Responding to Bullying

1. Responding to Bullying

2. Texas House Bill 1942 • Texas House Bill 1942 was passed to address how schools must make their campuses safer for all students specifically regarding the issues of bullying and cyberbullying.

3. BISD Policy • The Brownsville Independent School District prohibits the bullying of a student. It also prohibits retaliation against any person, including a victim, a witness or another person, who in good faith provides information concerning an incident of bullying.

4. What is Bullying? • Bullying occurs when a student or a group of students engages in written or verbal expression, expression through electronic means, or physical conduct that: • Will have the effect of physically harming a student, damaging a student’s property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s person or of damage to the student’s property; or • Is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that the action or threat creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for a student.

5. Bullying • Bullying is a problem that creates a climate of fear, that affects the whole school, and in some cases, the entire community. • When we fail to recognize and stop bullying behavior as it occurs, we actually promote violence. • The effects of bullying can be serious and even fatal. • According to a report by the U.S. Secret Service, bullying played a significant role in many school shootings.

6. Imbalance of Power • It is considered bullying if the conduct exploits an imbalance of power between the student perpetrator and the student victim.

7. Different Types of Bullying • Physical Bullying: • Any physical contact that would hurt or injure a person like hitting, kicking, or punching. • 30.5% of all bullying in schools is physical. • Verbal Bullying: • Name-calling, making offensive remarks, or joking about a person’s religion, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or the way they look. • 46.5% of all bullying in schools is the verbal type. • Indirect Bullying: • Spreading rumors or stories about someone, telling others about something that was told to you in private, and excluding others from groups. • 18.5% of all bullying in schools is indirect.

8. Other Types of Bullying • Social Alienation • Bully excludes someone from a group on purpose. • Intimidation • Bully threatens someone else and frightens that person enough to make him or her do what the bully wants. • Cyberbullying • Sending messages, pictures, or information using electronic media, computers, or cell phones. • In 2003, only 4% of cyberbullying was reported; however the growth of this type of bullying is going up fast because of the spread of technology around the world.

9. Examples of Bullying • Bullying of a student may include: • hazing • threats • taunting • teasing • confinement • assault • demands for money • destruction or theft of property • name calling • rumor spreading

10. Effects of Student Harassment and Bullying • Lowered academic achievement and aspirations • Increased anxiety • Loss of self-esteem and confidence • Depression and post-traumatic stress • General deterioration in physical health • Self-harm and suicidal thinking • Feelings of alienation in the school environment, such as fear of other children • Absenteeism from school

11. IMPORTANT POINTS: • Bullying is always wrong and it is a sign of a larger problem. • Students have the right to feel safe at school. • Students have the right and are encouraged to report any type of bullying • Students have the right to be treated with respect, regardless of race, religion, appearance or social beliefs.

12. What to do • Students who bully, victims of bullying, and bystanders can be referred to counselors and administrators who deal with these groups accordingly. • BISD Crisis Intervention Flow Chart for Bullying will then be followed.

13. Forms to Document Bullying • Bullying Investigative Report • Findings of Bullying Investigation • Parental Notice of Bullying(Victim, Perpetrator or Witness) • School Safety Transfer

14. Preventing Bullying • Increase the awareness of everyone at school toward bullying problems. • Assess the scope of the problem. • Identify both the students that are bullying and the students that are being bullied. • Intervene in a timely manner with clear and consistent consequences • Encourage by-standers to intervene appropriately to help stop the bullying. • Reward pro-social behavior of all students.

15. Teacher Strategies • Have assigned seating (and change seating plan if you see a problem arise). • Be consistent. • Take every student’s complaint seriously. • Have meetings with the counselor and/or administrator to discuss bullying issues. • Get parents involved. • Be approachable. • Create an open and safe environment

16. Setting up a Bully-free Classroom • Talk to your students about bullying. • Make anti-bullying part of one of your lessons. • Give the students a list of anti-bullying rules that you can also hang somewhere in the classroom. • Have the students sign an anti-bullying class pledge on a banner and hang in the classroom. • Do activities that promote class unity. • Have an anonymous “notes-to-the-teacher” box. • Do not allow students to pick their own groups. • Keep your eyes and ears open at all time!!

17. Counseling Services • Counseling services for victims, witnesses and bullies will be provided after an investigation has been conducted and verification of an incident has been confirmed.

18. REMEMBER: • Bullying will not be tolerated in BISD and protective measures are in place to ensure the safety of all BISD students.