ANTI-BULLYING AND HARASSMENT PRESENTATION(PROJECT BELL 12-9-10)

Boston and Kesling Middle School 2010-2011

BULLY DEFINITION

Indiana Code 20-33-8-0.2 defines bullying as:

1. Overt – repeated acts or gestures, including: Verbal or written communications transmitted; Physical acts committed; or Any other behaviors committed by a student or group of

students against another student with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate or harm the other student.

The school discipline rules must prohibit bullying. I.C. 20-33-8-13.5.

FORMS OF BULLYING

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength.

Typically it is repeated over time. It may take many forms

I. Hitting, punching, kicking, pushingII. Intimidating, threateningIII. Spreading rumorsIV. Teasing or name callingV. Sending insulting messages (Cyber-

Bullying)VI. Excluding others

HARASSMENT DEFINITION

IC 35-45-2-1Intimidation     Sec. 1. (a) A person who communicates a threat to another person, with the intent:        (1) that the other person engage in conduct against the other person's will;        (2) that the other person be placed in fear of retaliation for a prior lawful act;

WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. SHOW TOLERANCE.

EXAMPLES OF HARASSMENT * CATEGORIES OF DISCRIMINATION

Name calling Teasing Dirty notes or letters Hitting/grabbing body

parts Rumor spreading Threats and hostility Intimidation Offensive language Discrimination *

1. Gender2. Religion3. Race4. Color5. Ethnicity6. Age7. Disability

CONSEQUENCES OF BULLYING/HARASSMENT

1. Legal consequences: Indiana State Law prohibits bullying and harassment

2. School Consequences3. Consequences at home4. Loss of friends5. Decreased Achievement Levels6. Depression, low self-esteem, feel unwell and possible

suicidal thoughts.7. Bullying can be a sign of other serious anti-social or violent

behavior (Fighting, vandalism, theft, alcohol & drug use, truancy, drop out of school).

8. Bullying creates a climate of fear & disrespect = a negative impact on all student learning.

WARNING SIGNS OF A CHILD BEING BULLIED

Some of the possible warning signs that a child is being bullied include:

1. Having torn, damaged or missing pieces of clothing, books or belongings;2. Unexplained cuts, bruises and scratches;3. Has few, if any, friends with whom he or she spends time;4. Seems afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, riding the school bus,

being in school or taking part in organized activities with peers;5. Takes a long, illogical route when walking to or from school; 6. Has lost interest in school work or suddenly begins to do poorly in school;7. Appears sad, moody, and teary or depressed when he or she comes home or while at

school;8. Complains frequently of headaches, stomachaches or other physical ailments;9. Has trouble sleeping or has frequent bad dreams;10. Experiences a loss of appetite;11. Appears anxious and suffers from low self-esteem.

BACKGROUND OF BULLIES

1. A lack of warmth and involvement on the part of parents;2. Overly permissive parent (including a lack of limits for

children’s behavior);3. A lack of supervision by parents;4. Harsh physical discipline and a model for bullying behavior.5. Student has many problems in school.

INTERVENTION WHEN BULLYING OCCURS1. Immediately stop the bullying…don’t engage…get witnesses …then investigate thoroughly and

appropriately, not at that time. 2. Use a matter of fact tone of voice to state what behaviors you saw or heard

are not acceptable at school. 3. Get the Child who was bullied away from the situation. This will allow to regain self control, to save face and to

feel supported and safe from retaliation.4. Communicate with other staff members regarding the incident.5. Increase supervision to ensure that the bullying is not repeated and does not

escalate.6. Interview those who saw the incident and use the moment as a teaching experience for all involved.7. Impose immediate and appropriate consequences for students who bully others. Let the students who bully know

that you and staff members will be watching them and their friends closely to be sure there is no retaliation. 8. Inform the bully and friends of possible consequences if the bullying does not stop9. Don’t require an apology… unlike conflicts, bullying involves a power imbalance, which means this strategy will

not work. Trying to find a way to work things out, can re-traumatize the student who was bullied and does not generally improve relationships between the students. Instead, encourage the student who bullied to make amends (after follow-up with an adult) that would be meaningful for the child who was bullied. Frequently, just ending the bullying activity is sufficient.

10. Providing follow-up interventions as needed for the students who were bullied or for those who did the bullying. This requires determining what type of situations and levels of severity of bullying incidents occurred and the type of follow-up intervention that will be appropriate. It also involves determination of which adults are most appropriate to do this…outside services may be appropriate.

11. Communicate with parents…Build a team “I need your assistance….”

CYBER-BULLYING…WHAT IS IT????

* Cyber-bullying or online bullying is a term used to refer to bullying over electronic media, usually through instant messaging and e-mail. Other terms for cyber-bullying are electronic bullying, electronic harassment, e-bullying, SMS bullying, mobile bullying, online bullying, digital bullying, or Internet bullying.

* Problem…Fine line…. Freedom of Speech vs. Harassment …Is it impacting learning…Various Court Cases

* Is the Cyber-Bullying happening at school?* Consult Central Office Staff, Police Resource Officer with the

facts

BULLYING…WHAT CAN BE DONE…THE NOTES OF SUCCESS?

1. Established Policies2. School-Wide Programs (Bullying, Harassment, Cyber-Bullying)…Include Sports Teams, Clubs, and Music

Programs & PBIS System (Positive Behavior Intervention Systems.)3. Effective Practice…Creating a Positive & Caring Environment4. Communication with Staff, Parents, and Central Office Staff 5. Principal Must Take an Active Role6. Needs Assessment…Conduct a Student Survey7. Student Needs to Know How to Report Bullying…Must have a Way to Report8. Professional Development for Staff…Continuous9. Enforce Rules and Policies . Intervene Consistently and Appropriately and Ignore No Reports. 10. Know the Hot-Spots in the Building11. Cyber-Bullying…Turn Over to Outside Agencies if Necessary12. Do Not Ignore any Reports…Investigate Everything and Address in a Reasonable Fashion13. Paradigm shift…Everyone (ALL Staff)14. Effective Follow-Through15. Be Proactive, Communicate, and Document, Document, Document...Our Schools are Judged by Our

Actions.16. The creation of a safe and supportive school environment is not a one-time effort or a one-time in-service.

It is a long term ongoing focus of everyone involved in the school…it is a Paradigm Shift.

LAST NOTE: How we label bullying is less important than how we handle it…We need to address situations, respond appropriately and continue to focus on Intervention & Prevention.

REFERENCES & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThis powerpoint was developed using the following the sources listed below with the help of the following individuals: Mark Fridenmaker, Andrew Merritt, Lorri Schellinger, Molly Fischer, Carolyn Redlarczyk, and Belinda Witherow

http://www.nsteens.org/, 9/2010http://www.netsmartz.org/index.aspx, 9/2010 http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.org, 9/2010Indiana Department of EducationDOE Bullying and Cyber-Bullying Website: www.doe.in.gov/isssa/bullying_and_cyber_bullying_101.html?id=111

* Moodle Presentations at DOE Website on Bullying:1.) Bullying in School, Marsha Volk Bugalla, Counsel, Frost Brown Todd (Video & PowerPoint presentation)2.) Cyber-Bullying & Sexting, Thomas E. Wheeler, II, Member, Frost Brown Todd (Video & PowerPoint presentation)

Everyone has the right to be respected and the responsibility to respect others.