WHAT DOES BULLYING MEAN?
Bullying is deliberate and hurtful behavior meant to belittle, frighten, hurt, or exclude someone. Bullying usually does not happen just once. It continues to happen over and over.
WHY DOES SOMEONE BULLY?
Most bullies have a hard time understanding another person’s feelings. The bully may:
- Feel powerful by bullying others.
- Feel bad about themselves; bullying makes them feel more intelligent, stronger, or popular.
- May have been bullied themselves.
- Blame the victim by saying the person is annoying, different, or deserving of bullying.
There are no good excuses for bullying. No one deserves to be bullied no matter how different they may be.
COMMON FORMS OF BULLYING
- Physical bullying: hitting, shoving, kicking, poking, breaking someone’s belongings, giving mean looks, or making threats.
- Verbal bullying: teasing, lying to get the victim in trouble, name-calling, or taunting.
- Social bullying: ignoring or excluding the victim, encouraging others to dislike the victim, spreading rumors and gossip.
- Cyberbullying: using technology to harass, threaten, spread gossip, or even impersonate someone.
Bullying is a bad habit, and bad habits can be broken. Be careful not to develop bullying habits by always remembering this simple rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
WHO GETS BULLIED?
Every day, friendly, ordinary people become victims of a bully. Both boys and girls can be bullies, and both boys and girls can be targets.
Anything that makes a person different, i.e., being too short, tall, or smart, can make him or her a target for bullying. Remember, the things about you that are different are the things that make you special. Bullies often pick on people who seem to lack self-confidence. The best protection is confidence. Victims are usually afraid or embarrassed and think that telling an adult is tattling or is a bad thing to do. Everyone has the right to feel safe in and out of school. Once a trusted adult becomes aware and involved, the bully will back off.
WAYS TO STOP A BULLY
- Avoid the bully. Avoid places you know he/she will be.
- Ignore the bully and walk away; bullies want a reaction. Don’t give them one.
- Be confident, not aggressive. Use a firm voice to tell the bully to “Stop.”
- Practice – Work with a friend or adult to practice how to best handle a confrontation.
- Hang with friends who will stand by you. Join school activities to make more friends. Stand up for your friends if they are bullied.
- Believe in yourself. Good self-esteem helps you cope with bullies.
- Distract the bully by changing the subject or making a joke.
- Don’t bully back. Fighting back will likely get you into trouble.
- Remain calm. Self-control gives you power.
- You can avoid places where no adults are present.
- You can leave expensive items at home.
- Don’t be afraid to yell; the bully won’t be expecting that.
- Tell a friend or a trusted adult.
- Have your parents help you block the bully from your e-mails.
- If the bully makes serious threats, in person or online, ask an adult to contact the police.
Never blame yourself for being bullied…it’s not your fault!
DON’T STAND BY – SPEAK UP
What can you do if you see someone being bullied? Ignoring or tolerating bullying makes the bully think what they do is acceptable. Believe it or not, when a bystander speaks out and tells a bully to stop, many times, the bully stops. Follow these tips:
- Don’t join in or encourage the bully.
- Do your best to calm the situation.
- Offer your support to the bullied person.
- When your support doesn’t help, tell a teacher what’s happening.
ENCOURAGE THE VICTIM
Be a friend to the victim. This lets a bully know the victim is not alone. Invite the person to spend your time with you and your friends. If you reach out to help someone in need, you can be sure they will be there when you need help.
START A CAMPAIGN
Start a campaign in your school with parents and teachers to let everyone know bullying isn’t OK here! Make posters and banners showing this is everyone’s school and everyone has the right to:
- Feel safe and not be hit or teased.
- Be treated fairly and with respect.
- Be accepted for who he or she is.
- Be free of negative peer pressure.
You can make a difference by showing respect for yourself, respect for others, and being responsible for your actions.
CYBERBULLYING
Cyberbullying happens on websites, in chat rooms, in blogs, through e-mail, on voice mail, and through text messages. The definition of cyberbullying is "the use of different forms of technology to hurt, embarrass, or ridicule a person." A cyberbully can be a schoolmate, former friend, or stranger. Here are some steps you can take to prevent cyber-bullying:
- Ignore the bully. You do not have to respond to another bully’s text or e-mail.
- Block messages. Block e-mail addresses, screen names, or phone numbers.
- You’re not alone. Talk to a trusted adult. Adults can talk to internet providers or cell phone companies to get help without the bully finding out.
- You can save threatening emails or texts to help identify the bully.
- If any threats are made, please ask an adult to call the police.
INTERNET SAFETY RULES
- Ask your parents’ permission before using your full name, address, telephone number, or school information anywhere on the internet.
- Please let your parents or guardian know if you see something online that you know is wrong or makes you uncomfortable.
- Don’t respond to messages that make you feel uncomfortable or uneasy.
- Never give out a credit card number or password online.
- Never send out your picture without your parent’s permission.
- Be careful when someone offers you something for nothing, such as gifts or money.
- Don’t ever accept a gift or an offer that involves having someone visit your house.
- Never arrange to meet someone you’ve met online in person unless you discuss it with your parents and an adult goes with you.
- Talk to your parents to set up rules for using the Internet. Decide with them the best time to be online and appropriate areas to visit.
- Get to know your “online friends” just as you get to know your other friends. Be sure you are dealing with someone you and your parents know and trust before giving out any personal information about yourself via e-mail.
ANTI-BULLYING/HARASSMENT POLICY
The anti-bullying/harassment policy is located in Board policy section 105.
