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Las Cruces Public Schools Anti-Bullying Policy and Curriculum Plan. Presented by: Dennis Zamora- Las Cruces Public Schools Title I/IV Coordinator Dr. Martin Greer- Las Cruces Public Schools Lead School Psychologist.
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Las Cruces Public Schools Anti-Bullying Policy and Curriculum Plan Presented by: Dennis Zamora- Las Cruces Public Schools Title I/IV Coordinator Dr. Martin Greer- Las Cruces Public Schools Lead School Psychologist
Model Policy Prohibiting BullyingIntimidation, and Hostile or Offensive Conduct The effective education of our students requires a school environment in which students feel safe and secure. The Board of Education is committed to maintaining an environment conducive to learning in which students are safe from bullying, violence, threats, name-calling, intimidation, and unlawful harassment.
JICK-Model Policy Prohibiting BullyingIntimidation, and Hostile or Offensive ConductDefinition: 1.“Unlawful harassment” means verbal or physical conduct based on a student’s actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, religion, or disability and which has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with a student’s educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment. Sexual harassment of students and hazing are addressed by separate Board policies. 2. “Bullying” means intimidating or offensive verbal or physical conduct toward a student when such conduct is habitual or recurring, including, but not limited to, threats and name-calling. 3. “Name-calling,” means the chronic, habitual, or recurring use of names or comments to or about a student regarding the student’s actual or perceived physical or personal characteristics when the student has indicated by his or her conduct, that the names or comments are unwelcome, or when the names or comments are clearly unwelcome, inappropriate, or offensive by their nature.
JICK-MODEL POLICYPROHIBITION OF STUDENT HARASSMENT BASED ON RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, OR DISABILITY The Board forbids discrimination against any student on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability (referred to herein as “protected characteristics”), on school premises, at any school sponsored activities, or during any school supplied transportation, by any students, employees, non-employee volunteers, or any other persons who are subject to the control of school authorities.
JICK-MODEL POLICYPROHIBITION OF STUDENT HARASSMENT BASED ON RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, OR DISABILITY Definition of Harassment on the Basis of Protected Characteristics For purposes of this Policy, “harassment on the basis of protected characteristics” is verbal or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of his or her race, color, religion, national origin, or disability, and that: A. Has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment; B. Has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with the student’s ability to benefit from any educational program or service provided by the School District; and C. Is so offensive or pervasive as to adversely effect the educational performance of the student.
PROPOSED POLICY JICK-SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF STUDENTS • The effective education of our students requires a school environment in which students feel safe and secure. Sexual harassment of students, whether by employees or by other students, impairs the proper atmosphere for education, and often creates an inequitable climate for learning.
JICK-SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF STUDENTSDefinitions and Standards of Conduct • Between an employee and a student, sexual harassment is any conduct of a sexual nature. Between students, sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. Specific definitions follow. 1.Conduct of a Sexual Nature • Conduct of a sexual nature may include, but is not limited to: • verbal or physical sexual advances, including subtle pressure for sexual activity; • repeated or persistent requests for dates, meetings, and other social interactions; • sexually oriented touching, pinching, patting, staring, pulling at clothing, or intentionally brushing against another; • showing or giving sexual pictures, photographs, illustrations, messages, or notes; • writing graffiti of a sexual nature on school property; • comments or name-calling to or about a student regarding alleged physical or personal characteristics of a sexual nature; • sexually-oriented "kidding," "teasing," double-entendres, and jokes; and • any harassing conduct to which a student is subjected because of or regarding the student's sex.
JICK- MODEL POLICY PROHIBITING HAZING The Board of Education finds that practices known under the term “hazing” are dangerous to the physical and psychological welfare of students, and should be prohibited in connection with all school activities.
JICK- MODEL POLICY PROHIBITING HAZING Definition Hazing includes, but is not limited to, • engaging in any offensive or dangerous physical contact, restraint, abduction, or isolation of a student, or • requiring or encouraging a student to perform any dangerous, painful, offensive, or demeaning physical or verbal act, including the ingestion of any substance, exposure to the elements, deprivation of sleep or rest, or extensive isolation, or • subjecting a student to any dangerous, painful, harmful, offensive, or demeaning conduct, or to conduct reasonably likely to create extreme mental distress, • as a condition of membership in, or initiation into, any class, team, group, or organization sponsored by, or permitted to operate under, the auspices of, a school of the School District, or for similar or related purposes, provided, that such conduct shall not be considered hazing when it is a recognized and integral part of the particular sport or activity.
Bullying Facts and Statistics Prevalence • Almost 30% of youth in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. In a recent national survey of students in grades 6-10, 13% reported bullying others, 11% reported being the target of bullies, and another 6% said that they bullied others and were bullied themselves.* * Nansel, T.R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, W.J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association With Psychosocial Adjustment., 285(16), 2094-2100.Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094-2100.
Bullying Facts and Statistics • More than 50% of teens (ages 12 to 17) witness at least one bullying or taunting incident in school each week (NCPC, 2005). • Students in grades 7 to 12 say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings; 86% said, “other kids picking on them, making fun of them, or bullying them” can cause teenagers to turn to lethal violence in schools (Cerio, 2001).
Male vs. Female Bullying takes on different forms in male and female youth. While both male and female youth say that others bully them by making fun of the way they look or talk, males are more likely to report being hit, slapped, or pushed. Female youth are more likely than males to report being the targets of rumors and sexual comments.[*] While male youth target both boys and girls, female youth most often bully other girls, using more subtle and indirect forms of aggression than boys. For example, instead of physically harming others, they are more likely to spread gossip or encourage others to reject or exclude another girl. * Nansel, T.R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, W.J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association With Psychosocial Adjustment., 285(16), 2094-2100.Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094-2100.
Mean Girls Relational Aggression-RA Relational (or Alternative) Aggression • Behavior that aims to manipulate the web of 3rd party relationships in order to hurt a particular individual. Spreading rumors, gossip, lies,-- telling secrets; eye-rolling, exclusion, and 'the silent treatment' all aim to promote cruelty through the social networks.
Risk Factors for Bullying Behavior While many people believe that bullies act tough in order to hide feelings of insecurity and self-loathing, in fact, bullies tend to be confident, with high self-esteem.[*], They are generally physically aggressive, with pro-violence attitudes, and are typically hot-tempered, easily angered, and impulsive, with a low tolerance for frustration. Bullies have a strong need to dominate others and usually have little empathy for their targets. Male bullies are often physically bigger and stronger than their peers.[*] Bullies tend to get in trouble more often, and to dislike and do more poorly in school, than teens who do not bully others. They are also more likely to fight, drink and smoke than their peers.[*] * Nansel, T.R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, W.J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association With Psychosocial Adjustment., 285(16), 2094-2100. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094-2100.
Risk Factors for Being Targeted by Bullies • Children and youth who are bullied are typically anxious, insecure, and cautious and suffer from low self-esteem, rarely defending themselves or retaliating when confronted by students who bully them.[*] They are often socially isolated and lack social skills. One study found that the most frequent reason cited by youth for persons being bullied is that they "didn't fit in."[*] Males who are bullied tend to be physically weaker than their peers. Long-term Impact on Youth • There appears to be a strong relationship between bullying other students and experiencing later legal and criminal problems as an adult. In one study, 60% of those characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had at least one criminal conviction by age 24.Chronic bullies seem to maintain their behaviors into adulthood, negatively influencing their ability to develop and maintain positive relationships.[*]
“In a nutshell: Don't Feed the Bully is an important self-help book for pre-teens that is cleverly disguised as a hilarious, fictional novel. Don't Feed the Bully provides practical advice to children on the extremely important topic of bullying. Yet it delivers that advice in a humorous, captivating plot that makes putting the book down nearly impossible. I urge educators to adopt this as required reading for your middle-school children. Doing so would be a major step forward in tackling the serious problem of bullying, which continues to lead to escalating violence in our schools.” Barnes and Noble.com reviewer, 5/12/2007 ***** • “'Don’t Feed the Bully' has been critically acclaimed for helping kids become aware of bullying behavior and solve situations before they become violent. It has won the Top Choice Award for best teen novel from Flamingnet.com." Amie Slevin, Noblesville Ledger
Risk Factors for Being Targeted by Bullies • Bullying can lead the children and youth that are the target of bullying to feel tense, anxious, and afraid. It can affect their concentration in school, and can lead them to avoid school in some cases. If bullying continues for some time, it can begin to affect children and youth's self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. It also can increase their social isolation, leading them to become withdrawn and depressed, anxious and insecure. In extreme cases, bullying can be devastating for children and youth, with long-term consequences. Researchers have found that years later, long after the bullying has stopped, adults who were bullied as youth have higher levels of depression and poorer self-esteem than other adults * Nansel, T.R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, W.J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association With Psychosocial Adjustment., 285(16), 2094-2100. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094-2100.
Effective Programs Effective programs have been developed to reduce bullying in schools. Research has found that bullying is most likely to occur in schools where there is a lack of adult supervision during breaks, where teachers and students are indifferent to or accept bullying behavior, and where rules against bullying are not consistently enforced.[*] * Nansel, T.R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, W.J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association With Psychosocial Adjustment., 285(16), 2094-2100. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094-2100.
Effective Programs While approaches that simply crack down on individual bullies are seldom effective, when there is a school-wide commitment to end bullying, it can be reduced by up to 50%. One approach that has been shown to be effective focuses on changing school and classroom climates by: raising awareness about bullying, increasing teacher and parent involvement and supervision, forming clear rules and strong social norms against bullying, and providing support and protection for all students. This approach involves teachers, principals, students, and everyone associated with the school, including janitors, cafeteria workers, and crossing guards. Adults become aware of the extent of bullying at the school, and they involve themselves in changing the situation, rather than looking the other way. Students pledge not to bully other students, to help students who are bullied, and to make a point to include students who are left out.
Bullying Warning Signs The following may be signs that your child is being bullied: • Avoiding certain situations, people, or places, such as pretending to be sick so that he or she does not have to go to school • Changes in behavior, such as being withdrawn and passive, being overly active and aggressive, or being self-destructive • Frequent crying or feeling sad • Signs of low self-esteem • Being unwilling to speak or showing signs of fear when asked about certain situations, people, or places • Signs of injuries • Suddenly receiving lower grades or showing signs of learning problems • Recurrent unexplained physical symptoms such as stomach pains and fatigue
Helping a Youth Who Bullies Others • When evaluating a child or adolescent who has been bullying others, it is helpful to understand the context in which the child or adolescent acted. It is also important to screen children who bully for ADHD, depression, suicidality, bipolar disorder, child maltreatment, and substance abuse disorders. Ask the child or adolescent about exposure to violence in his/her home, neighborhood, and school, and through the media. • Talk to family members whenever possible, in order to assess family functioning and any parental symptoms and distress (e.g., substance/alcohol abuse problems, mood disorders, and/or marital conflict). If parents are having difficulties, encourage them to seek outside support (e.g., from relatives, parent support groups, faith-based communities, mental health services) and make appropriate referrals.
Helping a Youth Who Bullies Others • Discuss the seriousness of bullying behavior. • Help parents or caregivers to develop reasonable expectations for their child or adolescent. • Educate them about the negative effects of physical punishment. • Help them to develop strategies to set limits, to monitor and closely supervise their child's behavior, and to effectively discipline their child or adolescent. • Encourage parents and other caregivers to communicate and collaborate with staff at their school in order to develop a consistent approach to their child's bullying behavior.
Helping a Youth Who Bullies Others • When the bullying problem is severe, a combined intervention with both the child or adolescent and the family may be required, addressing the child's or adolescent's functioning in the areas of family life, relationship with peers, and school. Primary care health professionals need to determine when mental health referrals for the child or adolescent and/or the family are appropriate and when social service and/or legal agencies should be involved.
Parent Response to BullyingIf Your Child Is Being Bullied • First, listen to your child. Just talking about the problem and knowing that you care can be helpful and comforting. Make sure that your child knows that you do not blame or feel disappointed in him or her. Ask your child what he or she thinks should be done. What has your child tried? What worked and what didn’t?
Parent Response to BullyingIf Your Child Is Being Bullied • Encourage your child not to retaliate against the bully or to let the bully see how much he or she has upset your child. Getting a response just reinforces the bullying behavior. Tell your child that if at all possible, he or she should stay calm and respond evenly or firmly (e.g., "I don't like your teasing and I want you to stop right now" or "Stop doing that now. If you keep on, I'm going to report you to the principal."). Some children find it works to just say nothing and walk away. At other times, it can be more effective to make a joke, laugh at oneself, or to use humor to defuse the situation. Brainstorm with your child to develop some effective responses. Then role-play different approaches and responses with your child so that he or she will be prepared the next time.
Parent Response to BullyingIf Your Child Is Being Bullied • Encourage your child to go immediately to a teacher, principal, or other nearby adult if he or she feels seriously threatened. • You may also want to help your child to develop strategies to avoid situations where bullying can happen and to avoid being alone with bullies. If bullying occurs on the way to or from school, your child may want to take a different route, leave at a different time, or find others to walk to and from school with. If bullying occurs at school, your child may want to avoid areas that are isolated or unsupervised by adults, and stick with friends as much as possible.
Parent Response to BullyingIf Your Child Is Being Bullied • Encourage your child to form strong friendships. A child or teen who has loyal friends is less likely to be singled out by a bully, and they can be valuable allies if your child is targeted. If your child lacks friends, help him or her to develop more friendships. Encourage your child to participate in positive social groups that meet his or her interests, such as after-school groups, church groups, extra-curricular activities, or teams. In addition to helping your child make friends, these activities can help to develop your child’s special skills and rebuild his or her self-confidence.
Parent Response to BullyingIf Your Child Is Being Bullied • In many cases, bullying won’t require your involvement. If the bullying is persistent and is harming your child’s emotional health, you need to intervene by talking to your child’s teacher, school counselor, or principal about the problem in order to make sure your child is safe, that effective consequences are applied toward the bully, and that monitoring at school is adequate. Advocate for the involvement of the bully’s parents. Suggest that the school implement a comprehensive anti-bullying program.
Parent Response to BullyingIf Your Child Is Bullying Others • If you learn that your child is bullying others, sit down and talk with your child immediately. It is important to take the problem seriously, because children and youth who bully others are at a greater risk for serious problems later in life. Give your child an opportunity to explain his/her behavior, but do not accept any excuses or justifications. Make it clear that bullying will not be tolerated and outline the consequences for further unacceptable behavior. If the problem is occurring at school, tell your child you support the school’s right to punish him/her if the behavior persists. • Encourage your child to try to understand how the bullying feels to his/her victim. Bullies often have trouble empathizing with their victims so it is important to discuss with your child how bullying feels. How would your child feel if it happened to him/her? If you or someone close to you has been bullied in the past, you might want to share the story with your child, discussing the emotional impact.
Parent Response to BullyingIf Your Child Is Bullying Others • Increase your supervision of your child’s activities and whereabouts, and know who your child is spending time with. Make an effort to observe your child in one-on-one interactions. Stop any show of aggression immediately and help your child find other, nonviolent ways of reacting to certain situations. Praise your child for appropriate behaviors. • If the bullying continues, you need to seek help for your child. Without intervention, bullying can lead to serious academic, social, emotional and legal difficulties. Talk to your child's pediatrician, teacher, principal, school counselor, or your family physician. If the bullying continues, a comprehensive evaluation by a child and adolescent psychiatrist or other mental health professional should be arranged. The evaluation can help you and your child understand what is causing the bullying and help you develop a plan to stop the destructive behavior
Treating a Bullying Victim • Tell the child or adolescent that you care and are concerned. Ask the child to tell you what is going on and provide an opportunity for the child to talk to you openly. Explain that telling is not tattling and that you need the information in order to help. When the child begins to talk, respond in an accepting and positive way. Make it clear that the bullying is not the child's fault, and that telling you was the right thing to do. • Gather a complete violence history from the child or adolescent that addresses exposure to violence, safety issues, stressors in school, family, and community.
Treating a Bullying Victim • Talk to the child's parents/caregivers about bullying and its seriousness. Address any myths they might hold about bullying. Some parents may believe that bullying is a normal part of childhood and that children are best left to work it out among themselves. Some believe that fighting back is the best way to stop bullying. • Provide the child's parents with information about bullying and how to help their child respond to bullying. • Provide the child or adolescent with information on bullying. • Encourage the child's school to implement a comprehensive violence prevention plan that includes an anti-bullying component.
School Bullying Prevention • Effective programs have been developed to reduce bullying in schools. Research has found that bullying is most likely to occur in schools where there is a lack of adult supervision during breaks, where teachers and students are indifferent to or accept bullying behavior, and where rules against bullying are not consistently enforced.
School Bullying Prevention • While approaches that simply crack down on individual bullies are seldom effective, when there is a school-wide commitment to end bullying, it can be reduced by up to 50%. One approach that has been shown to be effective focuses on changing school and classroom climates by: raising awareness about bullying, increasing teacher and parent involvement and supervision, forming clear rules and strong social norms against bullying, and providing support and protection for all students. This approach involves teachers, principals, students, and everyone associated with the school, including janitors, cafeteria workers, and crossing guards. Adults become aware of the extent of bullying at the school, and they involve themselves in changing the situation, rather than looking the other way. Students pledge not to bully other students, to help students who are bullied, and to make a point to include students who are left out
Reacting to BullyingComplied by Dennis Zamora- Title IV Coordinator- Las Cruces Public SchoolsThe way schools react is important- • The most effective thing that a school can do to reduce bullying is to have a policy outlining how the issue is raised within the curriculum, and how incidents are dealt with after they have happened i.e. the policy must acknowledge the need for both pro-active and re-active strategies. But no school has the answer to every problem, and no single method can be used to deal with all bullying incidents.
Reacting to BullyingThe way schools react is important- • The way in which adults react to bullying contributes to the ethos of the school and can help to make it more or less likely that bullying will happen in future. Ignoring the problem encourages it to flourish. A heavy-handed approach can drive it underground. However, a positive, open response will encourage young people to speak up about matters that concern them and will improve the learning environment by promoting more caring and responsible patterns of behaviors.
Reacting to BullyingHow should schools react? This will depend upon: • The circumstances - always assess the true nature of an incident before applying any strategy. Group bullying or "mobbing" needs to be handled differently from problems created by an individual who persistently bullies others. Such a person's bullying may be merely one manifestation of a plethora of problems. • The existing practices and resources of the school - for example, there is no point trying to encourage a counseling approach if potential counselors are not given the training, time and support needed to fulfill the task.
Which strategies are best? • Schools are getting better at dealing with bullying but it will be some time before a quick resolution of all incidents can be guaranteed. Sometimes all that is needed is a simple word or two from a teacher to make children realize that what they are doing is wrong. At the other extreme some bullying remains intractable. The development of new ideas continues and all it is possible to do at the moment is to list some of the strategies for which success has been claimed and to provide a few words of commentary on each.
