Bullying and Suicide: Implications for Prevention

1. Bullying and Suicide: Implications for Prevention Dr. Scott Poland Nova Southeastern University spoland@nova.edu

2. Reality of Bullying • Bullying peaks in middle childhood • Studies show 15 to 25% of students are being bullied with some frequency • Most common forms are being made fun of, being the subject of rumors, being pushed, shoved, kicked, tripped or spit on • Only 1/3 of the victims told an adult Bullying Facts from the U.S. Department of Education

3. Media Reports Bullying Factor in Suicide Death Phoebe Prince Is it appropriate… Amanda Cummings Tyler Clementi Ryan Halligan Billy Lucas Jamey Rodemeyer Matt Epling Asher Brown Jay “Corey” Jones Rachel Ehmke Ashlynn Conner Kenneth Weishuhn

4. New Term Bullycide Parents believe that schools failure to stop the bullying greatly contributed to their child’s depression and suicide is a foreseeable consequence of the school’s failure to identify and constrain bullies from victimization. Example: Jasperson v. Anoka-Hennepin MN State Appeals Court found the suicide of an 8th grader was not foreseeable to school personnel. School personnel did not know the student continued to be victimized and that his failing grades were due to fear. No causal connection between the conduct of school personnel and the tragic suicide and personnel acted within their discretion without malice and were entitled to official immunity.

5. U.S. Eastern District Court M. v District • 9 year old boy M. hung himself in the school nurses bathroom in 2010 • Special education student with speech, learning disabilities and ADHD • In 2008 his parents referred him for psychological evaluation due to their concerns that he was suicidal • ARD in 2008 identified him as Emotionally Disturbed

6. M. L. Case Continued • Parents filed a law suit after his death under Section 1983 which provides a mechanism to obtain damages against government entities such as schools • Previous 1989 Supreme Court decision government entities can not be held liable for the act of private actors (example student on student violence) unless there was a state created danger or a special relationship existed • Attorneys viewed M. as the test case in state where several bullycide cases have been filed

7. My Criticisms of the ISD • The district lost or misplaced the psych evaluation that qualified M. as ED • They have BASC raw data that includes his self report statements about suicide/depression and the parent ratings about suicidal/depression concerns • He received special education counseling but there is no documentation that the psychologist providing the services ever talked with him about suicidal ideation • From the start of the school year 2009-2010 and his death on 1/21/10 there were 30 behavioral incidents that resulted in him seeing the AP

8. Continued Criticisms • The AP viewed each incident as conflict rather than bullying as that would have required the incidents to be written up and sent to the Superintendent • No evidence that the AP reviewed his IEP or his BIP • M. saw the nurse on 16 occasions that year and on 7 of those occasions he had physical injuries suffered at school • On 12/18/09 five students assaulted M. In the cafeteria before school and he pulled a pocket knife from his pocket but did not open it • M. was sent to the DAEP for 1o days and no MDR was held

9. Continued • His parents appealed the DAEP placement in writing first to the Principal and then to the Assistant Superintendent stating that he had been bullied • The appeals were denied • The DAEP was not notified that M. was a special education student • M. was identified as suicidal at the DAEP and a high school counselor interviewed him and called his father but failed to fill out paperwork as per district protocol in counselor handbook and did not notify his home elementary school of his suicidal ideation

10. Continued • M. was in trouble on his second day back at his home campus and he hung himself in the nurse office bathroom • The nurse had known for two years that she did not have a key to unlock the bathroom door and M.L. and other students had been known to lock themselves in the bathroom and she had to call custodian for help • No one ever told the nurse that M. was known to be suicidal • The day after M. died a new lock was installed and the nurse was provided a key to the bathroom

11. Legal Term: Special Relationship • “In loco parentis doctrine” raises the question of whether a special relationship exists between school officials and students as students are released by parents for control and supervision by school officials • Critical issues are the age and disabilities of the student and whether or not the district placed the student in harms way

12. Doe v Covington Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals: Finds for the district • During 2007-2008 school year and unauthorized stranger checked plaintiff Jane Doe out of her elementary school at least six times and sexually assaulted her. He is currently serving a 10 year prison sentence. Plaintiff claimed the district was deliberately indifferent to her safety and had a special relationship with her • One Circuit court colleague stated, “We can not interpret the special relationship so narrowly that that a helpless 9 year old wrongly delivered to an unauthorized adult falls through the mesh of the Constitutions safety net. The state had a duty to protect Jane and that it why I dissent.”

13. Hope Witsell Tragedy Middle school teen endured months of taunting after she sent a topless photo to a fellow student The day before her suicide, she met with a social worker who had her sign a no suicide contract No other school staff nor the parents were notified and parents found the contract after she hanged herself Do you see a defense in the lawsuit and how do we prevent tragedies like this?

14. School Psychologists: Bullying and Suicide • What can a school psychologist do? • Help implement school-wide bullying and suicide prevention programs • Know the resources and stay current with the literature and best practices • Provide training sessions for staff on bullying and suicide • Advocate for changes in state and/or district guidelines or policies • Be aware of and identifying risk factors for victimization and signs of suicide

15. Texas Bullying Legislation HB 1942 effective June 2011 Defines bullying and School Boards must adopt a policy prohibiting bullying Policies and procedures must be in handbooks and posted on the Web site Boards may transfer students who engage in bullying Districts may include bullying in staff development SBOE to adopt evidenced based practices

16. Texas Suicide Legislation HB 1386 passed 2011 but effective 2012/2013 school year Provide best practices programs that recognize early warning signs and includes victims of bullying Provides for effective intervention and parent notification Included in campus improvement plans and student handbook annually Designate a reporting liaison Prohibits medical screening without parental permission

17. Bullying and Suicide • Children who have been bullied have reported a variety of behavioral, emotional and social problems • Suicide is the third largest cause of mortality in children and adolescents • Most of the studies reported positive associations between all bullying types and suicidal risks

18. What Does the Research Say? • Kaminsky & Fang (2009) victimization by peers is associated with greater reporting of suicidal ideation and behavior • Klomek, Sourander & Gould (2010) found that bullies also have been reported to have an increased prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts • Kim & Leventhal (2008) discussed that any participation in bullying increases the risk of suicidal ideation and behaviors, with the strongest risk for suicide was in Victim-Perpetrators

19. What Does the Research Say? (cont.) • Klomek, Sourander & Gould (2010) reported that the associations between bullying behaviors (whether victim or bully) and suicidality have been found in children of all ages • D’Augelli and colleagues (2005) found that increased sexual orientation-based verbal victimization, as well as psychological abuse from parents, predicted suicide attempts described as ‘‘gay related’’

20. SPRC Brief: Suicide and Bullying • Both victims and perpetrators are at higher risk than peers • Personal characteristics such as internalizing problems; low self-esteem; and low assertiveness increase the risk of being bullied and these factors are also associated with risk for suicide • Children most at risk for suicide are also at risk for being bullied • It is difficult to control all the risk factors to determine if being bullied was a proximal cause to a youth suicide

21. SPRC www.sprc.orgContinued • Personal risk factors alone do not cause a child to be bullied as other key components are family, mistreatment, domestic violence, parental depression and a school environment that lacks adequate support and supervision along with inconsistent discipline • Relationship between bullying and suicide is the strongest for LGBTQ youth • Research on effectiveness of bullying prevention programs is mixed • Promotion of social support, mental health services and connectedness at school is recommended

22. Bullying and Suicide Prevention: Common Strategies • School environment is the key • Family outreach when necessary • Education of parents about warning signs and importance of their involvement • Building relationships with all students • Identification of students and families in need of services and obtaining services for them

23. In Conclusion • Bullying ≠ Suicide • Bullying is a risk factor for suicide • Bullying and suicide prevention are best completed through a comprehensive, systematic approach • A sense of connectedness to others, the community and organizations are key to preventing suicide • US Department of Health & Human Services

24. Contact Information Email: spoland@nova.edu Email: kellybro@nova.edu Website: www.scottpoland.com Articles posted: www.districtadministration.com

25. References D’Augelli, A., Pilkington, N., & Hershberger, S. (2005). Incidence of mental health impact of sexual orientation victimization of lesbian, gay and bisexual youths in high school. School Psychology Quarterly, 17 (2), 148-167. doi: 10.1521/scpq.17.2.148.20854 Kim, Y. & Leventhal, B. (2008). Bullying and suicide. A review. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 20 (2), 133-154. doi: 10.1515/IJAMH.2008.20.2.133 Kaminski, J. & Fang, X. (2009). Victimization by Peers and Adolescent Suicide in Three US Samples. The Journal of Pediatrics, 155 (4), 683-688. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.04.061

26. References (cont.) Klomek, A., Sourander, A., & Gould, M. (2010). The association of suicide and bullying in childhood to young adulthood: A review of cross-sectional and longitudinal research findings. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55 (5), 282-288. Suicide Prevention Resource Center (2011). Suicide and Bullying: Issue brief. http://www.sprc.org/sites/sprc.org/files/library/Suicide_Bullying_Issue_Brief.pdf