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Bullying
What is Bullying?
Bullying is usually defined as intentional, repeated, hurtful acts, words, or other behavior committed by one or more children against another. It may be physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual in nature, and unfortunately it is quite common - approximately 7 million bullying incidents take place in our nation's schools each year.
Bullying victims can suffer far more than physical harm. Grades may suffer because attention is drawn away from learning, and this fear may lead to truancy or dropping out. Victims may become withdrawn and depressed, and if the problem persists, they may feel compelled to take drastic measures, such as fighting back, carrying a weapon, or even suicide.
Bullies themselves are also at risk for long-term negative outcomes. Several studies suggest that bullying in early childhood may be an early sign of the development of violent tendencies, delinquency, and other criminal behavior.
Educators, parents, and children concerned with violence prevention must also be concerned with bullying and its link to other violent behaviors.
Strategies for Students
Students may not know what to do when they observe a classmate being bullied or experience such victimization themselves. Depending on the situation and their own level of comfort, students can:
- Seek immediate help from an adult;
- Offer support to the victim, when they see him/her being bullied with words, through other acts of kindness or condolence (for example, picking up the victim's books and handing them to him or her);
- Express disapproval of bullying behavior by not joining in the laughter, teasing, or spreading of rumors or gossip; and
- Attempt to defuse problem situations either single-handedly or in a group, for example, by taking the bully aside and asking him/her to "cool it."
Strategies for Parents
The following suggestions are offered to help parents identify appropriate responses to conflict experienced by their children at school:
- Be careful not to convey to a child who is being victimized that something is wrong with him/her or that he/she deserves such treatment. Convince your child that he or she is not at fault and that the bully's behavior is the source of the problem;
- Offer support to your child but do not encourage dependence on you. Rescuing your child from challenges when things are not going well does not teach your child independence. The more choices a child has to make, the more he or she develops independence, and independence can contribute to self-confidence;
- Help your child to develop new or bolster existing friendships. Friends often serve as buffers to bullying;
- Do not encourage your child to be aggressive or to strike back. Rather, teach your child to be assertive. A child who does not respond as the bully desires is not likely to be chosen as a victim;
- Work with your child's school to address the problem. School personnel may be able to offer some practical advice to help you and your child. Keep records of incidents so that you can be specific in your discussions with school personnel about your child's experiences at school;
- While it may help to talk with the bully or his/her parents, be careful in your approach. Speaking directly to the bully may signal to the bully that your child is weak. Parents of bullies may fail to see anything wrong with bullying, equating it to "standing up for oneself."
- If the problem persists or escalates, you may need to seek an attorney's help or contact local law enforcement officials.
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School Safety
Promoting safe and healthy environments in which children can learn and develop is a universal goal. Fortunately, most schools offer such an environment. At some schools, however, there are problems of crime and violence, and in some cases these problems are severe. School crime and violence put teachers and children in danger, which undermines their ability to teach and to learn.
However, contrary to public perception, crime and violence in our schools continues to decline. Since 1992, rates of serious crime, including violent crime, have steadily declined in our schools, and the number of non-fatal crimes in schools is down by more than 21 percent. The number of students who reported carrying a weapon to school decreased by 25 percent between 1993-1997. And for students aged 12 to 18, overall school crime, including theft, rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault, decreased by nearly a third between 1992 and 1998. During this same period, there was also a significant decrease in students who reported being involved in a physical fight on school property. (The 2000 Annual Report on School Safety)
Unfortunately, while students are less likely to be victims of violent crimes at school than away from school, many still feel unsafe in school.
A Comprehensive Approach
Many communities have been successful in reducing school violence through an integrated, comprehensive approach that involves everyone - schools, students, parents, mental health providers, law enforcement, faith-based and youth-serving organizations, business leaders, and other local partners. A safe school is the result of careful planning, research, and a thorough understanding of the school's environment, and community support is critical to its success.
What Students Can Do
Students have an important role to play in ensuring that their schools are safe and orderly. They can take steps to help make their schools places where learning can take place without disruption.
For example, they can:
- Participate in the development of school safety planning through student government organizations and advisory committees;
- Become involved in programs such as peer mediation, conflict resolution, peer assistance leadership, teen courts, or anger management;
- Report weapon possession, drug use or sale, bullying or intimidation, gang activity, or vandalism to school authorities and parents;
- Work with teachers, principals, and other students in developing community service programs;
- Encourage their parents to come to the school and be involved in activities that support the school;
- Serve as a big brother/big sister, tutor, or mentor for a younger student.
What Parents Can Do
Without the active support and participation of parents, schools and communities cannot be safe. Parents must be part of a school's effort to create a safe and orderly learning environment. Some of the actions parents can take to assist schools are:
- Set standards of behavior, limits, and clear expectations for children both in and out of school;
- Be involved in their children's school life by reviewing homework, meeting their teachers, and attending school functions such as parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, class programs, open houses, plays, concerts, and sporting events;
- Build a network of other adults with whom they can talk about school safety issues and alcohol and drug use;
- Join a community association to ensure that issues related to alcohol, drugs, and violence are made part of the organization's agenda and that community groups work together to create a safe school corridor by supervising walking routes to and from school;
- Talk to their children about the consequences of drug use and violence;
- Work with the school to develop a comprehensive safe school plan;
- Encourage their children to participate in school-sponsored, after-class activities.
Gang Prevention
The Problem
Although there is no consensus as to what constitutes a youth gang, most definitions include common elements, such as organizational characteristics, symbols, and participation in criminal activities. They may claim a common allegiance or a specific geographic area.
The incidence of gang activity in schools has been reported more frequently in recent years, reflecting the growth of youth gangs seen over the last two decades. Generally, gangs are more likely to be reported in urban schools than in suburban schools, and in public schools rather than private schools. A majority of students report that the gangs that they see in schools are involved in delinquent behavior and criminal activity.
Risk Factors
Youth who join gangs do so for a variety of different reasons. Association with delinquent peers is one of the strongest predictors of gang membership. Individual factors also include early antisocial behavior, alienation, and rebelliousness. Research indicates that youth involved in gangs are less committed to school and education, and frequently lack caring family environments. Community factors such as poverty and low employment also play a role.
Tips for Parents
Youth gang involvement is preventable:
- Become aware of gang warning signs, such as graffiti, tattoos, unusual symbols, and language;
- Set firm guidelines and clear expectations for your child;
- Get to know your child's friends and acquaintances;
- Help your child to develop a strong sense of self-esteem;
- Report gang-related activity to the proper authorities and to the parents whose children may be involved;
- Look for any suspicious changes in behavior, such as truancy or carrying a weapon;
- Stress the importance of education;
- Become involved in community responses to gang activity;
- Help to develop positive alternatives, such as after-school and weekend activities.
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