OUSD/CWA Bullying Presentation – May, 2006
Bullying Statistics
It is estimated that 30 percent of American children are regularly involved in bullying, either as bullies, victims, or both (National Resource
Center for Safe Schools [NRCSS], 2001). Approximately 15 percent of students are “severely traumatized or distressed” by encounters with
bullies, and 8 percent report being victimized at school at least once a week (Hoover & Oliver, 1996; Skiba & Fontanini, 2000). 160,000
students miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by a bully (Fried & Fried, 1996); 7 percent of eighth-graders stay home at
least once a month because of bullies (Banks, 2000). Approximately 20 percent of students are scared throughout much of the school day
(Garrity, et al., 1997). 14 percent of eighth- through 12th-graders and 22 percent of fourth- through eighth-graders surveyed reported that
“bullying diminished their ability to learn in school” (Hoover & Oliver, 1996, p. 10). 10 percent of students who drop out of school do so
because of repeated bullying (Weinhold & Weinhold, 1998). “Bullies identified by age eight are six times more likely to be convicted of a
crime by age 24 and five times more likely than non-bullies to end up with serious criminal records by the age of 30” (Maine Project Against
Bullying, 2000); 60 percent of students characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had at least one criminal conviction by age 24 (Banks, 2000).
Roughly two-thirds of school shooters had “felt persecuted, bullied, threatened, attacked, or injured by others. …a number of the teenagers
had suffered sustained, severe bullying and harassment” (Bowman, 2001). Both boys and girls bully; some research indicates that boys bully
more than girls do, but this may have to do with how bullying is defined and/or identified. Bullying by girls is often more subtle and harder
to detect than bullying by boys (NRCSS, 1999). Boys tend to use more physical aggression than girls do. Bullying by girls more often takes
the form of teasing and social exclusion (Hoover & Oliver, 1996). Boys tend to bully both boys and girls, while girls are more likely to
victimize other girls (Hoover & Oliver, 1996). Girls are more likely to bully in a group (Kreidler, 1996). Bullying in school tends to increase
through elementary grades, peak in middle school, and drop off by the 11th and 12th grades (Banks, 2000; NRCSS, 1999). The NEA
estimates that 160,000 students miss school every day or 28 million missed days per year, due to fear of attack or intimidation by a bully.
The majority of bullying happens at school, to or from school, or to and from school activities (EC 48900). 80 to 90 percent of students state
that they have been bullied at school. Most bullying begins as putdowns. Students indicate that 69 percent of their schools respond poorly to
bullying and victimization. Students indicate that intervention by an adult occurs in only 4% of cases and intervention by peers in only 11%
of cases. One out of 5 high school students report avoiding using restrooms out of fear of being bullied. Students indicate that 69 percent of
their schools respond poorly to bullying and victimization. Students indicate that intervention by an adult occurs in only 4% of cases and
intervention by peers in only 11% of cases. One out of 5 high school students report avoiding using restrooms out of fear of being bullied.
Children who were victimized by bullies during their school age years had greater difficulties later in life. In many cases, they were not able
to achieve to their full potential in comparison to their peers who were not bullied, as they were still dealing with issues of low self-esteem
and depression. Bullies are less likely to finish college or locate a good job. Long term bullies maintain their behaviors into adulthood,
negatively influencing their ability to develop and maintain positive relationships. A clear majority of bullies believe that their victims are
partially responsible for bringing the bullying on themselves. Bullies often believe that bullying toughened a weak person, and some felt that
bullying "taught" victims appropriate behavior. A bully's triumph over the victim is the reward. A lack of immediate response and
consequences may increase the likelihood of other children being victimized and for many becoming an aggressor themselves. Parents, for
the most part, remain unaware of the bullying problem. Thirty percent (30%) of U.S. students in grades six through ten are involved
in moderate or frequent bullying — as bullies, as victims, or as both — according to the results of the first national survey on this
subject. Bullying is increasingly viewed as an important contributor to youth violence, including homicide and suicide. Case
studies of the shooting at Columbine High School and other U.S. schools have suggested that bullying was a factor in many of
the incidents. 1 out of 4 kids is Bullied. The American Justice Department says that this month 1 out of every 4 kids will be
abused by another youth. Surveys Show That 77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally, & physically.
43% fear
harassment in the bathroom at school. 28% of youths who carry weapons have witnessed violence at home. A poll of teens
ages 12-17 proved that they think violence increased at their schools. 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary
schools each month. More youth violence occurs on school grounds as opposed to on the way to school. Adult intervention 4%. Peer intervention - 11%. No intervention - 85%. Those in the lower grades reported being in twice as many fights as those
in the higher grades. However, there is a lower rate of serious violent crimes in the elementary level than in the middle or high
schools. According to the latest poll, thirty-two percent of parents fear for their child’s physical safety when the child is at school.
Thirty-nine percent of parents with a child in grade six or higher are more likely to say they fear for their child’s safety. Bullying
generally begins in the elementary grades, peaks in the sixth through eight grades, and persists into high school. (Addressing
the Problem of Juvenile Bullying, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001) Among students, homicide
perpetrators were more than twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied by peers. (School-Associated Violent
Deaths in the United States 1994-1999, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Departments of Education and
Justice, 2001; findings published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001). Bullying was reported as more
prevalent among males than females and occurred with greater frequency among middle school-aged youth than high schoolaged youth. For males, both physical and verbal bullying was common, while for females, verbal bullying and rumors were more
common. (Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001). Research shows that
those who bully and are bullied appear to be at greatest risk of experiencing the following: loneliness; trouble making friends;
lack of success in school; and involvement in problem behaviors such as smoking and drinking. (Addressing the Problem of
Juvenile Bullying, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001). Though recent studies show that as many as
seventy-five percent of children have been victims of bullying during their school careers, about half of parents in this survey see
bullying as no problem for their children. (Are We Safe?: The 2000 National Crime Prevention Survey, National Crime
Prevention Council, 2001). Parents talk about bullying with their children minimally. A low percentage of students believe that adults
will help in bullying situations.
OUSD/CWA Bullying Presentation – May, 2006
Bullying Strategies
It is too hard on me to work and worry! “What you pay attention to is what you are going to get more of.” If we
focus too much of our attention on negative behaviors and not enough on positive behaviors, it is easy to see why
there is so much negative behavior. DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU!
You can live a lifetime of excuses or a lifetime of accomplishments!
People will not change unless you take
away time or money, or ……… a serious event occurs! Two wrongs do not make a right! Life is like dominoes:
If you line them up right, some day you will flip them and they will take you a long way in life! “KEEPING THE
GIFT” KEEPING CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS SAFE (AND PARENTS SANE)
Student Records: K-12
Discipline Records, Elementary (tend to be minimal), Middle School/High School, Objective, Graphic, Comment
on Parent’s Response/Action, Obtain Records of Transfer Students and Education Code 49079. First Day Plan:
Conversation 1 – Punctuality, Paying Attention, Following Instructions, Being Organized, & Doing Homework.
Conversation 2 – Selecting Friends, Recess/Lunch Locations, Daily Activities, and Pick-up/Route Home,
Emergency Cards Complete/on File with accurate information, Student Dresses Appropriately, Daily Debriefing –
Establish Everyday Two-way Communication. Facilities: Campus: History, Student Routes to and from School,
Lunch/Recess Boundaries, Restrooms, Health Office, Deliveries, Gates/Opening–Ingress Egress, Parking lots,
Campus Supervision, Weekends/Night Time, and Un-welcomed Visitors. To and From School: Transportation
– Parent/Bus/Other, Sit in the front of the bus, Know the name of the bus driver, Walking – Routes, Identify
alternate routes, Leave with crowd and walk with crowd **, Change times/walk with older students, School
Entrances and Exit Locations (Know trouble areas - Avoid trouble areas), Community Hot Spots, Unsafe homes,
Unsafe park areas, Unsafe food courts/etc., Timing, Straight Home, and Emergency Communication.
Students
Daily: Sit in the front of the class, Don’t hide what is happening and hope that it will go away. Ask for help when
you are in trouble, Always tell someone (friend, teacher, secretary, parent, principal, custodian, minister, someone
you trust and your parent’s trust). The bully won’t stop until you bring it to someone’s attention, Think in advance
of things you can say to minimize confrontation from a bully, Remain in eye contact of your teacher and under your
teacher’s supervision, Keep a diary, notes, comment and list time and dates of incidences, Be with others. They
will be your witnesses, If you see someone else being bullied, report it! If you don’t, the bully may target you next,
Mediation, Diffuse putdowns with comments like “yeah”, “right”, or “whatever”, Do not tolerate or use profanity,
Be a friend to others, Understand body language, the bullies, yours and others, Understand and expect loyal friends
to side with the bully against you. They may become confused and not want to be the next victim. You may need
to change friends to be safe! Never retaliate. Two wrongs do not make a right, NEVER EVER BRING A
WEAPON TO SCHOOL TO PROTECT YOURSELF. THIS IS THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO, Do not
cave in to peer pressure, Do not miss school to avoid the bully. Everyday you go to school is a triumph over the
bully because by being there you’re showing the bully that you have every right to be there and that their bullying
hasn’t upset you as much as they had hoped.
Recess/Lunch: Stay in areas that are safe, Stay where there are
many students and many possible witnesses, Stay in areas where there is adult supervision, Take a friend with you
when you use the restroom or use the health office restroom, If you are injured, in any manner shape or form, tell
the supervisor, teacher, principal and your parent, If there is a new game on the playground, watch the game for a
few days before you play in it, Do not play any game that can be dangerous or has the potential of a deliberate
injury, Do not lose perspective of lunch games! This is not life or death to a good sport, but it may be an issue of
power/control to a bully, Be prepared to make a difficult decision on your choice of friends. If you have mutual
friends with a bully, then the bully and you will interact when you are with your mutual friends. If they are really
your friends, they will not tolerate you being bullied, unless they are afraid. You may need to select new friends
and get away from the bully.
Profanity: According to Hilda Quiroz, National School Safety Center: Foul
language is more about adults, than about children. There is no reason for any kid to be called anything but their
real name. There is no reason for profanity. Hilda Quiroz, National School Safety Center, also says: It is not
enough to make and post rules. Students need reasons to follow rules. Is there a man or woman in this room who
has not had their children in a car and exceeded the speed limit on the freeway despite having the speed limit as a
law and having it posted on the freeway?
Cell Phones: Have a family rule on who can have the number to the
cell phone. Once you give it out, it is gone. Be careful, If you receive threats, inappropriate phone calls or crank
calls, do not respond to the calls and save the calls as evidence. They should be played to parents and school
officials, but do not play them for other students, The same should be said for text messaging, Do not cave in to
peer pressure and have your phone go off interfering with classroom instruction, Take precautions when around
other students with cell phones as they can be used for taking inappropriate pictures, cheating on tests, and for
recording private conversations.
Outside Activities: (1) Remain in a supervised area, if possible, (2) Do not go
into an area alone, (3) Remain neutral, do not befriend students who may be gang or extremist, or you may be
wrongly identified as an associate, (4) Do not go to parties, sleepovers, or other activities in someone’s house,
unless a parent is home to supervise.
Triangle of Violence: (1) Location/Opportunity, (2) Predator, and (3)
Victim. Computers – Friend or Foe. Parents need to monitor: Website Access, Chat Rooms, Emails, Downloads,
Personal Websites, Party Time, Identity Theft, Key Logger, Worms, Preserve Evidence – Save/Copy.
Home:
Monitor Computer Use, Monitor Media/TV Choices, Read portions of chosen reading, Watch portions of video/CD
selections, Screen phone calls/contacts, Take a close look at your child’s belongings, bruises, clothing, possessions,
money, Look for changes in friends, class work, normal activities, dress, moods or other behaviors that you believe
are now different and find out why, Search belongings (clothing, room, pee-chee folders, etc.), Aggressive behavior
at home (parents/siblings) can lead to violence by a child at school and against others later in life. Your home
should be non-violent, non-aggressive, Attorney General’s Megan’s Law Website:
http://caag.state.ca.us/megan/index.htm Parents: Be Realistic. Do not over react, Get the details
of the bullying from your child and document what you find out, Contact your child’s teacher and calmly inform
the teacher of your findings (for secondary students, contact your child’s assistant principal or counselor.) Keep
your evidence, Seek additional information from the school, Take the problem seriously, Increase supervision of
your child’s activities and whereabouts, Volunteer in the classroom, Increase your child’s circle of friends, Talk to
your child daily, Ask the teacher/staff to permit your child to contact you on an as needed basis, If the problem
continues:. Keep a diary, calendar or other record and objectively document the problem, Do not show sympathy or
understanding for the bully, Take the bullying problem to the school’s principal and ask that the school take action
to protect your child and ask that the school’s psychologist assist your child, Suggest that the bully be isolated from
your child or moved out of the classroom, It is tempting to move your child to another school, but ask yourself,
“What would I do if the bully was involuntarily transferred to the school where I moved my child to stop the
problem?”
Parents of Bullies: Take the problem seriously and do not let your child deny or minimize the
problem, Accept no excuses for the behavior, Give consequences that do not promote violence, Cooperate with
school officials and make arrangements to have daily reports, Eliminate all violent games/TV/books etc, Catch your
child being good and give positive praise, Seek help from law enforcement and school psychologists, Remove all
guns from the house, Do not forget that bullies often go on to a live a life of crime. Take action and make proper
behavior a priority.
Read the Orange County Probation’s Report on Juvenile Offenders:
http://ww.ocgov.com/Probation/soloution/index.asp
Schools: Supervise your classrooms,
Supervise your campus, Teach your students what bullying is and what bullying is not, Give students immediate
consequences who chose to bully, Hold parent conferences that include both the parent and the bully, Reward
students with positive praise for doing right, Minimize competition that promotes winners and losers, Engage
classmates to report bullying behavior by others, Immediately investigate and take action when bullying occurs,
Listen to parents and take bullying complaints seriously, Increase communication between teacher, administrator,
campus supervisor and parent, Talk to the victim separately and make promises that you will keep, Talk to the bully
and provide due process, Expect bullies to lie, deny or minimize their violations. Be prepared to prove your case,
Document bullying incidences in the discipline record of both students and the victim. Be specific and graphic,
Place strategies to combat bullying into your comprehensive safe school plan, Do not create “Bully Groups” to deal
with their problem. The results will backfire! Conduct a survey of your students to determine the extent of the
problem, Support the efforts of law enforcement, Conduct assemblies, guest speakers, When all else fails, “The
bully’s empty seat will speak loudly to the rest of the school’s student body”.
District Office: Enforce Board
Policy and Administrative Regulations, Curriculum Development, Intervention, Provide Hearing Process,
Expulsion Process, Special Education and Official Complaint Process.
Law Enforcement: School Resource
Officers, Threats, Weapons, Assault and Battery, Crisis Response Unit, Campus Perimeter Patrol. Legal Action –
Temporary Restraining Order.
VISIT OUSD/CWA-FRANK BOEHLER’S TWO WEBSITES AT:
WWW.ORANGEUSD.K12.CA.US/CWA
OUSD/CWA Bullying Presentation – May, 2006
Bullying Websites – www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/cwa/
The topic of bullying is one of the most important educational issues facing children today. Bullying
occurs in schools, community, workplace, athletic fields and in the home. There are several websites that
focus entirely on addressing bullying and the impact that it has on our children:
California Department of Education
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Bullying and Hate-Motivated Behavior Prevention - School Environment (CA Dept of Education)
Bullying Resources - School Environment (CA Dept of Education)
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/documents/bullyfactsheets.pdf
Safe Schools Planning Checklist - Violence Prevention (CA Dept of Education)
Bullying at School
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/documents/bullyintro.pdf
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/documents/bullych1.pdf
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/documents/bullych2.pdf
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/documents/bullych3.pdf
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/documents/bullych4.pdf
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/documents/bullych5.pdf
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/documents/bullyfactsheets.pdf
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/documents/bullyconslusion.pdf
National Safe School Center Recommendations:
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http://www.nssc1.org/
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/cruelschools/
http://www.tolerance.org/teach/mix_it_up/index.jsp
http://www.education.unisa.edu.au/bullying/
www.cca-kids.ca/tvandme/english/edutators/index.html
http://www.starespect.org
http://www.atg.wa.gov/safetytools.shtml
http://pathwayscourses.samhsa.gov/bully-into-pg1.htm
Other Bullying Links:
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#1 LINK-BULLYING ON LINE http://www.bullying.co.uk/
DfES: Don't Suffer in Silence
Bullying
Stop Bullying Now
BBC - Schools- Bullying
Bully OnLine: workplace bullying and harassment, school bullying, action to tackle bullying at
work, stress and harassment
Bullying and Your Child
Bullying - AACAP Facts for Families #80
Education World ® Lesson Planning: Stop Bullying Now!
#1 LINKS - Bullying Online- Registered Charity Number: 1080923
National Crime Prevention Council http://www.ncpc.org/ncpc/ncpc/?pa=resCenter
http://www.bullypolice.org/ca_law.html
Gavin De Becker www.gdbinc.com/index.cfm
Other Important Links:
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American Psychology Association www.apa.org
American Association for Suicide Prevention http://www.afsp.org
American Association of Suicidology www.suicidology.org
Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network http://www.spanusa.org
Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network - California http://www.span-california.org
Suicide Prevention Resource Center http://www.sprc.org
National Center for Suicide Prevention Training http://www.ncspt.org/default.asp
Bullycide http://www.bullyonline.org/schoolbully/cases.htm
Bullycide – Death at Playtime http://www.successunlimited.co.uk/books/bullycid.htm
Jared’s Story http://www.jaredstory.com/bully.html
When victims just want the pain to go away http://www.bbc.co.uk/essex/zeal/bullycide.shtml
Medline http://intapp.medscape.com/px/medlineapp/medline?cid=med
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777958.html
http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp?CRID=school_violence&OFFID=se1&KEY=school_shootings
 http://www.successunlimited.co.uk/books/bullycid.htm
Cyberspace:
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High Tech Crimes – www.sachitechcops.org
http://cityofnewhaven.com/police/html/safety/cybersafety.htm
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cybersafety
http://news.zdnet.com/2110-1009_22-956670.html
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109255,00.asp
http://www.georgia.gov/00/channel_modifieddate/0,2096,1070969_6196865,00.html
http://www.ci.mesa.az.us/police/literature/cybersafe.asp
http://www.lazarus.org/START.HTML
http://www.starbaseoklahoma.org/cyber_safety.html
Government/Other Important Sites:
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Megan’s Law http://caag.state.ca.us/megan/info.htm
School Safety – School Shootings http://www.secretservice.gov/
Orange County Probation – 8% http://www.ocgov.com/Probation/solution/index.asp
Homeland Security http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/index.jsp
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/nims/
FBI http://www.fbi.gov/
Amber Alert http://codeamber.org/
Missing and Exploited Children http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids
http://www.gangsorus.com/
http://safestate.org/index.cfm?navID=12
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/index.html
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/schools/
http://www.securityoncampus.org/
http://info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/pagequery?type=sen_bilinfo&site=sen&title=Bill+Information
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html
http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/
http://www.ocsd.org/
http://www.poisonprevention.org/
http://www.calpoison.org/public/home.html
New! Internet Safety:
There isn't a week that goes by that CWA is not contacted to review a student's statement in a chat room
to determine if the student has made a threat, if there is an issue of school related substance abuse or if
there is a conflict created by students writing something mean to a student who may eventually retaliate.
This is a new world of "Cyber bullying" on the information highway. Needless to say this highway has
predators waiting to contact children.
The following sites will help you set standards in your home and permit students to be safe on the
internet:
Web Wise Kids - Equipping Kids to Make Wise Choices Online
http://www.wiredwithwisdom.org/default.asp
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Parents Guide to Internet Safety
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
Safeteens.com - Teen Safety on the Information Highway
http://www.safeteens.com/safeteens.htm
Netsmartz Workshop - Keeping Kids and Teens Safer on the Internet
www.netsmartz.org
Safe Kids
http://www.safekids.com/
Safe Kids Rules for Online Safety
http://www.safekids.com/kidsrules.htm
FBI Safety Tips for Kids on Computers
http://www.fbi.gov/kids/k5th/safety2.htm
Police Notebook - Kid Safety on the Internet
http://www.ou.edu/oupd/kidsafe/start.htm
Chat Room Safety - Information on Chat Room Safety
http://www.wiredsafety.org/safety/chat_safety/chatrooms/
Internet 101 -Chatting Safely
http://familyinternet.about.com/cs/internetsafety1/a/safety11.htm