Anti-Bullying 101
Gail Watts
California Teachers Association
Human Rights Department
gwatts@cta.org
What Is Bullying?
 When was a definition of “bullying” added to the California
Education Code?
 Can a student in K-12 system be suspended for bullying another
student?
 Can a student be suspended for a bullying act that doesn’t take
place at school?
 If a student creates a derogatory facebook page about a
teacher, is that free speech or bullying?
What Is Bullying?
+ Intent to hurt
+ Power to hurt
+ Hurtful action
+ Repetition (most of the time)
+ Secrecy (most of the time)
=BULLYING
Is There A Difference Between
Bullying and Teasing?
VS
Bullying Facts And Statistics
• Almost 30% of youth in the United
States are estimated to be involved
in bullying as either a victim or bully
• 60% of those characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had at
least one adult criminal conviction by age 24 and 3 arrests
by age 30
Source: National Violence Prevention Center
Bullying Facts And Statistics
• More than 43% of middle school and high school students
avoid using school bathrooms for fear of being harassed
or assaulted
(Mothering)
• One in fifteen students said they
avoided certain places at school
because they feared of being
attacked
(Harvard School of Public Health)
Bullying Facts And Statistics
• Only 25% of students reported that teachers
intervene in bullying situations, while 71% of
teachers believe they always intervene
(Source: www.bullybeware.com)
• When asked, students uniformly expressed the
desire that teachers intervene rather than
ignore teasing and bullying
(Source: Maine Project Against Bullying)
Bullying Facts And Statistics
College Students:
• 15% report being bullied.
• 22% report being cyberbullied
• 38% of college students knew someone who had been cyberbullied
• 9% report they had cyberbullied someone else
• 15% had seen a professor bully a student
(US News & World Report, Nov 3, 2011)
Workplace:
 37% of workers (54 million people) reported they had been bullied at
work.
(Psychology Today, Feb 2, 2010, Cutting-Edge Leadership)
“I was at school every day
and had no idea of the horror
that was brewing.”
- Columbine Principal
Types of Bullying
Verbal
Physical
Social / Relational
Cyber
Reactive
Verbal Bullying
 Using language to gain
power over peers.
 Most common form of
bullying.
 Difficult to identify.
 May leave lasting
psychological impact on
victims.
Examples:
 Name-calling
 Insults
 Jokes
 Threats
Source:
http://www.stopbullying.gov
About.com, http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Types-of-Bullying.htm
Norfolk County Council, http://www.schools.norfolk.gov.uk/index.cfm?s=1&m=1096&p=1263,page&id=548
Respect, http://www.respect2all.org/students/bullying-definitions
Physical Bullying
 Use overt bodily acts
to gain power over
peers.
 Generally more
obvious.
 Physical bullying is
rarely the first form of
bullying that a target
will experience.
Examples:
 Hitting
 Kicking
 Groping
 Spitting
 Shoving
 Damaging belongings
 Stealing
Source:
http://www.stopbullying.gov
About.com, http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Types-of-Bullying.htm
Norfolk County Council, http://www.schools.norfolk.gov.uk/index.cfm?s=1&m=1096&p=1263,page&id=548
Respect, http://www.respect2all.org/students/bullying-definitions
Social / Relational Bullying
 Intent to harm
reputation or social
standing.
 Often happens among
friends.
 2 main methods:
make someone feel
unwelcome or gain
someone’s trust and
then break it.
Examples:
 Telling secrets told in
confidence
 Spreading rumors/gossip
 Exclusion
 Breaking up friendships
 Encouraging others to
ignore or chastise
 Ranking or rating others
Source:
http://www.stopbullying.gov
About.com, http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Types-of-Bullying.htm
Norfolk County Council, http://www.schools.norfolk.gov.uk/index.cfm?s=1&m=1096&p=1263,page&id=548
Respect, http://www.respect2all.org/students/bullying-definitions
Cyber Bullying
 Harassment that occurs
using technology.
 Happens 24/7/365
 Students more tech savvy.
Unsupervised.
 Can be shared with wide
audience.
 Anonymous but traceable.
 Exacerbates effects on
victim when used with
other forms of bullying.
Examples:
 Social media (facebook,
twitter, etc)
 Text, instant message,
email, chat room posts
 Fake websites or social
media profiles
 Videos, photos
http://www.stopbullying.gov
About.com, http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Types-of-Bullying.htm
Norfolk County Council, http://www.schools.norfolk.gov.uk/index.cfm?s=1&m=1096&p=1263,page&id=548
Respect, http://www.respect2all.org/students/bullying-definitions
Reactive Bullying
 Causes conflict AND is
attacked by peers.
 Reactive bullies may
target those that have
also acted as a bully.
Examples:
 Taunting a peer until
the peer reacts.
Then claims to be a
victim.
Source:
http://www.stopbullying.gov
About.com, http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Types-of-Bullying.htm
Bullying: Who’s Affected?
 Bully
 Victim or Target
 Bystander / witness – passively watch
 Assistant – take part in ridicule or intimidation
 Reinforcer – encourage by showing signs of approval
 Defender – intervene, distract, discourage
Bullying: A Module for Teachers, Sandra Graham, http://www.apa.org/education/k12/bullying.aspx
Bullying: Who’s Affected?
The VICTIM or TARGET tends to:
 Have low self-esteem
 Be less popular
 Have few or no friends
 Social minorities
 Be passive
 Socially withdrawn
 Depressed, anxious and lonely
 May blame themselves for predicament
Bullying: A Module for Teachers, Sandra Graham, http://www.apa.org/education/k12/bullying.aspx
http://www.stopbullying.gov/topics/risk_factors/index.html
Bullying: Who’s Affected?
The BULLY tends to:
 Be well connected
 Have social power
 Have lots of friends
 Have high self-esteem
 May be overly concerned about their popularity.
 May tend to dominate / be in charge of others.
 May have inflated self-views
Video – What’s Going On
True or False?
Based on reported incidences,
males bully more than females.
True
True or False?
Because of its prevalence, many
accept bullying as part of growing
up.
True
True or False?
The United States is the leading
country on programs to address
bullying.
False
True or False?
Bullies are loners, low academic
achievers, insecure and usually
have few friends.
False
True or False?
Those who bullied or were bullied
as students are likely to become
bullies as adults.
True
True or False?
Fighting back or standing up to a
bully will stop the behavior.
False
Anti-bullying Super Heroes
Immediate Intervention Strategies:
1. Separate those who are engaged as bullies and
victims. Talk to them separately.
2. Create a safe place for those targeted.
3. Delve into behavior of why students are
bullying.
4. Hold bystanders accountable.
Intervention:
Turning Around Bullying Behavior
1. Assess the extent of the bullying problem.
2. Ensure that the class understands the definition
of bullying
3. Confront students engaged in bullying in a firm
and fair manner.
4. Provide appropriate and consistent
consequences for bullying.
Preventing Classroom Bullying: What Teachers Can Do, Jim Wright,
www.interventioncentral.org
Resources
 California Department of Education
(www.cde.ca.gov)
• Learning Support/Safe Schools
• Sample Bullying Prevention Policy
• Sample Policy for Conflict Resolution
• How Does A Caring Adult Talk To A Bully?
Resources
Classroom Activities
• Chalk Talk www.schoolsafety.us
• Bully Busters www.stopbullyingnow.net
• Take Action Now www.education.com/bullying
• NEA www.nea.org/ToolsandIdeas
• Teaching Tolerance www.tolerance.org