Bullying Prevention and Intervention Training
Indianapolis Public Schools
Date: 2013-2014 School Year
Presented to: Parent Volunteers and
Non IPS Staff
Prepared by: Bullying Prevention and
Intervention Committee
According to the
National Association of
School Psychologists,
160,000 students per day
stay home from school
because of bullying
(Fried & Fried, 2003)
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Source: www.nea.org
HEA 1423 &
P.L. 285-2013
JULY 1, 2013
EXPANDED
DEFINITION
PREVENTION
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POLICY &
GUIDELINES
STAFF
DEVELOPMENT
REASEARCH
BASED
RESOURCES
Bullying Prevention and the Law
 Bullying is defined for Indiana schools in HEA
1423 and IC 20-33-8-0.2
 “Bullying” means: overt (intentional), unwanted,
repeated acts or gestures including:
 Verbal or written communications or images transmitted in any
manner (including digitally or electronically)
Physical acts committed, aggression or any other behaviors that are
committed by a student or group of students against another
student with the intent to
 harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate or harm the targeted
student and
 create for the targeted student an objectively hostile school
environment
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Bullying Prevention and the Law
 IC 20-33-8-0.2 (continued) – an “objectively hostile learning
environment”:
places the targeted student in reasonable fear or harm to the to
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the targeted student’s person or property;
has a substantially detrimental effect on the targeted student’s
physical or mental health;
has the effect of substantially interfering with the targeted
student’s academic performance; or
has the effect of substantially interfering with the targeted
student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the
services, activities, and privileges provided by the
school
Indianapolis Public Schools
Board Policy – Bullying
 Bullying is prohibited in the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) as
referenced in Indiana Code 20-33-8-0.2 and IPS Board
Resolution No. 5517.01.
 Bullying is defined as overt, unwanted, repeated acts or gestures,
including verbal or written communications or images
transmitted in any manner (including digitally or electronically),
physical acts committed, aggression, or any other behaviors that
are committed by a student or group of students against another
student with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate,
or harm the targeted student and create for the targeted student
an objectively hostile school environment.
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Indianapolis Public Schools
Board Policy – Bullying (continued)
Students may not engage in bullying on
school grounds, or while traveling to or
from a school or a school activity, function or
event. Further, bullying is prohibited off
school grounds while using property or
equipment provided by the school, or while
attending a school activity, function or event.
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Indianapolis Public Schools
Board Policy – Bullying (continued)
Principals are responsible for informing students,
parents, teachers and staff that bullying will not be
tolerated and will be subject to disciplinary action, up to
and including, suspension and expulsion. Further,
principals are encouraged to engage students, staff and
parents in meaningful discussions about the negative
aspects of bullying. The parent involvement may be
through parent organizations already in place in each
school.
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Indianapolis Public Schools
Board Policy – Bullying (continued)
 Parents or students who suspect that
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bullying is taking place should report the
matter to the principal. Upon receiving
the report, the principal will investigate
the matter at the building level and
consequences will be assessed, as
appropriate, consistent with the Board’s
policy entitled “Student Discipline.”
Bullying and the Bully
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Categories of Bullying Identified
by the IDOE
Verbal Bullying
Physical Bullying
Social / Relational Bullying
Written Communication /
Electronic Bullying
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Verbal Bullying
 Bullying that includes the use of language to
harm someone’s feeling of safety or selfesteem
 Category one – repeated name calling, insulting
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comments, teasing
 Category two (some of these behaviors are against the
law) – insulting based on a difference such as
race, threatening physical harm
 Category three (most of these behaviors are against the
law) – harassment based on a difference such as
race, repeated or graphic threats, threats to
keep someone silent
Physical Bullying
 Bullying that poses harm to someone's body or
property
 Category one – defacing property, making
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threatening gestures, pushing/shoving, taking
small items from others
 Category two (some of these behaviors are against the law)
– assaulting, damaging personal property,
defacing school property, starting fights, stealing,
tripping others
 Category three (most of these behaviors are against the
law) – acting in a physically cruel manner,
assaulting with a weapon, destroying personal
property, practicing extortion
Social / Relational Bullying
 Bullying that causes harm to someone’s feeling of
acceptance, their reputation, or their relationships
 Category one – giving dirty looks, gossiping, holding
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nose or other gestures, intentionally excluding
someone from a group, rolling eyes, spreading
rumors
 Category two (some of these behaviors are against the law) –
instigating conflict, making comments with the
intent to ostracize, making sexually explicit
comments, playing mean tricks
 Category three (most of these behaviors are against the law) –
arranging public humiliation, enforcing total group
exclusion against someone by threatening others if
they do not comply
Written Communication /
Electronic Bullying
 Bullying that is meant to harm someone’s feeling of
safety or self esteem by way of written or electronic
communication
 Category one – writing derogatory notes to the targeted
individual, writing derogatory notes to others about
the targeted individual, etc.
 Category two (some of these behaviors are against the law) –
harassing with phone calls, posting derogatory
comments on social network sites, posting slander in
public places, sending messages of an insulting nature
via technology, etc.
 Category three (most of these behaviors are against the law) –
posting lewd, sexual or violent images on social
network sites, transmitting lewd, sexual or violent
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images with technology, etc.
Signs a Student is
Bullying Others
 Gets into physical or verbal fights where there is a
power differential
 Have friends that bully others
 Increasingly aggressive in interactions with peers
 Unexplained extra money or new belongings
 Blame others for their problems
 Often do not accept responsibility for their actions
 Uses social media or technology to intimidate
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Bullying vs. Normal Conflict
Rough Play or Teasing
Real Fighting
Bullying
Usually friends and part of their Usually not friends and
normal friendship routine
typically not repeated
Typically not friends and the
behavior is repeated and
negative
Balance of power: roles are
easily swapped
Power is relatively equal
Imbalance of power
No intent to harm and is
discontinued if one friend
becomes upset
Intentional harm doing
Intended to harm either
physically, emotionally, socially
or otherwise
Often used for shared humor
Aggressive, tense, hostile
posturing
Meant to diminish the selfworth of the target
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What is NOT Bullying?
 There are many other types of aggressive behaviors
that do not fit the definition of bullying. This does not
mean that they are any less serious or do not require
intervention.
 Peer conflict
 Teen dating violence
 Hazing
 Gang violence
 Harassment
 Stalking
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Targets and Bystanders
of Bullying
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Targets or Victims of Bullying
 Targets can look different across various school settings
 Active targets
 Busy, active, hot-tempered, immature
 Passive targets
 Quiet, sensitive, physically weaker, afraid of getting hurt
 Special needs targets
 May have an IEP, 504, mental health concerns, or other special
educational needs (such as Autism, low-vision, hearing
problems, etc)
 Students with multi-cultural differences
 Sexual orientation, race, gender, religion, culture, socioeconomic status, etc
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Signs a Student is
Experiencing Bullying
 A change in academic
achievement or aspirations
 A change seen in student’s
typical disposition may
result in the following:
 Less engagement socially
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and/or academically
 Withdrawal or feeling of
alienation
 Lethargic
 Eating habits
 Self destructive behaviors
such as talk about harming
self and/or discipline issues
 Typical attendance patterns
 Increase in anxiety
 Loss of self esteem and
confidence
 Unexplainable injuries
 Lost or destroyed
personal property
 Frequent psychosomatic
symptoms such as
headaches, stomach
aches, and feeling ill
Bystanders of Bullying Situations
Those who watch bullying happen or hear about it
 Some bystanders . . . instigate the bullying by prodding the bully to
begin.
 Other bystanders . . . encourage the bullying by laughing, cheering,
or making comments that further stimulate the bully.
 And other bystanders . . . join in the bullying once it has begun.
 Most bystanders . . . passively accept bullying by watching and
doing nothing. Often without realizing it, these bystanders also
contribute to the problem. Passive bystanders provide the audience a
bully craves and the silent acceptance that allows bullies to continue
their hurtful behavior.
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Why Targets and Bystanders
Don’t Tell
 Targets
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 Bystanders
 Feeling hopeless about the
 The bystander may be
situation
 Past bullying situations
were addressed
inadequately or not at all
 Fear of continued or
increased harassment by
the bully
 Adults minimizing
bullying behaviors and
student’s feelings
getting positive
reinforcement through
laughs, friendships, rewards,
or approval
 Elevates the bystander’s
social standing
 Fear of retaliation from the
bully
Bystander Education
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 Teach students this acronym
 B= Be a friend
 Y= You can make a difference
 S= Speak up
 T= Tell an adult
 A= Act assertively
 N= Never participate in bullying others
 D= Defend them (with your words)
 E= Empathize with them
 R= Role model positive behavior
 S= Show support
Home and Community
Based Support
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Home-based Support
We home to create a home to school
partnership that ensures all students are safe.
Please feel free to contact the teacher or
school with questions or concerns.
Remember bullying is REPEATED in nature
 The event must have occurred more than one
time in order for the action to be considered
bullying
Bullying is not the same as peer conflict where
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both students have equal power
Community Based Support
 All community based organizations working with
our school will have received this training.
 If you know of a bullying situation that has
happened please inform appropriate school staff
members.
 All reported incidents of bullying must be
documented by the school staff so it is vital that
this information is passed along.
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IPS Bullying Prevention and Intervention Committee
 Ginger Arvin, Coordinator of School  Diane Keller, School Psychologist,
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Social Work, Student Services
Department, Chairperson
Deborah Abernathy, Supervisor, IT
Department
Rhonda Clair, School Social Worker,
Crispus Attucks Magnet High School
Christine Collier, Principal, #384
Lisa Davitt, School Social Worker,
#61
Roberta Decker, School Social
Worker, Longfellow Magnet M.S.
Joan Harrell, Executive Director,
Elementary Education Division
Donna Hendley, School Social
Worker, #391
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Broad Ripple Magnet H.S. and #69
Sgt. Floyd Peterson, IPS Police
Shawnieka Pope, School Social Worker,
#14
Mark Pugh, Principal, #90
Joe Radici, Coordinator, Psychological
Services, Special Education
Department
Beverly Robinson, School Counselor,
John Hope Education Center
Laurie Voss, School Social Worker, #74
JyotiWeaver, School Social Worker,
#106
Michele Whaley, Behavior Specialist,
#31
Jane Zobel, School Social Worker, #31