Strategies to help stop bullying in schools

More than parents and educators care to admit, bullying exists in our schools, big or small. Its effects go beyond the obvious acts of aggression. For the targeted student, bullying can result in anxiety, health concerns and poor school performance. Even students who witness bullying risk an increase in anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse, and unwarranted absenteeism, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The good news is that research also suggests that there are steps to prevent or deter bullying.

Education about what bullying is, followed by frank conversations, is an important first step.

Simply put, bullying is the experience of repeated aggressive acts that result in an imbalance of power of one student over another. It includes verbal, physical or social behaviors that are repeated or have the potential to be. It can occur in the classroom, on the way to and from school and online (cyber-bullying). Unlike other forms that students experience, cyber-bullying can occur any time and from any location using personal technology.

Stopbullying.org, a website managed by Department of Health and Human Services, suggests four steps to help parents prevent bullying:

1. Identify what bullying is so that students recognize the problem and understand that it is unacceptable.

2. Ask about the student’s day, know about important school activities (testing, dances, competitions, etc.) and their progress. These conversations can alert parents about difficulties and let them offer support.

3. Encourage your student’s academic and extracurricular interests. These can lay the foundations for confidence and self-advocacy.

4. Model respect. Children can learn empathy from what they see and experience. If they see differences respected, they will tend to do the same.

Parents and educators now have a variety of resources to help them identify, prevent and respond to bullying.

The Upstanders Program from the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida works in middle schools to provide anti-bullying training. “Once students understand the importance of being Upstanders rather than bystanders, they are provided with the knowledge they need to make their school a place where everyone feels respected and safe,” said Bailey Robb, program coordinator for Upstanders.

“We are in our second year of the Upstanders program and can clearly see how the discussions offer the students hands-on problem solving strategies to use on their own,” said Judy Keith, guidance counselor at St. Margaret Mary Catholic School.

Another online resource designed for parents and students is PACER.org and its National Bullying Prevention Center. An offshoot of an advocacy group for parents of children with physical disabilities, this website offers articles, videos, a forum for discussion, a listing of teen resources and even a book club.

Schools have taken steps to put anti-bullying policies in place. They also offer educational programs featuring school police officers and guidelines on proper use of school technology.

Eliminating bullying from schools is no easy goal, but with awareness and education, the tools exist to provide a healthy environment for students.