The New York State Dignity Act and Bullying Prevention

1. The New York State Dignity Actand Bullying Prevention Part II Presented by: Dr. Susan Lipkins Dr. Karen Siris April 16, May 14 bullyinterventionexperts@gmail.com

2. Bullying is a type of harassment an intentional act of aggression, based on an imbalance of power, that is meant to harm a victim either physically or psychologically. usually occurs repeatedly and over time, however sometimes can be identified in a single event.

3. Spotting “the bully” • Bully may possess a superior trait Attractive Athletic Sociable • Bully leads by intimidation Others follow to avoid becoming the next • Bully gains power by the amount of followers MORE FOLLOWERS = MORE POWER

4. The Bully/Victim Cycle • Identification with the Aggressor • Victims who have been repeatedly bullied often have an increase in aggression • When they are put in a position of control or power they identify with the bully and do onto others what has been done to them • Thus the victim becomes the bully

5. TYPES OF BULLYING BEHAVIORS • PHYSICAL • Hitting, punching, tripping • Kicking, pushing, scratching • Damaging/stealing property • VERBAL • Name calling, teasing, taunting • Making offensive remark • Making discriminatory remarks • Verbally threatening, intimidating • SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL/ RELATIONAL • Excluding or threatening to exclude • Spreading rumors, gossiping • Ostracizing, alienating • Using threatening looks or gestures • Extortion • CYBERBULLYING • Use of the internet or cell phone to harass and intimidate

7. Cyberbullying vs. Face to face bullying • Anonymity • Accessibility • Bystander • Punitive Fears • Victims of cyberbullying often do not report in fear that their computer or phone privileges will be taken away.

8. Gender Differences Males • tend to use physical aggression such as hitting, pushing, slapping, and elbowing another child Females • tend to use the tactics of social alienation and intimidation, such as exclusion from play, manipulation of friendships, gossiping maliciously, or writing malicious notes • Males and females both use extortion

9. Familial Aspects • Mirroring - how we learn • Child is observing mom, dad or sibs as the bully and identifying with them • Child is victim of bullying at home and perpetrator of bullying in school • Child is being bullied at home by siblings or parents and is a victim

10. Psychological Aspects • Human nature? • Conditioning • Genetics • Alleles - The short allele of the MAOA gene induces fear of social rejection, ... those with this allele show greatest conformity to group norms to avoid rejection. • (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2853930/)

11. School Aspects • Bullying incidents are too often unnoticed or ignored • No clear rules and consequences • Culture of “tattling” rather than “telling” or “ratting” rather than “reporting” • Little principal involvement with students • Poor cohesiveness and communication among staff members and between the staff and the principal • Lack of respect among all constituents

12. School Risk Factors • Lack Of Clear Expectations, Both Academic And Behavioral • Lack Of Commitment Or Sense Of Belonging At School • Academic Failure • Parents And Community Members Not Actively Involved

13. School Protective Factors • Communicates High Academic And Behavioral Expectations • Encourages Goal-Setting, Academic Achievement And Positive Social Development • Positive Attitudes Toward School • Fosters Active Involvement Of Students, Parents And Community Members

14. WHAT SCHOOLS CAN DO • Schools need to implement bullying prevention and intervention strategies that fit their school culture • Establish a district policy to prevents and intervenes in all forms of bullying, cyberbullying and harassment

15. Social and Emotional Learning • Children need safe, supportive, and empowering learning environments so they can thrive in school, at home, and in their friendships. Emerging scientific evidence indicates that helping children to become emotionally literate – developing the skills of recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotion – is possible and beneficial. It requires support from all the adults involved in the education of children (teachers, school leaders, and parents), evidence-based practices, and continuous skill-building opportunities from preschool through high school. • Dr. Marc Brackett, Yale University, 2011

16. Positive Culture (what we do in schools) = Positive School Climate (how we feel in schools) All adults in school: • Display warmth, positive tone, interest and involvement • talk to each other and students with respect and understanding • alert other staff members if they are displaying unacceptable behavior toward a student • structure activities to minimize opportunities for exclusion

17. Establish a system of rewards that positively reinforces Pro-Social Behaviors • Rewards should be given to those adults and students who truly and meaningfully achieve anti-bullying goals • Reward bystanders for intervening or reporting bullying. • Reward teachers for establishing bully-free classrooms. • Reward support staff for reporting appropriate information; i.e. as is done with tip lines.

18. HOW? • Commit to training all constituents of the school community in prevention and intervention strategies • Establish a bully intervention team (BIT) at the school building level to insure adherence to the district policy….

19. Bully Intervention Team Who: Principal, mental health professionals, guidance counselors, teachers, non-teaching staff (aides, bus drivers, custodians) What: Create a bully intervention plan that includes methods for prevention and intervention.

20. Bully Intervention Team: • Creates anti-bullying policy • Creates a reporting system that uses a “DECISION TREE” with specific plans of action when incidents are reported • Develops and publicizes hierarchal consequences for bullying behaviors • Develops intervention strategies and trains stakeholders • Reward pro-social behaviors that support the policy

21. Training to Report – WHO? • students • administration, • security personnel, • teachers • coaches, • bus drivers • aides • custodial staff • parents

22. Develop Specific Systems to Report • Develop a 24/7 district-wide anonymous, online system and a telephone hotline; publicize the system • Create “suggestion boxes” in each classroom and at other locations that give students the opportunity to communicate their concerns. • Primary goal is to create a culture where students feel comfortable reporting to a responsible adult

23. Telling vs. Tattling • Tattling “When you tell on someone to get them in trouble.” • Telling - Reporting “When you are telling an adult because you are trying to keep yourself safe, someone else safe or keep the school safe.”

24. Should there be consequences for Failure to Report ??? • ...for personnel who do not report information regarding bullying and other threatening behaviors (similar to child abuse mandates) • …for students who do not report information regarding bullying and other threats of violence.

25. Rationale for threat assessment • FBI and the Secret Service conducted studies of school shootings and found that the perpetrators were often victims of bullying who had become angry and depressed, and were influenced by a variety of social, familial, and psychological factors (O’Toole, 2000; Vossekuil, 2002). • Implications for the school • Issue of homicide/suicide and bullycide.

26. Decision Tree • Evaluate the incident/threat • Is threat transient or substantive? • Get specifics by interviewing the victim, bully and bystanders, individually. • Write down the exact content of the event and statements made by each. • Consider the circumstances and intent.

27. INCIDENT/Threat REPORTED TO BULLY INTERVENTION TEAM • Step 1. Evaluate Incident • interview the instigator, the recipient and the • bystanders • record the statements • review the circumstances and the intentions of all • parties • Step 2. Decide whether incident is clearly transient or • substantive • Consider criteria for transient versus substantive • incidents • Consider student’s age, credibility, and previous • discipline history Incident is clearly transient Incident is substantive or Not clear

28. Incident is clearly transient Incident is very serious Step 3. Respond to transient Incident: reprimand, Parent notification, etc. Student can make Amends and attend mediation or counseling Step 4: Decide whether substantive incident is serious or very serious(threat to assault, use weapon, rape, inflict serious injury • Step 5: Respond to serious Substantive threat • Take immediate pre- cautions to protect • victim • Notify victim’s parents • Notify student’s parent • Consider contacting Law Enforcement • Refer student for counseling, mediation • or appropriate mediation • Discipline student appropriate to severity of • situation • Step 6. Respond to VERY Serious • Substantive threat • Conduct safety evaluation • Take immediate precautions • to protect victims • Notify victim’s parents • Notify student’s parents • Consult with law enforcement • Begin a mental health evaluation • of the student • Discipline student as appropriate

29. Step 7. IMPLEMENT A SAFETY PLAN • Complete a written plan • Maintain contact with the student • Revise plan as needed

30. Incident Interview • Who does the interview? • How will the interview be conducted? • When will the interview take place? • Where will the interview occur? • What form will be used?

31. Disciplinary Consequences Hierarchal • Verbal warning/reprimand to stop bullying behaviors • Parent notification of behavior and expectations • Counseling/support for victim and bully • In-school or out of school suspension • Student can make amends – restorative justice type of activity

32. Disciplinary Consequences SEVERE INCIDENT – If child poses a threat to psychological or physical well being of the school constituents – disrupting learning environment by actions • Alternate school assigned if possible • Homebound instruction until placement assigned • Expulsion is recommended • Law Enforcement consulted • Law Enforcement contacts bully and others involved in case

33. Disciplinary - Logistic • Alter schedule of bully to increase supervision • Alter schedule of bully to minimize contact with recipient • Change or lose transportation • Add adult presence to protect victim • Other safety precaution

34. Therapeutic Discipline Strategies • Student is evaluated for special education • Mental health evaluation by school staff • Mental health evaluation by outside agency Services: • School based counseling • Outside counseling • Out of district therapeutic placement

35. Questions ???

36. Early Intervention • Identify, monitor and track the health and well being of victims or students at risk • Identify students with leadership skills and re-direct them to become more positive leaders • Establish a mentor system in which adults mentor students who are likely to be victimized • Encourage the communitytoconnect to school personnel with their concerns

37. Mental Health Interventions/guidance counselors, social workers and psychologists • Work with individuals who have been identified as being “pre-victims” or “pre-bullies” to change their behaviors • Provide crisis intervention services to victims, bystanders and bullies at the time of an incident • Be the point person for victims and bullies and develop a special working relationship • Work individually and in groups to develop empathy

38. Victim-Intervention • Give victims a VOICE • Teach victims to say NO!-verbally and with appropriate body language • Teach victims to travel with a buddy

39. Victim-Intervention • Provide class experiences where victim is paired with other students to increase pool of relationships and desensitize others to victim • Encourage independent thinking for victim and class, in order to resist bully • Give victims a point person to go to for support and to report incidences.

40. Victim- Counseling • to change behaviors which increase the likelihood of being victimized • to reduce sensitivity • Provide assertiveness training groups • Involve parents appropriately.

41. Bully-Intervention • change the dynamics of power so that the bully is not overtly or covertly reinforced by the teacher, coach or other authority figures • identify the bully as having anti-social behaviors which will lead to trouble • listen to the bully and give him/her a point person to speak with whose role is to help the bully use their leadership skills in a positive manner, emphasizing cooperation, collaboration and equality. • develop empathy in bully

42. Bully-Counseling • use individual counseling sessions to develop empathy and identification with the victim • try to develop insight and understanding of why the bully behaves in that manner • provide alternative approaches to interactions and model cooperative behaviors • discuss short and long term consequences of being a bully • involve parents as needed

43. Bystander Intervention “The whole drama is supported by the bystander. The theater can’t take place if there’s no audience.” (Labi, N. “Let Bullies Beware.” Time online, March 25, 2001.) ENCOURAGE bystanders to: • Speak up to bullies if it is safe to do so • Band together as a group against bullies • Avoid joining in • Ask adults for help • Reach out as friends to isolated peers, be an ally, offer support • Continue to offer victim support at future time

44. Why don’t more bystanders intervene? • They fear getting hurt or fear retribution (becoming the next victim) • They feel powerless to stop the bully.     • They don’t like the victim or believe the victim “deserves” it. • They think that telling adults won’t help or it may make things worse. • They don’t know what to do.

45. Turning Bystanders into Upstanders • Help students understand the dynamics of bullying situations – 80% of students stand by and watch • Train interested students in teaching the strategies of upstanding behaviors • Help the students understand the power they have to make a difference – that THEY are the solution

46. Turning Bystanders into Upstanders • Insure that bystanders understand that adults will support their actions • Teach all children about the reporting system that is in place in your school • Reward “upstanding” behaviors and make them the norm.

47. Teacher Intervention Strategies • Be aware of student friendship and create working partnerships and groups for students that promote positive interactions • Hold class meetings that air student’s concerns and feelings (group guidance, advisory) • Be on the alert for bullying behaviors and step in… Refer to the class charter • Follow established guidelines for hierarchal consequences that have been established for bullying behaviors (physical, social, emotional)

48. Support StaffIntervention Strategies Adequate numbers of TRAINED support staff during unstructured time such as recess, lunch room, hallway passing, bus stops, etc. should be available SUPPORT STAFF: • should be trained in bullying prevention and intervention strategies • should adhere to school rules and acceptable behavior policy • should have time to communicate with classroom teachers and supervisors • should be trained in a reward and consequence system that reinforces positive behaviors and have authority to implement it • should be on alert for bullying behaviors and quickly intervene and report

49. Parent Intervention Strategies • Parents will be taught to recognize the signs of bully and victim behaviors • Parents will be encouraged to model appropriate upstander behavior • Parents will be taught when and how to intervene • Parents will learn how to report incidents • Parents will learn how to support children who are being victimized by bullying and cyber bullying • Parents need to confront excuses and not accept the answer “just joking.”

50. Caring Majority Program • Invite 6th grade students to help create a CARING MAJORITY • Train 6th graders through workshop • Create an “upstander” philosophy • “ambassadors” form teams and create their own grade level presentations • “ambassadors” take a mentoring role in the grade level they have chosen • Caring Majority becomes a part of the school culture and enhances a positive school climate.