|
Stoptextbully.com Bullying doesn’t just happen at school or in person. Text bullying occurs when someone abuses or threatens another by text messaging. Stoptextbully provides advice and resources on how to deal with and stop bullying via mobile phones. ++++++++++ Power and Control Drive School Bullies
Between 15% and 25% of U.S. students have indicated in studies that they have been bullied with some frequency. Between 15% and 25% of U.S. students have indicated in studies that they have been bullied with some frequency. While bullying programs have had some impact on the problem of bullying in the schools, one form of bullying, verbal bullying, continues almost unchecked. Educators tend to see verbal abuse as a conflict between students and to deal with it by using techniques like peer remediation, where kids are brought together to discuss their difference. Experts say peer mediation should never be used in bullying situations because bullying is not about conflict; it is about power and control. Cyberbullying takes place online and through text message sent to cell phones. Cyberbullies can be classmates, online acquaintances, and even anonymous users, but most often they know their victims. Examples of ways kids bully online: Sending someone mean or threatening emails, instant messages, or text messages. Excluding someone from an instant messenger buddy list or blocking their email for no reason. Tricking someone into revealing personal or embarrassing information and sending it to others. Breaking into someone’s email or instant message account to send cruel or untrue messages while posing as that person. Creating websites to make fun of another person such as a classmate or teacher. Using websites to rate peers as prettiest, ugliest, etc.
++++++++++ Stop Cyberbullying A related web page, this one tells you how you can help stop cyberbullying. It includes information on what kids need to know and what parents can do. ++++++++++ New Ways to Tame Bullying in the Schools This article from the LA Times features a program that uses simple symbols to help young children grasp the problem. Cool Tools was developed to help young children grasp abstract concepts like integrity, self-reliance, kindness, fairness and responsibility. Eight tools give children a common language for resolving conflicts. A soap bubble represents each child’s personal space. Toothpaste is another tool – you can’t put toothpaste back in the tube and that reminds children that hurtful words, once spoken, can’t be taken back. A kaleidoscope demonstrates that different people see things differently, but that doesn’t mean somebody else’s point of view is wrong. ++++++++++ PACER Curriculum on Bullying The PACER Center is a central source for families of children and young adults with disabilities to obtain support, advocacy, and information. Is Your Child a Target of Bullying? Is a new, one-of-a-kind curriculum developed for parent audiences of children with disabilities? The curriculum covers disability harassment, common views about bullying and types of bullying, how to talk with your child about bullying, and more. ++++++++++ Bullying Settlement Reached in Teen Suicide Attempt The Anchorage, Alaska School District paid out one million dollars as part of a four and a half million dollar settlement in a case that stemmed from bullying. The boy who was bullied attempted suicide and is severely brain damaged. He was a very bright middle school student with a promising future. Marlene, thanks for sending this on to me. ++++++++++ Two Good Videos at Reasonable Prices These two videos won the CINE Gold Eagle Award for excellence in filmmaking in 2001. In Boys on Bullying, five boys tell how bullying impacted their lives. In The Power of Girls: Inside and Out, five girls’ true stories about growing up include bullying, eating disorders, early sexual activity, and loss. Both are about 20 minutes long and can be purchased at the link above. ++++++++++ Watch It on Your Computer – The National Bullying Prevention Campaign Webcast The bullying prevention webcast that ran last month on the internet is now archived and can be viewed at your convenience on your computer at the Maternal and Child Health Bureau web site. Click on the link above and then again on the title of the program to view it. at the Maternal and Child Health Bureau web site. Click on the link above and then again on the title of the program to view it. ++++++++++ Arizona Teacher Gets Restraining Order Against Student The teacher, Elizabeth Anne Moore, is a high school reading teacher in Phoenix who requested and got a restraining order against a student’s abusive behavior. She told the judge that she was tired of being humiliated by the foulmouthed student and that it has been degrading to endure the student’s vulgar language on an almost-daily basis. The order bars the male student, a 15 year-old sophomore, from having any contact with Moore either on or off campus. The judge also presented Moore with a special cell phone that can be used to make a 911 emergency call should any problems arise. ++++++++++ National Campaign to Stop Bullying The federal government is launching a $3.4 million campaign aimed at curbing school bullying in which bullying is approached as a public health concern. The goal of the campaign is to create a culture in which bullying is not considered cool. It will - make parents aware of warning signs,
- train teachers to intervene in bullying situations, and
- teach children how to stand up and support each other against bullies.
The only successful and proven bullying prevention program I am aware of at this date is the. Dan Olweus, a Norwegian, created this program after three young men in a Norwegian high school committed suicide after having been bullied. OJJDP’s NTTAC (National Training and Technical Assistance Center ) has Olweus bullying prevention trainers available. OJJDP Publications on Bullying: ++++++++++ UCLA Study Finds Bullying in Schools Pervasive and Disruptive According to a new report released by UCLA researchers, more than one in five 12-year-olds are repeatedly either bullies, victims or both, and bullies are often popular and viewed by classmates as the “coolest” in their classes. According to a new report released by UCLA researchers, , and bullies are often popular and viewed by classmates as the “coolest” in their classes. - Bullies are psychologically strong, popular and respected. They are 7% of all students in the study.
- Depression, social anxiety and loneliness are common among victims of bullies. They are 9% of all students in the study.
Bully-Victims, the 6% of students who both bully and get bullied, are the most disturbed group of all. They are by far the most unpopular students, least engaged in school, most disruptive in class, and reported somewhat elevated levels of depression and loneliness. The researchers advise parents to talk to their children about bullying before it happens. They say the older children get the harder it is for them to bring it up. Read more about the advice to parents in the link to the UCLA press release above.
++++++++++ In Their Own Words “Kids don’t just wake up one day and say, I’m going to be bad.” “You hear about violence everywhere – on the news, the radio. You can’t really run from violence – it will always catch you.” “Drugs are not in one place. They’re everywhere.” “Adults don’t talk to us enough.” “When I go to the movies, I can’t tell you how many people I see die. You get so you don’t think it matters anymore.” The Attorney General of the State of Maryland , in a series of forums held in every county of Maryland , asked the children of the state about what is right and what is wrong in their lives. What they had to say is very good: pithy, to the point, wonderfully frank, and although sometimes despairing, mostly positive. What they had to say is very good: The report is organized in sections, Bullying and Discrimination; Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Abuse; After School and Evenings; Media Violence and the Internet; and Counselors, Parents and Mentors. Each begins with student comments followed by what the research says and ending with recommendations. Altogether, a fine document and worth your time to look over at least the executive summary. ++++++++++ Mother Convicted of Contributing to the Suicide of Her Son In Meriden , Conn. A woman was convicted of contributing to the suicide of her 12-year-old son who hanged himself in this closet with a necktie after being picked on for months at school over his bad breath and body odor. ++++++++++ Bullying Prevention Is Crime Prevention A report released by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids on September 8, 2003 shows that new anti-aggression programs can prevent up to half of all bullying which now affects one out of three children in grades six to ten and can lead to violent crime and death. From the report: A report released by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids on September 8, 2003 shows thatwhich now affects one out of three children in grades six to ten and can lead to violent crime and death. From the report: - For children in sixth through tenth grades, nearly one in six – 3.2 million – are victims of bullying each year. An additional 3.7 million bully other children.
- Kids who are bullied are five times more likely to be depressed than other kids, and also far more likely to be suicidal.
- Bullies are much more likely than other kids to carry a weapon to school.
A study in Norway showed that four of every ten boys who bullied others as kids had three or more convictions by the time they turned 24.
The report profiles proven one anti-bullying and two anti-aggression programs that have proven they can produce results. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, first developed in Norway following the suicides of three 10-14 year old boys who had been bullied, can be looked at in detail at the Blueprints for Prevention site of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. In Norway this program achieved a 50% reduction in the number of incidents of bullying and reductions in antisocial behavior. LIFT, Linking the interests of Families and Teachers, is an anti-aggression program shown to produce long term results from a ten-week intervention. LIFT intervenes on three levels. Classroom-based training in social and problem solving skills for students and LIFT instructors offer six training sessions to all parents to reinforce these skills at home. The skills are also tested on the playground where adult monitors reward individuals and groups when they practice positive behaviors. The Incredible Years is the second anti-aggression program profiled in the report. The program was originally designed for children ages two to eight with high levels of aggressive behavior, including but not limited to bullying. It trains parents and children in problem-solving skills and teaches non-aggressive social skills to children so they can learn to get along with others and make friends. An expanded version serves all children in a classroom to work to improve the behavior of every child. The report includes information on two additional programs of particular interest that have not yet been evaluated strenuously and advice from the Justice Department on elements critical to a successful anti-bullying program as well as strategies that really don’t work: peer mediation, zero tolerance policies, and telling victims to “stand up to bullies.” 26 pages in length. Downloadable pdf file. 26 pages in length. Downloadable pdf file. 26 pages in length. Downloadable pdf file. ++++++++++ A Bullying Story with Mixed Results A high school sophomore’s parents brought charges against the popular student whose bullying of their son resulted in a gash in his back that needed nine stitches. The result was not triumph for the underdog, but glamour for his attacker. This article examines bullying from the point of view of the boy and his parents, of school administration, a review of the anti-bullying movement, and Connecticut ’s new state law on bullying. It also may simply be about home truths – one about taking on the son of the head of the local school board and another about the personal cost to the boy whose parents challenged the system. The Washington Post allows readers to view articles for 14 days after they appear in the daily paper. After that, there is a fee. ++++++++++ Ganging Up on Bullying NPR’s Morning Edition included an interview about bullying. Listen to this interview with a teen who has been bullied and find information on how a parent can tell if his/her child is being bullied, previous NPR interviews on the subject, and a list of anti-bullying resources on the web. All on this internet page. From the NPR site, these brief bits of information: - The least effective strategy with bullies is leaving kids to deal with the problem themselves. Education and health experts say parents and teachers much step in.
- Don’t count on a bullying victim to come forth. The child may fear retaliation, or feel guilty about “tattling.”
++++++++++++ Bullying in Schools – One of a series of guides for problem-oriented policing, but don’t be put off by this publication by thinking of it as valuable only to police officers. It does a really good job of defining bullying and the school environments where it is found. Also offers responses to reduce bullying in schools and reviews response that don’t work so well too. This is a pdf file of about 50 pages. Includes a very nice sample brochure for parents about school bullying. For a hard copy call the DOJ Response Center at 800-421-6770. ++++++++++ For information on bullying by girls, see the Girls file in the Archive Section. ++++++++++ AMA Report on Bullying On June 25 the American Medical Association House of Delegates adopted a report by the AMA’s Council on Scientific Affairs that reviewed bullying among U.S. children and adolescents. The report found that: - Bullies represent 7 to 15 percent of sampled school-age populations
- Victims represent about 10 percent.
- Between two and 20 percent of students are both bullies and victims
The report also found that in elementary schools more boys than girls are involved in bullying. In junior high and high school social bullying among girls – manipulation done to harm acceptance into a group – becomes harder to detect. The report includes a number of recommendations, including the following recommendation to physicians: - Physicians should enhance their awareness of the social and mental health consequences of bullying; be vigilant for signs of bullying in young patients; screen for psychiatric symptoms in at-risk patients; counsel affected patients and their families; and advocate for programs to treat perpetrators and victims of bullying.
The press release notes that bullying often is hidden from adults who might intervene because children, afraid that bullies will intensify the abuse, often remain silent. Read the press release here. If you're interested in the complete text of the report, scroll to the end of the press release where you will find a contact. If you're interested in the complete text of the report, scroll to the end of the press release where you will find a contact. If you're interested in the complete text of the report, scroll to the end of the press release where you will find a contact. ++++++++++ A newly released OJJDP Fact Sheet, Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying, reviews juvenile bullying and its effects and the Blueprint Program that addresses the problem. Two pages, downloadable. Scroll down the page about 25 entries. ++++++++++ Chicago's Schools Confront Bullying Chicago’s CARE program will send a team of experts after bullies, gang members, and gang wannabes in a new school safety initiative. The program will also screen the estimated 3,000 students released annually from jails, juvenile facilities and mental institutions. Under the CARE program they could return to school with special support services and extra Saturday classes. See also Bullying Prevention under Blueprints Programs |
Subject Library 
