What is it?

Key components

Aggressive: Intent to harm Imbalance of power

Social standingPeer supportPhysical

Pattern / recurrence

Is there an “epidemic of kids being ‘bullied to death’”?

• Suicide rates among youth have been falling significantly and steadily since 1995.

Is there an “epidemic of kids being ‘bullied to death’”?

• Simplistic, single-factor explanations of suicide are rarely accurate.

Most “bullying” in our school system is relational / social.

Roles

• Bully• Bullied (victim)• Bystander (peers & adults)• Bully/victim

Bystander behavior

– Does nothing to help (watch or walk away)– Does something active to contribute to

bullying– Does nothing on scene but takes some action

later– Does something on scene to stop bullying or

help victim

Generally

• Peaks in middle school / junior high.• In high school, starts to look less like

bullying and more like harassment (sexual, ethnic, religious)

Victims

“It is not politically correct to suggest that some children have physical and personality characteristics that place them at risk for victimization, but it is true.” (Swearer, et al.)

Victims are selected and this selection is often “a judgment (based on) a real understanding of the victim’s weakness and how the child is perceived by classmates.”

By the way…

• Teacher attachment in 5th grade was a strong predictor of lower levels of bullying for students in the 6th grade.

Best Practices

• Assess and address school climate• Assess bullying/victimization• Train all staff: Recognizing and reporting• Create anti-bullying team– Staff, parents, students

Best Practices

• Develop and disseminate clear rules and consequences

• Increase adult supervision• Provide individual assistance• Allow class time to focus on social/emotional

learning• REPORT BULLYING AND HARASSMENT