Dear Teachers Q & A

What Parents Need to Know About Bullying

Parents: This month 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 rates of these programs are 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, one study indicates that schools that make peer intervention a large part of their bullying program may actually see an increase in bullying and make for worse outcomes for those being bullied. This is because when peers step in to stop bullying, it may make the victim feel powerless in handling the bully and make the victim 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 ridicule with intent to control or harm another. And as we all know, there is a newer 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 that causes 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’s 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 do vary with 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 their 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 many as 42% of students report being bullied online, and 35% say they have been threatened online.

The Legal Responsibility of Schools Concerning Bullying

            Thanks to public awareness of the dangers of bullying, states have enacted laws about how school districts should address incidents of both bullying and cyberbullying. However, these laws do vary from state to state. The school districts can work with state agencies to ensure that their policies are up to date. 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

1. Know the signs your child is being bullied or is a bully; see StopBullying.gov.
2. Be aware that children do not tell parents about bullying or ask for help for many reasons.
3. Be aware of what the bullying policies at your children’s schools are.
4. Keep the lines of communication open with your children by talking with them every day about their experiences at school.
5. Teach your children from a young age how to be kind to others, to share and to empathize.
6. Teach them how to handle situations when someone is being mean to them.
7. Stress the importance of letting the school know about incidences of bullying—even anonymously.
8. Be sure to talk to them about appropriate online and digital behavior before they start interacting with others online.
9. Cyberbullying can largely be eliminated by eliminating social media accounts as well as reporting incidents to the online sites.
10. If bullying your children persists at school or cyberbullying as well, contact the appropriate school personnel.
11. If the school cannot resolve a bullying situation, it may be necessary to consult an attorney.
12. In extreme school bullying situations, it may be best to remove children from that school.

Parents should send questions and comments to DearTeacher@DearTeacher.com, and visit the DearTeacher.com website to learn more about helping their children succeed in school.

            ©Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2023

As always, please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns.