressive behavior through adolescence and into adulthood.

10. How Do I Know if My Child is Being Bullied? Be aware of changes in your child’s behavior or attitudes. Bullied children often give signals that something is wrong, such as: • withdrawal or complaints of physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, or problems sleeping. • comes home with torn, damaged, or missing pieces of clothing, books, or other belongings.

11. How Do I Know if My Child is Being Bullied? (Continued) • unexplained bruises, cuts, or scratches • seems afraid of going to school or taking part in organized school activities with peers • decreased interest in school work or suddenly begins to do poorly in school • appears sad, moody, teary or depressed • frequently appears anxious and /or suffers from low self-esteem • begins acting out or taking out their frustration

12. If You Suspect Your Child is Being Bullied:What parents can do at home Focus on your child. Be supportive and gather information about the problem. • Listen carefully to what your child tells you about the situation. • Check your emotions~stay calm, try not to overreact. • Don’t blame the child who is being bullied. • Empathize with your child. • Don’t encourage physical or verbal retaliation as a solution. • Keep lines of communication open with your child.

13. Positive Strategies to Help Bully-Proof Your Child • Help your child engage in the things that he/she enjoys and “builds them up.” • Help your child identify peers with whom they get along and suggest things they can do together. • Learn about your child’s social life – getting to know and monitoring friends, knowing where your child is, who s/he is with and what they are doing.

14. If Your Child is Being Bullied:What you can do with the school • Don’t be reluctant to report bullying; it may not stop without adult help. Contact your child’s teacher or principal. • Stay calm. Give factual information (who, what, when, where, and how). • Emphasize that you want to work with the school to find a solution. • Additional information may come to light during the investigation. • Do not contact the parents of the student who bullied your child. • Expect that efforts will be taken to address the problem.

15. Parent Interventions fora Child Who Bullies • Accept the possibility (or reality) that your child has participated in the bullying situation. • Make it clear you take bullying seriously and it will not be tolerated. • Develop clear and consistent rules within your family for your children’s behavior. • Spend more time with your child and carefully supervise his/her activities.

16. Parent Interventions fora Child Who Bullies (Continued) • Praise your child for appropriate social behaviors. • Catch your child interacting appropriately with peers and offer positive reinforcement. • Encourage children to support their peers. • Monitor television and video games. • Closely monitor electronic communications: cell phones, email, social network sites (Facebook) • Bullying is not just kidding around. Make sure your child understands that bullying is hurtful and potentially illegal and you expect it to stop immediately.

17. How to respond to a bully… Be a good bystander If just one person tells a bully toSTOP IT/KNOCK IT OFF/CUT IT OUT the bully may stop within10 seconds! If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

18. Helpful Bystanders Bystanders have the power to play a key role in preventing or stopping bullying.  • Some bystanders . . . directly intervene, by discouraging the bully, defending the victim, or redirecting the situation away from bullying. • Other bystanders . . .  get help, by rallying support from peers to stand up against bullying or by reporting the bullying to adults. 

19. Hurtful Bystanders • Some bystanders . . . instigate the bullying by prodding the bully to begin. • Other bystanders . . . encourage the bullying by laughing, cheering, or making comments that further stimulate the bully.  • And other bystanders . . . joinin the bullying once it has begun.  • Most bystanders . . . passively accept bullying by watching and doing nothing. Often without realizing it, these bystanders also contribute to the problem. Passive bystanders provide the audience a bully craves and the silent acceptance that allows bullies to continue their hurtful behavior.

20. Cyber-Bullying Defined “Willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices.” Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard

21. What makes this different than typical bullying? • Anonymity • Accessibility • Bystanders—can be millions and permanent; can go viral • Low self-esteem by both the perpetrator and target • Can happen 24 hrs/7 days a week

22. What students can do if they are the victims of a cyber-bully Block communication with the cyber-bully Print the message, show it to your parents/ guardian, save it Talk to a parent/guardian about the bullying Report the problem to an Internet service provider or website moderator

23. How Can I Prevent Cyber-bullying? Refuse to pass along cyber-bullying messages Tell friends to stop cyber-bullying Block communication with cyber-bullies Report cyber-bullying to a trusted adult

24. Why Address the Problem of Bullying? Research shows harnessing positive, contagious emotions can have a powerful effect in the classroom, in a school and in students’ lives.

25. In Livonia Public Schools, we believe everyone has the right to be safe from any action, word, or gesture that hurts a person’s body, feelings, friendships, reputation or property, regardless of the intent.

26. “When schools make a comprehensive commitment to changing their climate, and the entire school community is involved in preventing bullying, bullying can be significantly reduced.” No Kidding About Bullying

27. Children need to believe the adults in their lives will support them.