Education is Evolving
TODAY’S TOPICS
 BULLYING
 CYBER BULLYING
 SEXTING
 TEEN VIOLENCE
 DATING VIOLENCE
 CHILD ABUSE
 SUICIDE
 SELF-MUTILATION
 We are the VOICE for many children who are unable to
get help on their own.
 “Perfect” School Year
 What are our responsibilities as the educator of the
children who may be impacted by today’s topics?
Overview of the Law
Bullying – Cyber bullying
 In 2011, the Texas Legislature passed new laws related
to bullying. These new laws apply beginning with the
2012-2013 school year.
 One of the main changes related to bullying is the
definition.
BULLYING – P33-34 Handbook
 Bullying has been redefined as “engaging in written or
verbal expression through electronic means, or
physical conduct that occurs on school property, at a
school sponsored or school related activity, or in a
vehicle operated by the district”
 Results in harm to the student or the student’s property
 Places a student in reasonable fear of physical harm or of
damage to the student’s property, or
 Is so severe, persistent, and pervasive that it creates an
intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational
environment
BULLYING – P33-34 Handbook
 The bully can now be transferred out of class or to
another campus in the district.
 The parent of a student who has been determined by
the district to be a victim of bullying may request that
his/her child be transferred to another classroom or
campus within the district.
Signs a Child is Being Bullied
 Unexplainable injuries
 Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or
jewelry
 Frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick or
faking illness
 Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals
or binge eating. Kids may come home from school
hungry because they did not eat lunch.
Signs a Child is Being Bullied
 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
Stop Bullying on the Spot
 When adults respond quickly and consistently to
bullying behavior they send the message that it is
not acceptable. Research shows this can stop
bullying behavior over time. There are simple steps
adults can take to stop bullying on the spot and
keep kids safe.
Do:
 Intervene immediately. It is ok to get another adult to
help.
 Separate the kids involved.
 Make sure everyone is safe.
 Meet any immediate medical or mental health needs.
 Stay calm. Reassure the kids involved, including
bystanders.
 Model respectful behavior when you intervene.
Avoid these common mistakes:
 Don’t ignore it. Don’t think kids can work it out
without adult help.
 Don’t immediately try to sort out the facts.
 Don’t force other kids to say publicly what they saw.
 Don’t question the children involved in front of other
kids.
 Don’t talk to the kids involved together, only
separately.
 Don’t make the kids involved apologize or patch up
relations on the spot.
Get police help or medical
attention immediately if:
 A weapon is involved.
 There are threats of serious physical injury.
 There are threats of hate-motivated violence, such as
racism or homophobia.
 There is serious bodily harm.
 There is sexual abuse.
 Anyone is accused of an illegal act, such as robbery or
extortion—using force to get money, property, or
services.
When the Teacher is the Bully
To Cause Students to Improve
Their Behavior, Teachers Use…
 Punitive responses
 Withholding approval
 Using embarrassment
 Teasing
 Shame
 Sarcasm
 Failure
 …the same control methods used by student bullies to
intimidate their victims.
Teachers Don’t Knowingly Harm
Children
 Most are highly educated, sensitive professionals, who
love their students, love teaching and want what is
best for children.
 High stakes testing, mandatory curriculum and preordained learning procedures often cause teachers to
deal with classroom offenders out of expediency at the
expense of student dignity and worth.
 Every classroom must establish a zero tolerance for
bullying.
 Teachers have the opportunity and responsibility to
model positive behaviors such as respect and
compassion for their students.
Educationnow.org
Sexting
Sexting
 Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit
messages, photographs, or videos primarily between
mobile phones (Wikipedia) — Texas law also includes
any "electronic means," which includes computers and
other digital devices.
Cyberbullying
 Cyberbullying can be defined as:
 Willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of
computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices
(Hinduja & Patchin, 2008)
 Bullying through email, instant messaging, chat room
exchanges, web site posts, or digital messages or
images sent to a cell phone or PDA (Kowalski et al,
2008)
Cyberbullying (cont.)
 Bullying through electronic expression (Texas
Education Code Section 37.0832)
 Use of any electronic communication device to engage
in bullying or intimidation (Texas Education Code
37.218)
Examples of Cyberbullying:
 Insulting, harassing, humiliating, embarrassing,
threatening wall posts, emails, IMs, texts
 Slam pages via profile, blog site, YouTube, etc.
 Picture placed on voting site without permission
 Profile on anonymous response site
 Fake profiles used for humiliation (may be a violation
of Texas Penal Code Section 33.07, a possible third
degree felony)
Examples continued
 Fake profiles for fake relationship
 Digital correspondence nurturing "fake" friendship,
then "turn & burn"
 "Trolling" - provoking others into desired emotional
response (push buttons)
 "Flaming" - "subtle" trolling that induces emotionally
intense conversation (gaming)
 stopbullying.gov
Difficulties of Cyberbullying
Intervention
 Can occur 24 / 7 at any location.
 Hard for adults to know that it has occurred.
 Difficult for students to talk about.
 Impossible to “take back”.
 No control over where or when images, videos, or
uploaded material are posted.
 Best approach is education the of students of risks and
consequences.
Overview of the Law
Child Abuse – P34-35 Handbook
*Education Code– Health and Safety
*School districts will provide a training program on the
prevention of child abuse
*School policy must provide for cooperation with law
enforcement child abuse investigations
Recognizing Youth Violence
 Risk factors increase the likelihood that a young
person will become violent. Risk factors are not
direct causes of youth violence; instead risk factors
contribute to youth violence.
 History of violent victimization
 Poor behavioral control
 Exposure to violence and conflict in the family
Recognizing Youth Violence
 Low parental involvement
 Authoritarian childbearing attitudes
 Association with delinquent peers
 Poor academic performance
 Low commitment to school and school failure
Recognizing Dating Violence
 According to the Center for Disease Control website,
72 percent of all eighth and ninth-graders "date" in
some form. One quarter of all adolescents report some
form of abuse within these relationships, be it
physical, mental, emotional or sexual. Signs pointing
toward teen dating violence should not be ignored
Recognizing Dating Violence
 What is dating violence?
 The intentional use of physical, sexual, verbal, or
emotional abuse by a person to harm, threaten,
intimidate, or control another person in a dating
relationship.
Recognizing Dating Violence
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Control
Jealousy
Blaming bruises on something else
Clothing indicates trying to hide bruises
Changes in behavior – loss of confidence/avoiding
friends
 Involvement in risky behaviors – drinking, drugs, or
other illegal actitivites
 Many times there is an increased risk of suicide among
victims of teen dating violence.
Reporting Teen/Dating Violence
 Report teen/dating violence to the campus counselor
and principal.
 The situation may require contacting Child Protective
Services.
 The situation may require contacting parents.
Darlene Curry, M.Ed., M.A., L.P.C.
Asst. Principal/Counselor
Spearman Elementary
“Protecting ALL children at ALL times”
Suicide
 What am I looking for as a professional?
 A suicidal crisis occurs any time when the risk for
suicide is raised by any peer, teacher, or other staff
member that identifies a student as potentially suicidal.
 A student may make a statement about suicide in
writing assignments, in a drawing or indirect verbal
expression, or overtly voice suicidal threats or behaviors.
 In addition, there is increasing concern over the issue of
interactive suicide notes and the use of cyber suicide as a
public platform for displaying suicidal ideation and
behavior.
Suicide/Self-Mutilation—What to
DO when faced with a student
experiencing a crisis
 Always ensure a student’s safety. The main goal is
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to prevent the act from happening.
If you become aware of a potential crisis situation
please alert your campus counselor immediately. DO
NOT WAIT to report because you think it may not be
serious.
Send someone for help if necessary.
Listen.
Be direct.
Be honest.
Know your limitations in providing help.
Suicide—What NOT TO DO when
faced with a student experiencing
a crisis.
 Don’t ever dare a student to attempt suicide.
 Don’t debate with the student about whether suicide is
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right or wrong.
Don’t promise secrecy or confidentiality.
Don’t panic.
Don’t rush or lose patience with the student.
Don’t act shocked.
Don’t be judgmental.
Don’t preach to the student.
What NOT TO DO cont.’
 Never leave the student alone or send the student
away.
 Don’t worry about silence during discussion.
 Don’t under-react or minimize.
 If a student is threatening suicide and does have a
weapon, never try to physically take the weapon from
the student.
Child Abuse
 3-5 children die every day from child abuse. We cannot
afford to turn a blind eye—we must be on the front lines of
response!
 What is child abuse?
 Any act that endangers or impairs a child’s physical or
emotional health and development.
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4 Types of Abuse
 Physical—16%
 Sexual –10% (on the rise)
 Neglect—60% (on the rise)
 Psychological/Emotional—4%
Types of Child Abuse
 Physical Abuse: burning, hitting, punching, shaking,
kicking, over discipline.
 Sexual Abuse: fondling, intercourse, incest, sodomy,
exhibitionism, sexual exploitation, and exposure to
pornography.
 Neglect: Lack of food or clothing, medical care or
dental care, supervision, weather protection,
educational (failure to provide schooling, failure to
provide special ed. needs, allowing excessive
truancies.) We must ensure that all students have
the opportunity to grow and thrive!
Types of Child Abuse cont.’
 Psychological/Emotional Neglect &
Maltreatment: Lack of emotional support and love,
chronic inattention to the child, exposure to spouse
abuse, exposure to drug and alcohol abuse, conveying
a message of the child being worthless, flawed,
unlovable, and unwanted. Bizarre types of
punishment that inflict terror in a child.
Recognizing Child Abuse
 One single incident does not constitute child
abuse; however, a string of signs or reoccurring signs
are a RED flag. Look for the following in a student:
 A change in behavior—a desire to isolate, anger, or
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blunted emotions
Change in class performance
Student consistently shows up very early for school or
stays late
Student has difficulty concentrating
Child experiences anxiety about going home
Recognizing Child Abuse
 General Parental Signs of Child Abuse:
 Parent shows little concern for child
 Denial of problems
 Blames child
 Asks others to use harsh discipline
 Sees child as worthless
 Looks to child for care of their own needs
 Rarely look at or touch each other
 State openly they do not like each other
 Considers the relationship to be negative
Recognizing Child Abuse
 Physical: Burns, bites, bruises, broken bones, black
eyes.
 Sexual: Difficulty walking or sitting, sudden refusal to
change for gym, nightmares or bedwetting, sudden
change in appetite, bizarre, sophisticated sexual
knowledge or behavior, pregnant under the age of 14,
runaway, STD.
 Neglect: Begging or stealing food, medical/dental
concerns, dirty and has severe body odor, lacks the
proper clothing for the weather, abuse of alcohol or
drugs, says no one is ever home.
Reporting Child Abuse
 In Texas, anyone who suspects that a child is
being abused or neglected has a LEGAL obligation
to report it. Professional reporters are required to
report suspicion of abuse or neglect within 48 hours.
Professional reporters include, but are not limited to:
 Teachers, Nurses, Doctors, Daycare Employees,
Employees of a clinic, and Juvenile probation
officers.
Reporting Child Abuse
 It is the responsibility of professionals to report and
the responsibility of the Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services to investigate allegations or
suspicions of abuse or neglect.
 You may report by calling or reporting the abuse
online anonymously.
 800-252-5400
Toll-free hotline 24/7
 www.txabusehotline.org
Reporting Child Abuse
 You will need some items of information in order to
report; however, do not let a lack of information keep
you from reporting.
 Student information, date(s) of incident(s) if you know,
names of other individuals that are aware of the
incident.
 Keep the reporting CONFIDENTIAL. Make sure the
campus principal and counselor are aware of the
reporting.