Bullying Prevention
Stand up
According to StopBullying.gov, "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 is a situation that usually involves one or more people teasing, being violent towards, or harassing someone on a continuous basis. Bullying can take in person, online, or through cell phones. It can happen to anyone.
Warning Signs
- Unexplained marks, cuts, bruises, etc.
- Frequent "loss" of toys, clothes, food, money, etc, at school
- Doesn't want to go to school
- Difficulty sleeping or nightmares
- Waiting to go home to use the bathroom
- Change in attitude or behavior
- Afraid to be left alone
- Frequently feels sick or goes to the nurse
Where You Can Go
- Teachers
- Administrators
- Counselors
- Parents/Guardians
What do I do if my friend is being bullied?
As a friend, it can be hard to watch someone you care about get hurt repeatedly. Some things that you can do to help are:
- Talk to them, but remember that your friend may be uncomfortable about talking about it
- Try to include them in the group to boost their confidence
- Stand up for them when situations arise
- Tell an adult about what is happening
Statistics
- Almost 30% of students grades 6-10 have been bullied or are being bullied
- Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying every year
- 1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only do something to stop it 4% of the time
- Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75% of school shooting incidents
- About 160,000 teens skip school everyday because of bullying
More information at...
- Pacer.org - National Bullying Prevention Center
- MedicineNet.com
- DoSomething.org
- ReachOut.com