What does Bullying Look Like/Who is a Bully?

What does Bullying Look Like/Who is a Bully? Houston Independent School District

OBJECTIVES • To inform faculty, staff, and parents about the seriousness of bullying and ways it can be prevented. • To create caring and collaborative communities in the classroom. • To provide a safe school culture for all students. • To give students strategies on what to do if they are bullied or threatened. • To incorporate character lessons into the curriculum to teach students about bullying issues and the value of being kind to one another. • To teach children what to do if they see someone other than themselves being victimized by a bully. • To engage students in ethical conversations. • To provide resources in order to gain more information on bullying issues.

HISD CODE OF CONDUCT-HARASSMENT/BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING/OTHER TYPES OF HARASSMENT Level III Offenses-Required Suspension/Discretionary DAEP Removal • Harassment/dating violence, including threatening to cause harm or bodily injury to another student, engaging in sexually intimidating conduct, causing physical damage to the property of another student, subjecting another student to physical confinement or restraint, or maliciously taking any action that substantially harms another student’s physical or emotional health. p. 07 • Any verbal abuse or bullying of others, including slurs, name calling, or derogatory statements to another person because of that person’s race, color, religion, national origin, disability, physical/personal appearance, or sexual orientation. Bullying is defined as any act or speech that subjects persons to indignity, humiliation, intimidation, physical abuse or threat of physical abuse, social or other isolation, shame, or disgrace. p. 8

HISD CODE OF CONDUCT-HARASSMENT/BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING/OTHER TYPES OF HARASSMENT con’t Level III Offenses-Required Suspension/Discretionary DAEP Removal • Any verbal abuse or bullying of others, including but limited to slurs, name-calling, or derogatory statements to another person because of the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, disability, physical/personal appearance, or sexual orientation. Bullying is defined as any act or speech that subjects persons to indignity, humiliation, intimidation, physical abuse or threat of physical abuse, social or other isolation, shame or disgrace. • Cyber-bullying, defined as the use of the Inter, cell phones, or other devices to send, post, or text-message images and material intended to hurt or embarrass another person. This may included, but is not limited to, continuing to send email to someone who has said he or she wants no further contact with the sender; sending or posting threats, sexual remarks, or pejorative labels (i.e. hate speech); ganging up on victims by making them the subject of ridicule in forums and posting false statements as fact intended to humiliate the victim; disclosure of personal data such as the victim’s real name, address, or school on Web sites or forums’ posing as the victim for the purpose of publishing material in his or her name that defames or ridicules him or her; sending threatening and harassing text, instant messages, or e-mails to the victim; and posting or sending rumors or gossip to instigate others to dislike and gang up on the target , which is determined to have a material and substantial interference with school activities or with the rights of students and teachers. p. 8

HISD CODE OF CONDUCT-HARASSMENT/BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING/OTHER TYPES OF HARASSMENT Students’ Rights and Responsibilities: Sexual Harassment/Sexual Abuse/Dating Violence Other Types of Harassment • The district encourages all students and staff members to foster a climate of mutual respect for others in order to enhance the district’s educational purpose and the program designed to achieve that purpose. Each student is expected to respect the rights and privileges of other students, teachers, and district staff members. Students shall not engage in harassment motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, or disability and directed toward another student. A substantiated charge of harassment against a student shall result in disciplinary action.

HISD CODE OF CONDUCT-HARASSMENT/BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING/OTHER TYPES OF HARASSMENT con’t Students’ Rights and Responsibilities: Sexual Harassment/Sexual Abuse/Dating Violence Other Types of Harassment • The term “harassment” includes repeated, unwelcome, and offensive slurs, jokes, or other oral, written, graphic, or physical conduct relating to an individual’s race, color, religion, national origin, or disability that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational environment. Students who believe they have been harassed by fellow students or district employees are encouraged to promptly report such incidents to the campus principal. If the campus principal is the subject of a complaint, the student shall report the complaint directly to the appropriate elementary-, middle-, or high-school chief schools officer or designated administrator.

HISD CODE OF CONDUCT-HARASSMENT/BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING/OTHER TYPES OF HARASSMENT con’t Students’ Rights and Responsibilities: Sexual Harassment/Sexual Abuse/Dating Violence Other Types of Harassment • Any allegations of harassment of students shall be investigated and addressed promptly. Oral complaints shall be reduced to writing to assist in the district’s investigation. To the greatest extent possible, complaints shall be treated as confidential. However, limited disclosure may be necessary to complete a thorough investigation. A parent or student may appeal the decision of the principal regarding the outcome of the investigation into the allegations. Information on the procedure for appealing the decision of the principal to the chief schools officer or the superintendent’s designee and to the board is explained in Board Policy FNG(LOCAL).

One incident of bullying occurs every seven minutes • Adult intervention occurs in 4% of incidents • Peer intervention occurs in 11% of incidents • No intervention occurs in 85% of incidents • Bullying is common to see among and occurs at all ages, but is most prevalent during the middle school years.

What is Bullying? The behavior is intended to harm or disturb Behavior occurs repeatedly over time There is a real or perceived imbalance of power

What Is Bullying? Physical or psychological intimidation that occurs repeatedly over time Bullying can be overt(i.e., teasing, hitting, or stealing); boys are most often overt bullies Bullying can be covert (i.e., spreading rumors or exclusion); girls are most often covert bullies

Direct Bullying (Physical) Hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting… Taunting, teasing, racial slurs, verbal harassment Threatening, obscene gestures

Indirect BullyingRelational , emotional or verbal Getting another person to bully someone for you Spreading rumors Deliberately excluding someone from a group or activity Cyber-bullying

How common is bullying? Nansel et al. (2001): national sample of 15,600 students in grades 6-10 • 19% bullied others ”sometimes” or more often • 9% bullied others weekly • 17% were bullied “sometimes” or more often • 8% were bullied weekly • 6% reported bullying and being bullied “sometimes” or more often

Who Are Bullies? Children who bully typically demonstrate a strong sense of self-esteem They like to feel powerful and in control

Who Are Bullies? (continued) • Bullies often come from homes that use extreme physical punishment to discipline • Caregivers of bullies are typically uninvolved and lack warmth • Children who bully are often defiant toward authority figures and are apt to break rules

Who Are The Victims of Bullying? • Parents of children who will be bullied are often overprotective or enmeshed with their children • Children who will be bullied perceive parent or teacher intervention to be ineffective and are unlikely to report the problem

Children Who Bully are More Likely to: • Get into frequent fights • Be injured in a fight • Steal, vandalize property • Drink alcohol • Smoke • Be truant, drop out of school • Report poorer academic achievement • Perceive a negative climate at school • Carry a weapon

Who Are The Victims of Bullying? • Children who will be bullied are often insecure, socially isolated, anxious, and have low self-esteem • They tend to be weaker than their peers

Who are the Victims of Bullies? • Can belong to another race or be a member of a special interest group (GLBTQ) • Members of a different religion or belief system. • New student at school • Different style

Not only are children who are bullies are likely experience legal or criminal problems as adults, but they are likely to carry bullying behaviors into adulthood and experience difficulty in forming and maintaining relationships Long-term Implications of Bullying

Gender Differences in Bullying • Most studies find that boys bully more than do girls • Boys report being bullied by boys; girls report being bullied by boys and girls • Boys are more likely than girls to be physically bullied by their peers • Girls are more likely to be bullied through rumor-spreading, sexual comments, social exclusion

Teaching students to be “Anti-Bully” Teachers need to teach their students to be an “anti-bully”. This is a person, who instead of being mean and ugly to another person, chooses to be kind. He or she makes sure that shy and lonely students are treated right. If a student doesn’t have anyone to eat or play with, this person will befriend him/her. He or she will step in and help a student who is being mistreated by a bully. An “anti-bully” needs to be taught to be brave enough to do the right thing, and will need to understand that their actions will gain them respect from others and for themselves.

Steps to Referring Bullies Address the incident immediately. If necessary, call parents; never label a child as a bully. If the students’ behavior becomes chronic, refer them to the counselor. If the bullying behavior continues after counseling sessions, then refer them to the assistant principal.

Teachers must recognize that bullying can happen from students that would be least expected. Bullies are sneaky. Bullying can occur right in the classroom without teacher knowledge. Research shows that children have to have thousands of ethical conversations before they can make ethical choices, so teachers must use every opportunity in the classroom to discuss ethics. Teachers Role in Preventing Bullying

The following are specific things that teachers can do to help prevent bullying: Make it clear to students that bullying will not be tolerated in the classroom, in the hallways, on the playground, or anywhere at school. Ensure students that if anyone has a problem with bullying that he/she can talk to you about it in person or by writing you a note about what happened. Immediately take action when you see bullying, name calling, or harassment happen in your presence. Coaches can address bullying and tie it into good sportsmanship. Help students identify themselves as allies for victimized students. Teachers Role in Preventing Bullying

The following are specific things that teachers can do to help prevent bullying: • If students report bullying, make sure that the bullies are confronted and that the victims, bystanders, and allies feel protected. • Have students write what they think a bully is and discuss out loud. • Work with other teachers to share ideas on what you are doing in your classroom to teach about and prevent bullying. • With students, compile a list of strategies for dealing with bullies and post them in the classroom. • Help students decipher the difference between tattling on someone just to get them in trouble and telling an adult about a situation in order to keep someone from getting hurt. Teachers Role in Preventing Bullying

Adminstration’s Role in Preventing Bullying Administration also must make it clear that any form of bullying will not be tolerated. Students will be made aware that bullying will be dealt with immediately by all faculty and staff towards bullying. There will be appropriate consequences and remediation for students who choose to be bullies. Administration will work with teachers during grade level meetings on lesson plans to help students think about and deal with bullying. Resources, including books, videos, tapes, etc, are provided to help teachers enhance their lessons on bullying. A full investigation will take place when bullying issues are reported, and everyone involved will be treated fairly. Parents will be informed of bullying incidents involving their child.

Warning Signs of Bullying • Suddenly doesn’t want to go to school • Has unexplainable bruises and does not want to talk about them • Suddenly can not sleep • Becomes moody • Feels sick quite often with vague symptoms

BEST PRACTICES TOOLS STUDENT COMPLAINT FORM: A counselor or administrator who receives a report of bullying, sexual harassment will address the following issues with the student who is the target of the reported behaviors in a private meeting before assisting the student to complete the Complaint Form.

BEST PRACTICES TOOLS STUDENT ON STUDENT ALTERCATION RESPONSE CHART FORM: Principals or principal’s designee are responsible for responding to incident reports. This checklist has been provided to assist the principal or designee in ensuring that necessary steps are taken when incidents have been brought to the principal’s attention. Confidentiality should be maintained when investigating reports.

BEST PRACTICES TOOLS SCHOOL-BASED STAY AWAY AGREEMENT: The intent of this agreement is to increase safety for students who have been the target of severe or repeated bullying, sexual harassment or dating violence. It is to be administered by the Principal or the principal’s designee in a conference with the offending student and his or her parent.

BEST PRACTICES TOOLS FOUNDATION BULLYING COMPONENTS The following is a flow chart of Central office support for schools and families. The development of the plan, although spear-headed through school support services, represents a cross-section of professionals from departments throughout the district. Because bullying can have critical outcomes, what is taught and the techniques used must be considered and approved before implementation.

SOLUTIONS FOR BULLYING BIBLIOTHERAPY CHILDRENS BOOKLIST-is an expressive therapy that uses an individual's relationship to the content of books and poetry and other written words as therapy STUDENT REFLECTION LOG-students complete this log after bullying act, it is designed to allow students to reflect on their behavior and the choices they made.

What does Bullying Look Like/Who is a Bully?