Bullying in Schools: Part 2: Preventing Bullying and Anti-Bullying Resources

Posted on April 28, 2016

In our last post, we discussed the signs and symptoms of bullying. Just looking out for the signs, however, is probably not enough to prevent bullying in any school. It is important to assess the prevalence of bullying, engage parents and students, create adequate anti-bullying policies and rules, build a safe environment, and educate students and staff on how to prevent bullying. In today’s post, we’ve put together a few tips and suggestions to bolster the strength of your anti-bullying initiatives so that you can have a greater positive impact on your students.

Assess the Situation: Get the Facts about Bullying in Your School

To better focus your anti-bullying campaign and determine the facts about bullying in your school, conduct an anonymous bullying survey^[1] among students, teachers, and parents. According to the Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds^[1], this will help determine how often bullying occurs, the different types of bullying taking place, and the discrepancies between student experiences with and adult perception of bullying in the school. Your survey should assess what individuals know about the causes of bullying, determine the effects of bullying taking place, and help you get an idea of where most bullying occurs. This way, you can refine your anti-bullying initiatives to accurately target the problem based on the bullying statistics in your school.

Get Everyone Involved in Bullying Solutions

It’s important to make sure administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and students are all aware of and involved with any campaigns to prevent bullying in your school. The campaigns should forge an alliance between all involved in a school to unite them against bullying. Administrators, teachers, staff, and parents are authority figures for students; therefore, they all need to set an example and work with students to reduce the occurrence of bullying in schools. Students are a key part of the bullying solution, though, and they must be encouraged to speak up. “Students can inform adults about what is really going on and also teach adults about new technologies that kids are using to bully,” according to the American Psychological Association’s Bullying Help Center^[2]. The adults involved in your school should be teaching students how to properly report and intervene in bullying situations so everyone can help prevent bullying.

Set Your Ground Rules: This School is a No Bullying Zone

The school rules regarding bullying should be clear, concise, and compliant with state and district anti-bullying policies. Be sure to check with your school district and state policies to make sure that this is the case. Students should be aware that they have a right to a safe learning environment, and a specific code of conduct and mission statement should be established to support this. Ensure teachers and staff members are informed of and educated about these policies and the associated consequences. Set up a simple reporting system^[3] for students to use in the event of experiencing or witnessing bullying, as “[p]eople are more likely to report when it’s easy to do.” According to Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds^[4], it is important to also mandate that “[a]ny school staff[er] who observes, overhears, or otherwise witnesses bullying or harassment, must take immediate appropriate action and report it promptly.”

Create a School-wide Culture that Does Not Condone Bullying

Establish an anti-bullying culture^[5] within the school that supports the policies and rules set in place to stop bullying. This must start at the top. The principal should listen to his/her staff^[6] and reflect on their opinions before making decisions, not “use [their] status as the school leader as the lever for change.” Teachers need to treat students with respect and encouragement to promote respect towards teachers and between students. Teachers may also choose to create classroom rules (that comply with school-wide rules) with their students so that students “set their own climate of respect and responsibility,” giving them a sense of equal authority and understanding amongst each other.

Use the Anti-Bullying Resources Available to You

We’ve given you a few ideas in this post, but there are so many helpful anti-bullying resources out there. The American Psychological Association’s Bullying Center^[7] includes a number of valuable resources, and StopBullying.gov^[8] has extensive ideas regarding how to approach the bullying problem in your school. There is also a great deal of research^[9] and several publications, such as this one^[10], to help spur ideas regarding bullying prevention. The CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention also has a great selection of bullying prevention resources^[11].

What Else Can We Do to Fight Back Against Bullying in Schools?

Overall, it takes a school-wide effort to stop bullying in schools. Everyone needs to get involved and take a stand on the issue. If everyone works together to establish rules, policies, and a culture of anti-bullying, then your school is much more likely to succeed in decreasing the occurrences of bullying. Anti-bullying initiatives need to include people outside the school grounds, including parents and community leaders. Keep an eye out for part 3 of our Bullying in Schools series, where we’ll discuss bullying solutions for situations and locations outside of the school environment.

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[1] “A School’s Role in Preventing Bullying.” Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds. Retrieved from http://oeo.wa.gov/education-issues-topics/bullying-harassment-and-intimidation/a-schools-role-in-preventing-bullying/ on April 21, 2016.

[2] “Bullying.” American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/bullying.aspx on April 21, 2016.

[3] “Establish a Reporting System.” StopBullying.gov. Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/at-school/rules/index.html#Establish a Reporting System on April 21, 2016.

[4] “A School’s Role in Preventing Bullying.” Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds. Retrieved from http://oeo.wa.gov/education-issues-topics/bullying-harassment-and-intimidation/a-schools-role-in-preventing-bullying/ on April 21, 2016.

[5] “Build a Safe Environment.” StopBullying.gov. Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/at-school/build-safe-environment/index.html on April 21, 2016.

[6] O’Brien, Anne. “Bullying Prevention: 5 Tips for Teachers, Principals, and Parents.” Edutopia.org. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/bullying-prevention-tips-teachers-parents-anne-obrien on April 21, 2016.

[7] “Bullying.” American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/bullying.aspx on April 21, 2016.

[8] StopBullying.gov. Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/index.html

[9] “Bullying: What We Know Based on 40 Years of Research.” American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2015/05/bullying-research.aspx on April 21, 2016.

[10] Bradshaw, Catherine P. “Translating Research to Practice in Bullying Prevention.” American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0039114.pdf on April 21, 2016.

[11] “Featured Topic: Bullying Research.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/bullyingresearch/ on April 21, 2016.