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Bullying, Harassment, School-based Violence
This page was last updated on 10/30/08 If you know of errors please click here to let us know. 

 

The academic consequences of bullying are severe, not to mention the mental and physical well-being of targeted students and bystanders alike. Bullying is not a new phenomenon, of course, but neither is it an unalterable fact of childhood. School-wide anti-bullying projects, involving parents and non-teaching staff along with teachers and student leaders have been shown to reduce harassment by as much as fifty percent. 


Hand Are Not For Hurting
 A youth music video created by teens for school students
to increase awareness of interpersonal violence.
Young men are taking the lead in stopping gender violence.
 Produced & directed by Todd Denny.

 

 


 

 

and...



Listen to:
"Sticks and Stones" (0:48)
by Todd Denny - part of the Music Violence Prevention (MVP) curriculum
Warning: this song uses actual slurs in rap form.



 


  
Opt-Out Form: a great cartoon by Steve Sack, a Minneapolis/St. Paul MN Star-Tribune editorial cartoonist. It is published on the Safe Schools Coalition's website with his permission - "as long as it's not used in a commercial venture". http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/images-SSCweb/OptOutFormCartoon-bySteveSack.pdf (pdf format)

 

 

 

 


 

Handouts from the Safe Schools Coalition   

NEW! Use Another Word:  This simple student driven activity written by Nancy Meltzoff works well across all grade levels when administration and staff are supportive. It is also a good example of an activity that may help garner support from administration and staff for anti bullying efforts. Great doable project for GSA students! http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/UseAnotherWord.pdf ~ pdf format 

Alone, together: This wonderful 9.03 minute film was created by Angeline Candido, Daphne Chu, Donna Freedman, Shannon Goodwin, and Margaret Gordon at the University of Washington Summer Institute in Arts and Humanities; with with support from the Respect For All Project at GroundSpark. It is posted on the Safe School Coalition website with permission of the filmmakers who wrote: "This film was developed to encourage self-reflection about witnessing, surviving, or instigating violence and harassment. Through understanding and  sharing our experiences, we can better confront them and act to transform our environment." http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org//movies/AloneTogether.html

For full credits see this page.  To contact the filmmakers, use this form.

alone, together guide: a tool for watching and discussing the film.
http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/movies/AloneTogether_filmguide.pdf (118 KB 4 page pdf file)

alone, together curriculum: composed of different activities designed to bring issues like bullying, violence, difference and stereotypes to the forefront of the classroom.
 http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/movies/AloneTogether_curriculum.pdf (1,007 KB 11 page pdf file)

2005 National School Climate Survey. from The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN):
http://www.glsen.org/binary-data/GLSEN_ATTACHMENTS/file/585-1.pdf  (pdf format)

"Adolescent Masculinity, Homophobia, and Violence: Random School Shootings, 1982-2001" by Michael S. Kimmel and Matthew Mahler, State University of New York at Stony Brook. AMERICAN BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST, Vol. 46 No. 10, June 2003 1439-1458, DOI: 10.1177/0002764203251484 © 2003 Sage Publications. Available online: http://www.health.columbia.edu/pdfs/adolescent_masculinity.pdf (pdf format)

4GirlsHealth: offers great sections for girls, for educators and for parents and guardians: http://www.4girls.gov/4girls.cfm?page=bullying/index.htm

"Be An Ally, Be A Friend" resource guide from GLAAD, the Gay, Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. It includes sections on: 10 Ways to be an Ally & a Friend; Is your child gay?; Teen & student allies; Stop anti-gay violence & bullies; Images in the media; When your mom or dad is gay; The workplace & LGBT issues; Equal rights, not special rights; Faith issues; Straight spouses; Concerns about HIV/AIDS; Additional Online Resources; Books.   Online here.  

"Brothers, Sisters and Friends" from Bullying at School: Advice for Families. Brothers, sisters and friends often know that someone is being bullied long before teachers and parents do. Here's advice for students who feel confused about what to do for a brother, sister or friend: http://www.scre.ac.uk/bully/bother.html

Bullying Among Young Adolescents: The Strong, the Weak and the Troubled: The largest investigation to date on bullying and victimization among urban ethnic minority youth finds that there are significant differences between bullies, victims and students who are both, suggesting that different kinds of intervention are in order. Victims suffer emotional distress, but are unlikely to draw attention to their difficulties. Students who are both bullies and victims are by far the most troubled, socially ostracized by their peers, the least engaged in school and the most likely to display conduct problems. Bullies tend to enjoy high social status among their peers, even though classmates tend to avoid their company: abstract: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/112/6/1231

Bullying and Bias-Based Harassment in King County Schools: this Data-Watch report from Public Health - Seattle & King County analyzes a Washington statewide study of bullying among 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th graders and a Seattle Public Schools study of high school students that asked about three types of bias-based harassment (race-, gender- and orientation-based harassment): http://www.metrokc.gov/health/datawatch/bullying.pdf  (pdf format)

Bullying in Schools: Harassment Puts Gay Youth at Risk: a free 3-page handout from the National Mental Health Association: http://www.nmha.org/pbedu/backtoschool/bullyingGayYouth.pdf (pdf format)

Bullying, It's Not Okay: Brochure for parents contains sections on "When your Child is the Victim," "When your Child is the Bully," and "When your Child is a Bystander." It was jointly produced by the Washington State Medical Association, the Washington State Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Washington State Attorney General's Office. It is now available free online: http://www.wa.gov/ago/safetytools.html

Bullying Prevention: The web site on Safe Schools/ Safe Communities from the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (U. of Colorado, Boulder) contains a great section called "Bullying Prevention Page." It includes definitions, myths; bullying prevention tips for students, for parents, and for schools; model legislation (Colorado's law on "Safe Schools - Bullying Policy"); fact sheets and wonderful links: http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/safeschools (then click on "Bullying Prevention" in menu on the left)

Bullying Report: How Are Washington State Schools Doing? This report by Lauren Hafner, researcher for The Washington State PTA and The Safe Schools Coalition  examines the variety and scope of anti-bullying policies and procedures that school districts in Washington State have adopted in accordance with "The Anti-Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying [HIB] Act of 2002." http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/bullyreport/bullyreport12-03.html 

Bullying special: Don't be a victim. Read here and learn how to cope with bullying and how to get on with your life after it stops.: by Jason Mitchell, a gay man in the UK who was bullied when he was in school. This article on his interesting web site "Being Gay is OK" looks specifically at homophobic bullying.  http://www.bgiok.org.uk/bullying_special.htm

California's Department of Education: Web site offers suggestions and links to anti-bullying resources, many in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, at http://www.cde.ca.gov/spbranch/ssp/bullyhmb.htm

Dealing With Namecalling - a 48 page resource for intermediate teachers from the Gay & Lesbian Educators of Vancouver BC, Canada.  http://www.galebc.org/namecalling05.pdf    (pdf format)

Discussing Hate and Violence with Children: from the Anti-Defamation League: http://www.adl.org/issue_education/Hate_and_violence.asp

in the sidebar:

  • Talking to Your Child About Hatred and Prejudice
  • Responding to Hate-Motivated Behaviors
  • A Parent's Guide to Hate on the Internet
  • What to Tell Your Children About Prejudice - In English or En Espanol
  • Tool for Teachers

Discussing Hate and Violence with Children: from the PTA: http://www.pta.org/archive_article_details_1117814492781.html

with links there to:

  • 10 Things You Can Do to Prevent Violence in Your School Community

  • Understanding Bullying

Direct From the Field: A Guide to Bullying Prevention, from the Massachusetts Department of Health: This 123-page guide to the prevention of bullying was sent to every school district Massachusetts on May 1, 2008. It contains tips and statistics to help teachers and principals stop bullying. Download it here: http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/com_health/violence/bullying_prevent_guide.pdf  (pdf format)

Harassment-Free Hallways: How to Stop Sexual Harassment in School: The American Association of University Women (AAUW) offers this action-oriented resource addressing harassment in schools. Free online at http://www.aauw.org/ef/harass/index.cfm. The guide features: Targeted checklists and surveys, Practical strategies to help prevent harassment, Examples of model policies and prevention programs, Separate downloadable sections specifically geared to various audiences, A survey, resource list, and safety plan for students, An extensive list of resources.

"Hatred in the Hallways: Violence and Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students in U.S. Schools" Based on in-depth interviews with 140 youth and 130 teachers, administrators, counselors, parents, and youth service providers in seven states, this report offers the first comprehensive look at the human rights abuses suffered by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students at the hands of their peers. Full report available on line [ http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/uslgbt/] and paperback book version is available from Human Rights Watch for $15 + $5 s/h. Order online or call 212-290-4700.

“Hostile Hallways: Bullying, Teasing, and Sexual Harassment in School”: A report on the findings of a nationally representative survey of 2,064 eighth- through 11th-graders, it investigates sexual harassment in public schools: http://www.aauw.org/member_center/publications/HostileHallways/hostilehallways.pdf   (pdf format)

Incidence and Implications of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence in K-12 Schools: This 112-page paper by Nan Stein, Ed.D. of the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, cites among dozens of studies GLSEN's and Safe Schools Coalition's research. View it as a PDF file at: http://hamfish.org/pub/nan.pdf  (pdf format)

Information on bullying and sexual harassment: links to research and curriculum resources, from The Committee For Children: http://www.cfchildren.org/bully.html

In memory of Jared High:  Jared Benjamin High was a middle school student who committed suicide in 1998. His mother, Brenda L. High, names it a "Bullycide". http://www.jaredstory.com


King County Middle School Statistics on Bullying, Harassment and Intimidation: from the 2006 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey results, released March 21, 2007.  http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/KingCoBullyingStats-HYSgrades6&8-2006.pdf   (pdf format)

 

Knowledge Path: Adolescent Violence Prevention: from the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University, this web site is *rich* with resources on youth violence: http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_adolvio.html#Journal

 

"Maine’s Best Practices in Bullying and Harassment Prevention: A Guide for Schools and Communities" Published in 2006 by the Maine Governor’s Children’s Cabinet. 60 pages. Practical, useful and inclusive. http://www.maine.gov/education/bullyingprevention/bullying.pdf  (pdf format) 

Mobile Phone Bullying: What it is and how to stop it: from the BBC (British Broadcasting Company): http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/bullying/mobile.shtml

The Next Step is Ours - WSPTA’s Guide to Implementation of the Anti-Bullying Bill: This excellent guide by the Washington State PTA is designed to assist a PTA leader and to encourage activism in the implementation of the law. It includes background on the 2002 Washington State law prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying; model policy and procedures and role of the school administrator; steps to take for implementation; questions PTA members should ask; and more. http://www.wastatepta.org/programs/Legislation/antibully_publication2002.pdf (pdf format)
 Peer Abuse Know More!: This site gives an overview of the psychological aspects of bullying in children and adults.  Contains lots of links. http://www.peerabuse.info

Raven Days: a frank, sobering web site on bullying, a place where current and former outsiders can gather, for support in dealing with the status quo, and for help in changing it: http://www.ravendays.org  

The Respectful School: How Educators and Students Can Conquer Hate and Harassment: S. Wessler and W. Preble, 2003. ISBN: 0-87120-783-4. Draws on research and the experience of young victims to explain fundamental changes that every school should make to preserve a respectful learning environment. LGBT-inclusive. Browse (read excerpts of) this book online: http://rdr.sbml.cc/Click?q=57-YJBXII09Fpwy6tvF0FCVtdQG  Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. $23.95, $18.95 for ASCD members.

Responding to Hate at School - A guide for teachers, counselors and administrators from Teaching Tolerance. http://www.tolerance.org/pdf/rthas.pdf   (pdf format)

Safe Passage: Voices from the Middle School: a web page for parents and educators on bullying from the Learning Network: http://familyeducation.com/topic/front/0,1156,24-18106,00.html  

Safe Place to Learn: This 2004 California statewide study is the largest  ever  of  anti- gay  harassment in schools . It shows the  problem is  widespread,  dangerous and  preventable. Despite an anti-harassment law that took effect four years ago this month, harassment and bullying based on sexual orientation remain persistent and pervasive in California schools. 7.5% of California's middle and high school students, more than 200,000 students every year, are targets of harassment based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, according to a study released today by the California Safe Schools Coalition. The Safe Place to Learn study, including 26 times more respondents than any previous study on the issue, found that such widespread bullying has dangerous academic, health and safety consequences for students. The study is among the first to document that schools can take concrete steps to reduce harassment and improve student health and safety. Download the 2-page summary at http://www.casafeschools.org/SafePlacetoLearnFactSheet.pdf and the whole report at http://www.casafeschools.org/SafePlacetoLearnLow.pdf (pdf format)

Security On Campus: 133 Ivy Lane, Suite 200 King Of Prussia, PA 19406; Phone: 1-888-251-7959; This national non-profit organization is concerned with the safety of college students. It was established in 1987 by the parents of Jeanne Clery after her brutal rape and murder in her Lehigh University residence hall. She was killed by a fellow student, a habitual alcohol and drug abuser, that she did not know. Ever since then SOC has worked to ensure that other students were warned about the campus crime dangers they may face. Links to resources for: alcohol, underage drinking, & drunk driving; fire safety; stalking; hazing; sexual assault; cyber safety; hate crimes (including the Safe Schools Coalition website); and other resources. Email: safetymonth@securityoncampus.org; Web: http://www.campussafetymonth.org/

Staci's Place: No More Bullies! This site by the Ontario Director of Bully Police Canada contains Anti-Bullying Ideas, Links, Books and a page called "Accountability Archive: Lawsuits and Settlement Lists" http://www.brandijasmine.com/web/staci/

Stop Bullying Now: web site with some interactive sections for elementary-aged children as well as great, downloadable handouts for adults, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration: http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

Take Action Against Bullying: a free 12-page handout for parents from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: http://media.shs.net/ken/pdf/SVP-0056/SVP-0056.pdf (pdf format)

Take It Back: A Manual for Fighting Slurs on Campus: This amazing 50-page manual is available FREE online from the GSA network. "Through student organizing and activism, you can work to prevent slurs and respond effectively when they happen; you can focus on the source, meaning, and impact of slurs in order to take back hurtful language in your school. By speaking out against slurs on your campus, you can also take back the ability of language to empower and strengthen our communities." http://www.gsanetwork.org/takeitback/TakeItBack.pdf (pdf format)

Teen killers feel trapped by masculine stereotypes: This article addresses the link between bullying and violence and, most important, between attitudes (bias) and bullying ... http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=679&ncid=679&e=5&u=/usatoday/20031112/cm_usatoday/11948852

“They Don’t Even Know Me”: Understanding Anti-Gay Harassment and Violence in Schools: A report on this five year qualitative study of anti-gay harassment and violence in elementary, middle and high schools in Washington State. On the Safe Schools Coalition website at: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/theydontevenknowme.pdf  (pdf format) and available in print with ordering information at: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/ssc_order.htm  

The United Kingdom's Department for Education and Skills: This site offers practical tips and resources. http://www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying/

Turn terror of school bullying around: by Beth Reis, Guest Columnist to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on March 28, 2007. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/309373_safeschools29.html

What If Your Child is Being Bullied? There are concrete strategies you can teach your child to help him or her  protect themselves from a bully, but sometimes notifying school authorities is important: click here

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