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BACKGROUND Broward County addresses bullying prevention ahead of the curve

Studies show that as many as one in five students will experience physical, verbal, or social bullying in school.1 To combat this widespread issue, Broward County Public Schools (BCPS)— the second-largest school district in Florida and the sixth-largest in the nation—has implemented one of the most comprehensive anti-bullying policies in the country.

BCPS adopted Anti-Bullying Policy 5.9 in 2008, the first anti-bullying policy in the state of Florida. It has served as a model for the state’s 66 districts, leading the way in establishing guidelines for identifying and reporting bullying.

“Addressing bullying prevention is hugely important because if students don’t feel safe, then they absolutely can’t succeed academically,” says Aimee C. Wood, MS, LMHC, Prevention Specialist for BCPS.

To help ensure a safe learning environment for BCPS’s 267,970

students, all public school staff— administrators, counselors, cafeteria staff, bus drivers, and other roles, in addition to teachers—must complete annual bullying prevention training. This training is designed to give BCPS employees the “skills, training, and tools needed to create the foundation for preventing, identifying, investigating, and intervening when issues of bullying arise,” as stated in Policy 5.9.2

Districts like BCPS are continuously working to foster a respectful learning

environment that is safe for students and free from discrimination and harassment. Teachers and other school staff play a vital role in promoting a positive school climate and building relationships with students.

C A S E S T U D Y

The sixth-largest school district in the country empowers every school employee to confidently identify and respond to bullying through simulation training.

1 U.S. Department of Education Student Reports of Bullying: Results From the 2017 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey2 Broward County Public Schools Anti-Bullying Policy 5.9

267,970 students

241 campuses

34,000+ employees

1,322 square miles

ABOUT BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

As of 2019

Upgrading Bullying Prevention Training to Better Equip Broward County School Staff

C L I E N TBroward County

Public Schools

M A R K E TK-12

S I M U L AT I O N

Building Respect: Bullying Prevention in Schools

These trainings will work to create a climate within each school and within the District that fosters the safety and respect of children and the belief that adults are there to protect and help them. Additionally, students and staff (including, but not limited to, school-based employees, administrators, area/district personnel, counseling staff, bus drivers) will be given the skills, training, and tools needed to create the foundation for preventing, identifying, investigating, and intervening when issues of bullying arise.

— Anti-Bullying Policy 5.9 2

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CHALLENGEA one-dimensional training for a multi-dimensional issue

In preparation for the 2019-2020 school year, the School Climate & Discipline Department saw an opportunity to improve BCPS’s required anti-bullying training. The online training BCPS had in place for several years consisted of a slide presentation with voiceover. Although this solution was easy to distribute and simple to complete, the issue was just that — it was too simple.

“It wasn’t interactive, and it really didn’t do as good of a job as we would like to ensure that the staff were actively participating in the training environment,” Aimee says.

With a serious topic like bullying, the hope was that all school staff would take the mandatory bullying prevention training seriously. “When parents, school staff, students, and the larger community support anti-bullying education, school and social media environments become safer spaces for children,”

said Nordia Sappleton, Assistant Director of the BCPS School Climate & Discipline Department. Amid busy schedules, it could have been all too easy to rush through the bullying prevention training for the sake of finishing, without absorbing the training content.

BCPS needed a more efficient and effective way to train over 34,000 district staff members across 241 schools in identifying and handling bullying incidents. The School Climate & Discipline Department considered three options:

1) keep the existing training solution,

2) switch to a module within the course management system with a similar learning experience, or

3) employ Kognito’s training program, Building Respect.

Two key factors that the team considered when weighing these options included accessibility and content. The training solution needed to:

1) be available online for efficient distribution to all staff, and

2) ensure compliance with content that aligned with the district’s comprehensive anti-bullying policies.

SOLUTION A self-paced, interactive training

Building Respect: Bullying Prevention in Schools provided a solution that would continue to be easy for school staff to complete at their own pace, on their schedules. Building Respect is Kognito’s interactive role-play simulation experience that prepares educators and school staff to respond whenever bullying is seen, heard, or reported.

A key difference from the previous training is that school staff put learning into action through simulated conversations with virtual students and school colleagues. These virtual humans give realistic responses and allow learners to practice what to say in a comfortable, virtual setting. This hands-on approach includes:

• Role-play scenarios based on real incident reports that:

- address the use of biased language at school,

- how to reach out to a student when they suspect signs of bullying, and

- talking with a colleague to reinforce staff responsibilities in reporting bullying behavior

• Evidence-based conversation techniques proven to shape changes in attitudes and behaviors

• Immediate feedback from a virtual coach on how each conversation was handled, including specific opportunities for improvement

”““When parents, school staff, students,

and the larger community support anti-bullying education, school and social media environments become safer spaces for children.”

-Nordia Sappleton, Assistant Director, School Climate & Discipline Department, Broward County Public Schools

”““[The previous training] wasn’t interactive,

and it really didn’t do as good of a job as we would like to ensure that the staff were actively participating in the training environment,-Aimee C. Wood, MS, LMHC, Prevention Specialist, Broward County Public Schools

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Although both the previous training and Building Respect are compliant with BCPS requirements, the active, engaging learning experience that Building Respect facilitates goes beyond checking the box. Practice through role-playing builds preparedness and confidence in identifying, responding, and reporting bullying that is key to seeing school climate transform.

harassment of students and employees based on sex, race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other categories. BCPS serves a diverse student population representing 204 countries and 191 languages; 12% of BCPS high school students identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, and 3% identify as transgender.3

“Minority groups are always going to need additional supports when it comes to protection, as they hold less power within any community,” Aimee says. “I was very happy that the Kognito course appropriately covers this, and how to interact with those students who may come to staff with an issue of being targeted.”

Addressing protected categories

Aimee said when she and her team took the course, they were impressed by its interactivity and how the content was relevant for addressing the district’s protected categories. One scenario in Building Respect involves a student using biased language against a non-native English speaker. Another involves speaking with a colleague who did not report a bullying incident involving a transgender student. Protected categories, outlined in Policy 5.9, prohibit bullying and

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““Minority groups are always going to need additional supports when it comes to protection, as they hold less power within any community, I was very happy that the Kognito course covers this, and how to interact with those students who may come to them with an issue of being targeted.”

-Aimee C. Wood, MS, LMHC, Prevention Specialist,

Broward County Public Schools

3 Broward County Public Schools Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results 2017

CONVERSATION MENU

VIRTUALCOACH

VIRTUAL STAFF/STUDENT

USER PLAYSVIRTUAL

EDUCATOR

Based on 10,069 responses to “What did you like best about the simulation?”

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Putting simulation training into action

BCPS made Building Respect available online through the district’s existing learning management system (LMS). School principals email their staff to direct them to complete the required bullying prevention training. When school staff log in, they can load Building Respect right on their internet browser, where they are introduced to their virtual coach and guided through the training content.

Once completed, school staff earn a completion certificate that they upload into the LMS to show completion before the specified deadline. After the deadline passes, the School Climate & Discipline Department can access the administrative portal to identify those who do not have a certificate. The Department then email principals to ensure their staff complete the training.

RESULTSStaff feel more prepared and confident to recognize bullying and take appropriate action

BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS USER

SATISFACTION

97% rated the simulation

as good, very good, or excellent

90% would recommend the

simulation to other educators and school staff

SURVEY RESULTS

Based on respondents reporting high or very high preparedness before completing Building Respect vs. after completion.

PLEASE INDICATE YOUR PREPAREDNESS TO: BEFORE KOGNITO

(PRE-SURVEY)AFTER KOGNITO (POST-SURVEY)

Recognize when a student is being bullied 71.6% 93.7%

Talk with a student who is being bullied to motivate them to connect with support services

71.1% 94.1%

Address the use of biased language with the person who used it

64.9% 93.4%

Use conversation skills to help a student feel safe and open up about whether they have been bullied

71.5% 94.1%

Make a plan with a student on how to address the bullying they have been experiencing

60.5% 93.1%

Talk to another teacher about a bullying incident they did not report

59.7% 90.7%

Based on respondents reporting agree or strongly agree on statements about confidence before completing Building Respect vs. after completion.

PLEASE INDICATE HOW MUCH YOU DISAGREE/AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS.

I FEEL CONFIDENT IN MY ABILITY TO:

BEFORE KOGNITO (PRE-SURVEY)

AFTER KOGNITO (POST-SURVEY)

Recognize when a student is being bullied 86.9% 96.7%

Talk with a student who is being bullied to motivate them to connect with support services

86.9% 96.9%

Address the use of biased language with the person who used it

81.5% 96.4%

Develop a community agreement with my students 81.9% 95.7%

Use conversation skills to help a student feel safe and open up about whether they have been bullied

86.0% 96.8%

Talk to another teacher about a bullying incident they did not report

77.4% 94.3%

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BCPS’s goal was for 100% of the over 34,000 school staff to complete the anti-bullying training. At the time of publication, over 17,000 individuals completed the training.

A significant number of school staff who completed the training indicated they felt more prepared and confident in addressing bullying. “The simulation opened my eyes to a better approach towards bullying,” one staff member shared. Survey data made it overwhelmingly clear that staff members felt more prepared to address bullying. But did those feelings of preparedness translate into real action? Two months after the training, BCPS school staff shared their experiences with bullying and how they handled situations differently because of what they learned in the simulations.

Overall, BCPS staff members believe the simulation training will have a positive impact on school climate. Over 95% of respondents believe the school learning environment will become more supportive and classroom safety will improve.

According to Nordia, the simulation conversations in Building Respect are giving teachers and staff knowledge and skills they can use to help prevent bullying in schools.

”

““I would have managed the situation differently prior to this simulation because I would have been less assertive with the other teacher. I will now be able to explain the importance of reporting any type of bullying and where to go to get the student the help they need.”

-Broward County Public School educator

SURVEY RESPONSES: NOW THAT YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE SIMULATION, PLEASE DESCRIBE A SITUATION THAT YOU WOULD HAVE MANAGED DIFFERENTLY.

WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?

“Watching a student being bullied and taking the steps necessary to address the problem, making the target feel safe and confident in the environment where that happened; also making sure the aggressor knows the rules and policies at the school.” “A student made fun of another student for taking a long time to answer. Instead of confronting the aggressor, I could have spoken to her about her word choice, referred to our class promise, and given her a stern warning about future behavior.” “I would have managed the situation differently prior to this simulation because I would have been less assertive with the other teacher. I will now be able to explain the importance of reporting any type of bullying and where to go to get the student the help they need.”

“In the past, I had a student report they were being bullied. Instead of taking the time to listen to all the details, I briefly listened to the scenario and directed the student to fill out a bullying report. After the simulation I would take more time to listen to the student, hear all the details, and assist the student by linking him/her to the appropriate resources.” “I saw that a student in my 1st grade class was being bullied for being overweight. I would now know how to sit down with the child who is being bullied to allow him/her a chance to open up and talk to me so that I may help. I would use neutral open-ended questions and statements to allow for a more productive situation.”

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Additional Resources from Kognito

Case StudyDisrupting the Status Quo of Teacher and Staff Professional DevelopmentAn in-depth look at how implementing Kognito’s professional development simulations allowed Round Rock Independent School District to:

• Satisfy a mandatory Texas suicide prevention training requirement for all new district staff

• Ensure a standardized, evidence-based learning experience that empowers teachers and staff across 55 campuses

• Avoid logistical hassles of face-to-face training with access to instant compliance tracking and reporting online

WhitepaperIntegrating Mental Health Into School SafetyAs more funding becomes available for schools to invest in school safety, many are looking to adopt a comprehensive approach that includes mental health. This whitepaper provides information on:

• The latest evidence on how psychological safety contributes to student success

• How schools play a role in promoting protective factors and positive emotional development for students

• Ways to integrate mental health into a school safety plan, including universal approaches to addressing mental health

• Making the case for funding, evidence-based mental health prevention and early identification

ProductBuilding Respect: Bullying Prevention in SchoolsLearn more about the interactive role-play simulation featured in this case study. Building Respect allows educators to practice conversation techniques to address biased language in the classroom, reach out when they suspect signs of bullying, and reinforce staff responsibilities in reporting bullying behavior.

See a product walkthrough or try a demo on our website.