Sidebar 3:

Tips for Schools

1. Use student surveys to determine current situation with bullying and use subsequent surveys to evaluate efforts to reduce bullying.
2. Evaluate the physical environment of the school and attempt to eliminate potentially unsafe areas such as dark stairwells or place monitors in previously unsupervised courtyards.
3. Create a long-term anti-bullying plan and raise school and community awareness and involvement.
4. Define what behaviors are considered bullying and harassment and what the consequences are for bulling and post these throughout the school and in all school buses. Distribute written policies in student manuals and to parents.
5. Meet with all school employees regarding policies on bullying and harassment. Discuss the school’s policy on intervening in a physical altercation between students and make sure they are prepared to follow your policy. Be sure to investigate what the laws are in your state regarding intervening. Some states, like New Jersey, hold school employees harmless for any injuries to youth that occur during attempts to separate students. Other states have no such statutory protection.
6. Establish relationships with local law enforcement agencies so you know what activities involving your students outside of school may threaten the safety of your students in school.
7. Explore establishing a mediation program with your community’s local bar association that can step in, when needed, keep the lines of communication open between parents and students. The more information you have, the better able you will be to arrive at the best solutions.
8. Take all reports of bullying seriously. Validate the fears and concerns of the child who has been bullied and take proactive steps to prevent future victimization. If a pattern of on-going bullying is present, meet with the child’s parents, school counselors, and teachers to discuss possible solutions.

Tips for Parents

1. Encourage your child to talk to you about any bullying or harassment he may be experiencing at school.
2. Praise and encourage your child. A self-confident child is less likely to be bullied.
3. Help your child develop new friendships.
4. Maintain contact with your child’s school. Keep a detailed record of bullying incidents and communication with the school. If you feel that your reports are not being acted upon, start moving up the chain of command. If you’re dealing with an assistant principal, move up to the principal, then the school’s superintendent, then the school board.
5. Encourage your child to participate in school clubs or athletics to widen his or her exposure to new friends and support systems, as well as to help build his or her self-esteem.

For Students

1. Always report incidents of bullying in which you feel physically or emotionally threatened.
2. Tell a trusted teacher, counselor, principal, or have your parents talk to the school.
3. Do not retaliate against those who bully you.
4. Respond evenly and firmly or say nothing and walk away to the nearest adult.
5. Develop friendships with others in school and stick together.
6. Act confident.
7. Take a different route to and from school if you are being bullied on your way to or from school. If being bullied on the bus, make sure your driver is aware of the problems, and attempt to always sit near the front of the bus within clear view of the driver.
8. Avoid unsupervised areas of school.

These tips were prepared with assistance from Consortium Members of the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence and from the Colorado Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence

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