October is National Bullying Prevention Month. This is a campaign that was started in 2006, by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. The idea behind the campaign is to raise awareness about bullying and educate people about ways to prevent bullying. Your children’s schools may devote some time this month or throughout the school year to one of the many bullying prevention programs. Unfortunately, the success rate of these programs is not outstanding.
Overall, it appears that there is only a reduction of 18-19% in actual bullying in schools that have anti-bullying programs. However, some programs claim as high as a 70% reduction in bullying. On the other hand, there is a study that shows schools that make peer intervention a large part of their bullying program may actually have an increase in bullying and make worse outcomes for those being bullied. This is because when students step in to stop bullying, it may make the victim feel powerless in handling the bullying and make them seem even weaker to the bully.
The Definition of Bullying
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2015), bullying is “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance,” and is repeated over a period of time. Using power to bully may include physical strength, or ridiculing others with intent to control or harm them. And, as we all know, there is a new form of bullying–cyberbullying. This includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.
Bullying Is Not a New Problem
Bullying has been around for centuries, from biblical times to the present, and it is seen in such literature as Lord of the Flies—which is required reading in many schools. Nevertheless, before the 1980s, bullying was not considered a serious problem but often part of the rites of passage for children. However, this changed in the 1990s, after a string of massacres in schools and the media focus on relating these events to bullying. The unfortunate news is that school bullying behaviors seem to be increasing—possibly due to the recent advent of cyberbullying.
Bullying Statistics
Bullying statistics vary based on who is doing the research. Nevertheless, the picture is not pretty about bullying in schools. According to fairly recent statistics from PACER’s National Bullying Center, as many as one in five school children report being bullied. And of this group, more girls than boys are bullied at school. Worst of all, 41% of those who were bullied think it would happen again. It is reassuring to note that 46% of those bullied have notified an adult at school about being bullied.
The statistics about cyberbullying show a high number of students are bullied online. The most likely place is on YouTube, followed by Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook, in that order. According to some bullying statistics, as high as 42% of students report being bullied online, and 35% say they have been threatened online.
The Legal Responsibility of Schools
Due to public awareness of the dangers of bullying, the states have enacted laws about how school districts should address incidents of both bullying and cyberbullying. However, these laws vary from state to state. The school districts can work with state agencies to ensure they have up-to-date policies. Also, school districts are required by law to submit data on bullying to the U.S. Department of Education, so it can be included in Civil Rights Data Collection surveys. Besides the legal obligations school districts have in decreasing bullying, failing to do so interferes greatly with student learning.
How Parents Can Handle Bullying
- Know the signs of whether your child is being bullied or is a bully. (visit stopbullying.gov)
- Be aware that children do not tell parents about bullying or ask for help for many reasons.
- Be aware of the bullying policies at your children’s schools.
- Keep the lines of communication open with your children by talking with them every day about their experiences at school.
- Teach your children from a young age how to be kind to others, share, and empathize.
- Teach them how to handle situations when someone is being mean to them.
- Stress the importance of letting the school know about incidents of bullying–even anonymously.
- Be sure to talk to them about appropriate behavior before they start interacting with others online and digitally.
- Cyberbullying can largely be eliminated by removing social media accounts as well as reporting incidents to the online sites.
- If bullying your children persists at school or cyberbullying as well, contact the appropriate school personnel.
- If the school cannot resolve a bullying situation, it can be necessary to consult an attorney.
- In extreme school bullying situations, it can be best to remove children from that school.
Parents should send questions and comments to dearteacher@dearteacher.com. To learn more about helping children succeed in school, visit the Dear Teacher website.
©Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2023