The Down-low on Bullying

A Quick Overview of Bullying

By Kelsie Cardio

Bullying vs. Harassment What is bullying?

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

The Roles in Bullying Not limited to those who are bullied and those

who bully

Researchers refer to the “Circle of bullying”

-Kids who bully: the aggressor -Kids who are bullied: the target -Kids who assist: encourage the bullying

behavior and occasionally join in-Kids who reinforce: provide an audience by

laughing and supporting-Kids who defend: comfort or come to child’s

defense-Bystanders: neither reinforce nor defend

Types of Bullying Verbal bullying: saying or writing mean things

-Includes teasing, name-calling, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, & threatening to cause harm

Social bullying: hurting someone’s reputation or relationship(s)

-Includes spreading rumors, excluding, telling others not to be friends with someone, & embarrassing someone in public

Physical bullying: hurting one’s body or possessions -Includes hitting, kicking, pinching, spitting, tripping,

pushing, & taking or breaking someone’s things

Cyberbullying: takes place using electronic technology-Includes mean text messages or emails, rumors

sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles

Children at Risk of Being Bullied Are perceived as different from peers, such as being

overweight or underweight, wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or being unable to afford what kids consider “cool”

Are perceived as weak or unable to defend themselves

Are depressed, anxious, or have low self esteem Are less popular than others and have few friends Do not get along well with others, seen as annoying

or provoking, or antagonize others for attention

*However, even if a child has these risk factors, it doesn’t mean that they will be bullied.

Signs & Symptoms of Bullying Unexplainable injuries Lost or destroyed personal items Frequent headaches or stomach aches Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or

binge eating Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not

wanting to go to school Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations Feelings of helplessness or decreased self esteem Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from

home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide

How is bullying handled

at Hillsboro? If a teacher or parent suspects

bullying, they should report it Any reported act of bullying goes under

Investigation and is followed up by Administration

Administration gathers evidence by checking video footage and gathering statements from students

During Investigation, Administration attempts to take the focus off the victim to help

eliminate acts of retaliation

Bullying at Hillsboro, cont.d Administration tackles allegations from an

unbiased perspective by evaluating both sides

If Administration rules the incidents as bullying, it is then determined what type of bullying is being implemented

Consequences are determined based off severity and whether incident was a repeated offense, but can include out-of-school suspension and even expulsion

As of now, no repeat offenses have been reported at Hillsboro.

An interesting statistic…

Statistics from the 2012 Indicators of School Crime and Safety show that an adult was notified in less than half (40%) of bullying incidents

So, why don’t kids ask for help?

Kids don’t tell adults for many reasons…

Why Kids Don’t Ask for Help Feel helpless- Kids may want to handle it on their own to

feel in control again. They may fear being seen as weak or a “tattletale”.

Fear of backlash- may fear retaliation from the kid who bullied them.

Embarrassment- Bullying can be a humiliating experience. Kids may not want adults to know what is being said about them, whether true or false. They may also fear that adults will judge them or punish them for being weak.

Feel misunderstood- Kids who are bullied may already feel socially isolated. They may feel like no one cares or could understand.

Rejection- Kids may fear being rejected by their peers. Friends can help protect kids from bullying, and kids can fear losing this support.

What can you do as a parent?

TALK TO YOUR KIDS! Keep the lines of communication constantly open:

Check in with them and listen to their concerns. Encourage them to do what they love: Special

activities, interests, and hobbies can boost confidence, help kids make friends, and protect them from bullying behavior.

Help kids understand bullying: Kids who know what bullying is can better identify it. They can talk about bullying if it happens to them or others. Kids need to know ways to safely stand up to bullying and how to get help.

Reference:

http://www.stopbullying.gov