1. A Comprehensive Approach to
Preventing School Bullying
Presented by:
Robert S. Salem, BA, JD
(robert.salem@utoledo.edu)
Susan K. Telljohann, HSD, CHES
(stelljo@utnet.utoledo.edu)
2. The objectives of the session are to:
Describe the prevalence and consequences of
school bullying.
Describe why it is important for schools to
create a comprehensive bullying prevention
program.
Explain how the law guides bullying policies
and practice in schools.
Explain the purpose of having an inclusive
anti-bullying policy.
Describe the components of a comprehensive
bullying prevention program that represent
best practices in bullying prevention and
intervention.
3. School Bullying Definition
Regarding students, numerous definitions of
“bullying” exist throughout the literature,
however the most common definition states:
“A student is being bullied or victimized when he
or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to
negative actions on the part of one or more other
students”. 2
It is intentional.
There is a differentiation in power.
4. Types of School Bullying
Physical Bullying
o Hitting
o Kicking
o Pushing
o Hair Pulling
o Etc.
5. Types of School Bullying
Verbal Bullying
o Name Calling
o Teasing
o Etc.
6. Types of School Bullying
Indirect Bullying
o Rumor
Spreading
o Social Isolation
o Etc.
7. Types of School Bullying
Cyber Bullying
o Harass via e-mail
o Text Messaging
o Creating Hurtful
Web Pages
8. Increased Focus on Bullying
There has been much media attention related to
school shootings. This attention shed light on the
fact that some of the perpetrators were bullied
students.
Secret Service Report found that, of 37 school
shootings, almost ¾’s involved attackers who
“felt persecuted, bullied, threatened, attacked,
or injured by others prior to the incident”. 1
Furthermore, “a number of the attackers had
experienced bullying and harassment that was
longstanding and severe.” 1
10. Bullying behavior is also associated with:
Lack of Social Acceptance (v)
Difficulty Making Friends (v)
Absenteeism (v)
Poorer Scholastic Achievement (b)
Poor School Bonding (b/v)
Spending a Lot of Time Alone (v)
Being Less Popular (v)
Starting to Date Earlier (b)
Being Physically and Socially Aggressive
Towards Dating Partner (b)
Why is school bullying a problem?
11. School Bullying Prevalence
Bullying prevalence estimates range
from 10% to 40% depending on the
frequency of the victimization.
Bullying occurs on school
playgrounds once every 7 seconds. 3
12. Targeted School Bullying
Children who are rejected, teased, bullied or
suffer other abuse because of their weight
are two to three times more likely to have
suicidal thoughts and suffer other health
issues, such as high blood pressure and
eating disorders. 4
According to one researcher, the quality of
life for obese kids who are victims of taunting
and physical bullying is comparable to that of
kids who have cancer. 4
13. Targeted School Bullying
One study reported that 45% of gay and
20% of lesbian youth were victims of
verbal and/or physical assaults in
secondary schools because of their sexual
orientation. 5
The 2005 GLSEN survey found that one-
third of teens report that students in their
school are frequently harassed because
they are or are perceived as being lesbian,
gay or bisexual. 6
15. The Law Does Not Protect
Children From Bullying
Title IX of the Education Amendments of
1972
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Equal Protection and Due Process (§ 1983)
§ 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Americans with Disabilities Act
State Tort Claims
16. Case Examples
Davis vs. Monroe County Board of Education
K.M. vs. Hyde Park Central School District
Werth vs. Board of Directors
Nabozny vs. Podlesny
Patterson vs. Hudson Area Schools
Theno vs. Tonganoxie Unified School District
17. The Law Does Not Provide
Enough Guidance to Schools
Federal law does not establish clear anti-
bullying mandates.
Ohio state law does not go far enough.
18. Watch Out For……….
Cyber Bullying
Indirect Bullying
GLBT Youth (and those perceived to be
GLBT)
Multiple bullies of the most vulnerable
children
19. How Can Schools Protect Children
and Reduce Risk of Liability?
Get Buy-In From Students, Faculty, Staff,
Parents, and Community
Assess and Work on School Climate
Offer Regular and Meaningful Trainings
Comprehensive Policies
20. Comprehensive Bullying Prevention Policies
Should Address the Following Issues:
Define Bullying (be very inclusive)
State Clear Consequences
Indicate How The Policy Will Be
Communicated To Staff, Parents, and
Students
Facilitate The Complaint Procedures
21. Comprehensive Bullying Prevention Policies
Should Address the Following Issues:
Require That Training Occur
Encourage Staff To Report And Intervene
Address School Climate
Prohibit All Bullying And Enumerate Groups
That Are Disproportionately Victimized
22. Enumeration Protects Children
and Schools
Improves Student Morale and Achievement
Statistically Proven to Reduce Bullying
Enumeration Is Endorsed By:
The National Education Association
The National PTA
The American Association of School
Administrators
The National Association of Secondary
Principals
24. 1. Focus on the social environment of
the school
It is important to change the climate of the school
and the social norms with regard to bullying.
Promote the message that by-standers who
take action to stop bullying are brave.
Create screen savers with anti-bullying
messages.
Post school rules/policy regarding bullying.
Have articles about bullying in school
newsletters and newspapers.
25. 2. Assess bullying at your school
A survey for students should focus on:
amount of bullying that students experience
the types of bullying that are most common
the “hot spots” where bullying happens
responses to bullying
Teachers, staff, administrators, and parents could
also be surveyed to gain additional insights. (e.g.,
compare adult perceptions with those of the
students).
Problems with some surveys
FREE Bullying Evaluation Survey Tool
(developed by Dake & Telljohann)
26. 3. Obtain staff and parent buy-in and
support for bullying prevention.
Having administrative buy-in is critical
Report the results of the survey to school
staff and parents
Staff meeting
Parent newsletter
27. 4. Form a group to coordinate the
school's bullying prevention
activities.
The group should have representatives from
multiple groups (e.g. administrators,
teachers, staff, students, parents)
28. 5. Provide training for school staff in
bullying prevention.
The training should focus on the following
key points:
Results of the bullying survey
The nature of bullying and its effects
How to recognize when bullying is occurring
How to respond if bullying is observed
How to work with others at the school to help
prevent bullying
29. 6. Establish and enforce school rules
and policies related to bullying
30. 7. Increase adult supervision in "hot
spots" for bullying.
Hot spots would be identified through the
bullying assessment
Teachers should be in the hallway between
classes.
Locker room supervision is key.
Resource officers can help
32. 9. Devote some class time to
bullying prevention
Model desired attitudes and behaviors
With input from students, establish classroom
rules and consequences regarding bullying
consistent with school policy
Keep students engaged so they are less likely
to participate in undesirable behaviors
Emphasizing to students the importance of
asking for help and reporting bullying
Incorporate bullying topics into related
instruction (e.g. courage, fairness, justice,
citizenship, etc.)
33. 10. Continue efforts. There should
be no "end date" for bullying
prevention activities.
Assessing students periodically will help
determine if prevention efforts are working.
34. Practice Scenarios
Read the scenario on the next slide. Refer to
the handouts, “How to Intervene to Stop
Bullying: Tips for On-the-Spot Intervention at
School” and “Providing Support to Children
Who are Bullied: Tips for School Personnel
and Other Adults”.
Work with a partner to decide what steps you
would take to handle the situation.
35. Scenario #1
You are in the hallway between classes
when you hear 3 boys call Jared a fag
and a queer. Other teachers have told
you that Jared has been harassed in the
past. What steps should you take?
Think about the 3 boys, Jared and the
bystanders.
36. Scenario #2
At the beginning of the school year, Sara
was always a happy student who got along
well with her classmates. Over the past
month, however, you notice that Sara
seems sad and does not interact with other
students. After class one day, you ask Sara
if everything is OK. She tells you that her
“friends” are not hanging out with her
anymore and that they are spreading hurtful
rumors about her. What should you do?
38. References
1. U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center. The
Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative:
Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United
States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Secret Service and U.S.
Department of Education; 2002.
2. Olweus, D. (1994). Annotation: bullying at school: basic facts and
effects of a school based intervention program. Journal of Child
Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 35, 1171-1190.
3. Craig and Pepler, et. al., School Psychology International, Feb.
2000.
4. Puhl and Latner, (2007). Stigma, Obesity, and the Health of the
Nation’s Children, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 133.
5. Kourany, R. (1987). Suicide among homosexual adolescents.
Journal of Homosexuality, 13: 111-117.
6. GLSEN, From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America,
2005.
