Bullying

Definition:

"Bullying?is a pattern of repeated aggressive behaviour, with negative intent, directed from one person to another where there is a power imbalance." Dr. Dan Olweus/. 1993

A specific behaviour is bullying when it is?

Repeated over time
Is intended to hurt
Involves a power imbalance

Forms of Bullying are as follows, but not limited to:

Behavioural Activity	Of Concern	Of Serious Concern
Physical Aggression	Pushing Shoving Spitting Kicking Hitting Giving dirty looks Of Serious Concern:	Threatening with a weapon Defacing property Stealing
Written/Verbal Aggression	Mocking Name-calling Giving dirty looks Teasing	Intimidating telephone calls/electronic or written communication Racist, sexist, or homophobic taunting Daring another to do something dangerous Verbal or written threats against property Verbal or written threats of violence or inflicting bodily harm Coercion Extortion
Social Alienation	Gossiping Embarrassing Setting up a student to look foolish Spreading rumours Excluding from group	Inciting hatred Racist, sexist, or homophobic alienation Setting up someone to take the blame Public humiliation Malicious rumour spreading

Responsibilities

School Staff

teach and model social skills and provide opportunities for practicing these skills
take all reported instances of bullying seriously
investigate all reported incidents of bullying
take appropriate action, or refer matter to administration
ensure that all students are aware of what bullying is, that it will be taken seriously and will not be tolerated
to create open, caring and safe learning environments where students feel comfortable reporting bullying
to document the incident and when necessary report it to parents and administration
develop classroom rules and expectations with students
be vigilant in the classroom and observe the social relationships between students
involve police as per section 7 of protocol
provide parents with strategies and support in helping their children deal with conflict
raise awareness of bullying through curriculum opportunities

Victim

remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible
report the incident to a person in a position of authority
be firm and clear with the bully that you want the bullying to stop
do not blame yourself

Bystander

report the incident to a person in a position of authority
refuse to join in
be firm and clear that you want the bullying to stop

Parent/Guardian

become educated on the issue of bullying and victimization
create opportunities for your child to talk about bullying
reinforce with your child the need to resolve conflict in a non-aggressive way
model with your child non-aggressive conflict
teach your child strategies in dealing with bullies
take your child's complaints of bullying seriously
inform the school immediately if you think your child is being bullied or is demonstrating bullying behaviour
teach your child to avoid children with bullying behaviours
support the school on anti-bullying issues and concerns

Police

provide bullying presentations to all students from elementary to secondary level on a minimum two-year rotation basis
work closely with school staff to develop preventative and appropriate intervention as stated in section 20 of the Ontario North East Region Police and School Protocol
all other involvement as described in the Ontario North East Region Police and School Protocol
attend parent forums when requested

School Council

support anti-bullying initiatives and parental education

The Bullying STOPS Here!

Any child can be victimized, and any child can become a bully. Work with school officials to make sure that they are aware of the bully and have an anti-bullying strategy. There are numerous kinds of bullying such as physical, mental or emotionally abusing another person.

Physical bullying involves hitting, pushing or shoving, kicking, spitting, or physical aggression to another person.
Verbal bullying involves mocking, name-calling, teasing/taunting, threatening words, or making fun of someone.
Social Alienation involves gossip, humiliating someone in public, spreading rumours, excluding someone from the group, giving dirty looks.
Other Forms of bullying are threatening with a weapon, defacing property, stealing, racist or sexist comments, daring someone to do something dangerous.

If your child is the bully:

Your first response will be to get defencive but don't!
Investigate what happened between your child and his/her victims.
Talk to school administrators, your child, the victims and their parents.
Make it clear to your child that the family does not tolerate this type of behaviour.
Monitor your child's behaviour and watch their activities. Enforce the rules if they start to bully again and reward them if they stop their habit.

How to prevent further bullying?

Create opportunities for your child to talk to you. Encourage your child to report bullying incidents to you.
Let your child know you will be there for them and that they are not alone.
Reassure your child that the bullying is not their fault and they do not deserve to be bullied.
Teach a bully-proofing strategy, for example, assertiveness.
Help your child find at least one supportive, loyal friend. Welcome your child's friends into your home.
Step in if the situation seems dangerous or if your child continues to suffer.
Find out what policies and procedures exist at the school for dealing with bullying situations.
Ask about our Bullying Mediation Program.

Our Bulling Mediation Program is available to all schools and parents. For more information on the Bullying Mediation Program call: Greater Sudbury Police Service Crime Prevention Branch 675-9171.

Coping with a Child's Anger

It can be alarming or even disappointing to find out that you child has reacted with anger or aggression to a situation.When you see your child responds with anger or aggression, TALK to your child about it.

Consistently reinforce the message "People are not for hitting/biting/kicking".
Suggest Alternatives for their anger like counting to ten, walking away and asking an adult for help.
Practice a situation and see how they will react to the problem.
Isolate the situation which likely led to the problem. Very often confrontation happens when children first start to learn a social skill like joining in or sharing.
Name calling should never be taken lightly as it may lead to a situation involving violence.
Discuss "Bullying" with your children and ask them to tell you whenever there are problems with a bully.
Bullying often involves violent behaviour and emotional abuse.
Bullying is spread by silence and fears don't let it go unnoticed.

Resources

Youth Bullying Pamphlet

Teen Bullying Pamphlet

Parents Bullying Pamphlet

Bullying Activity Booklet

Coping with a child's anger

L'Intimidation pour adolescents

L'intimidation pour les jeunes enfants

L'Intimidation pour parents