Bullying

1
Bullying Harassment Policy
Santa Rosa County School District Conni L.
Carnley Director of Middle Schools
2
Policy Background

• Florida Statute 1006.147 (2008)
• The Jeffrey Johnson Stand Up for All Students
  Act
• Required a Stand-Alone Policy

3
Definition (SBP 5.321)

• Bullying means systematically and chronically
  inflicting physical hurt or psychological
  distress on one or more students or employees.
  The behavior is severe or pervasive enough to
  create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive
  educational environment cause discomfort or
  humiliation or unreasonably interfere with the
  individuals school performance or participation.

4
Definition (SBP 5.321)

• Harassment means any threatening, insulting or
  dehumanizing gesture, use of data or computer
  software, or written, verbal, or physical conduct
  directed against a student or school employee
  that
• Places a student or school employee in reasonable
  fear of harm to his/her person or damage to
  his/her property.
• Has the effect of substantially interfering with
  a students educational performance,
  opportunities, or benefit or
• Has the effect of substantially disrupting the
  orderly operation of a school.

5
What is the difference between bullying and
harassment?
There really is no difference harassment is a
type of bullying. Many bullying behaviors have
names that adults recognize as crimes extortion,
assault, slander, libel, etc
6
Types of Bullying

• Direct Bullying
• Physical violence (Hitting, kicking, shoving,
  spitting)
• Taunting, teasing, racial slurs, put-downs, name
  calling, verbal harassment
• Threatening, obscene gestures
• Extortion or stealing money and/or possessions

7
Types of Bullying

• Indirect Bullying
• Getting another person to bully for you
• Spreading rumors
• Deliberately excluding someone from a group or
  activity
• Cyber-bullying

8
Disability Harassment

• Definition
• Intimidation or abusive behavior toward a student
  based on disability
• A disability includes but is not limited to
  intellectual disability, physical disability,
  learning difficulty, health related disability,
  physical characteristics, mental or psychiatric
  disability.
• Including but not limited to a student with an
  IEP or 504.

9
Bullying and Harassment also encompass

• Retaliation against a student or school employee
  by another student or school employee for
  asserting or alleging an act of bullying or
  harassment.
• Especially in cases with regard to actions
  involving a protected activity.
• Protected Activity is
• Opposition to a practice believed to be unlawful
  discrimination
• If an employee, parent or student makes a
  harassment complaint the governing body can not
  retaliate in response.

10
Gender Differences

• Most studies find that boys bully more than girls
• Boys report being bullied by boys girls report
  being bullied by boys and girls.
• Boys are more likely than girls to be physically
  bullied by their peers.
• Girls are more likely to be bullied through
  rumor-spreading, sexual comments, social
  exclusion, embarrassment

11
Demographic Characteristics

• Children who bully
• Can come from any economic, cultural, or
  religious background
• Often in late elementary or middle school

12
Conditions Surrounding Bullying

• Children are usually bullied by one child or a
  small group
• Common locations playground, classroom, lunch
  room, halls, bathrooms
• Bullying is more common at school than on the way
  to/from school
• Children who are bullied often stand out as
  different in some way due to their appearance
  (weight, size, clothes, disability), sexual
  orientation, intellect, socio-economic
  background, or cultural or religious background.

13
Children Who Bully

• Want power
• Have a positive attitude toward violence
• Have quick tempers
• Have difficulty conforming to rules
• Gain satisfaction from inflicting injury and
  perceive rewards (prestige, material goods)
  from their behavior
• Have positive self images.
• Lack empathy
• .

14
Signs That a Child is Being Bullied

• Emotional Signs
• Withdrawal and/or shyness
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Aggression

15
Signs That a Child is Being Bullied

• Physical Signs
• Cuts, bruises, scratches
• Headaches, stomach aches
• Damaged possessions
• Missing possessions that need to be replaced

16
Health Consequences of Bullying (Fekkes et al.,
2003)
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Signs That a Child is Being Bullied

• Behavioral/Social Signs
• Changes in eating or sleeping habits (nightmares)
• No longer wanting to participate in activities
  once enjoyed
• Beginning to bully siblings or mistreat family
  pets
• Hurting self, attempting or threatening suicide
• Suddenly changing friends

18
Signs That a Child is Being Bullied

• Academic Signs
• Not wanting to go to school
• Changing method of going to school
• Drop in grades
• Increased absenteeism

19
Bully / Victims

• Common Characteristics of Bully/ Victims
• Hyperactivity, have difficulty concentrating
• Quick tempered, try to fight back if provoked
• May be bullied by many children
• Try to bully younger, weaker children

20
Bully / Victims

• Display the social-emotional problems of
  victimized children AND behavioral problems of
  children who bully (Nansel et al., 2003)
• Poor relationships with classmates
• Lonely
• Poorer academic achievement
• Higher rates of smoking and alcohol use
• More frequent fighting

21
Negative Impact of Witnessing Bullying

• More than 50 of teens (12 17) witness at least
  one bullying or taunting incident in school each
  week (NCPC, 20)
• Students in grades 7 12 say revenge is the
  strongest motivation for school shootings 86
  said, other kids picking on them, making fun of
  them, or bullying them can cause teenagers to
  turn to lethal violence in schools (Cerio, 2001)

22
 Reporting of Bullying to School Staff

• Many do not report being bullied
• Older children and boys are less likely to report
  victimization
• Why dont students report?
• 2/3 of the victims felt that teachers/administrati
  on responded poorly
• 6 believed that the teachers/administration
  responded very well (Hover et al., 1992)

23
What works in bullying prevention?

• What is required to reduce bullying in schools is
  nothing less than a change in the school climate
  and in norms for behavior.
• This requires a comprehensive, school-wide effort
  involving the entire school community.

24
Bullying Prevention

• Teachers, Counselors, Administrators
• Ensure that students understand the definition of
  bullying behaviors and effects.
• Work with students to create school rules against
  bullying
• Post the rules in a visible place
• Have students sign the rules or contract against
  bullying

25
Furthering Bullying Prevention

• Help students develop positive social skills
• Provide supervision for students at all times
  (unstructured environments)
• Instruct students on how to report bullying or
  harassing behavior.
• Take immediate action when bullying is witnessed
  or reported.

26
Reported Bullying

• Bullying / Harassment may be reported by the
  following in person or anonymously
• The victim of bullying/ harassment behavior
• Anyone who witnessed the bullying/harassment
• Anyone who has credible information that an act
  of bullying/ harassment has taken place

• Procedures for reporting an act of
  bullying/harassment are to be publicized and
  indicate that a report may be filed in person or
  anonymously and how the report will be followed
  up on.

27
Methods for Investigation

• Report the incident to administration
• Have separate conversations with the child who is
  bullied and the child who did the bullying.
• Speak first with the child who is bullied
• Interview witnesses as necessary from both sides.

28
Methods for Investigation

• Speak with the parents of the students directly
  involved. Parents of both students involved must
  be contacted within 24 hours of the school
  initiating the investigation.
• Impose consequences for the bullying child
• In accordance with the Student Code of Conduct
• Law enforcement is to be notified as necessary.
• Inform the parents/guardians of both parties the
  result of the investigation and action taken
  including efforts to prevent recurrence.

29
Methods for Investigation

• Refer incident and both students to the
  Integrated Services Team for further follow-up
  (school based counseling referral, etc.)
• Maintain all documentation for reporting. All
  communications with parent/guardians must be
  applicable to FERPA provisions. (See Policy 5.321
  section VI-VII)
• A disciplinary Referral coded as Bullying
  requires an incident report to be generated for
  reporting to the state.

30
Further implications

• All reports of bullying and harassment are to be
  investigated as outlined by
• School Board Policy 5.321 (Bullying and
  Harassment Policy
• School Board Policy 2.70 (Prohibiting
  Discrimination, Including Sexual and Other Forms
  of Harassment)
• Student Code of Conduct

31

• References
• Bullying Whats New and What To Do. National
  Crime Prevention Council 2006.
  lthttp//www.ncpc.orggt.
• Whiteman, Donna. Addressing Bullying in
  Schools.

32

• References
• Bullying Whats New and What To Do. National
  Crime Prevention Council 2006.
  lthttp//www.ncpc.orggt.
• Whiteman, Donna. Addressing Bullying in
  Schools. Kansas Anti-Bullying Character
  Development Legislation, 2008.
• Bullying Among Children Youth. Health
  Resources and Services Administration. 2005.
  lthttp//www.hrsa.gov