Bullying and Harassment

This federal government website is managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. It includes information on bullying, cyberbullying, prevention of both, and many other useful resources. Parents, school staff, and other adults in the community can help kids prevent bullying by talking about it, building a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy. Some resources include: Why Some Youth Bully; Being Kind Helps Prevent Bullying and Bullying Prevention Training Center

Pacer – Classroom Toolkits – There are activities for younger students, as well as middle and high school. Also, a student created toolkit is listed with videos, music and artwork designed by students for other students to use.  This is a great way to create a dialogue with your class.  They can be the solution and a superhero as they work together to stop bullying.

The researched based STEPS TO RESPECT program teaches elementary students to recognize, refuse, and report bullying, be assertive, and build friendships. In fact, a recent study found that the program led to a 31 percent decline in bullying and a 70 percent cut in destructive bystander behavior. This curriculum is one example of an evidence-based curriculum.

Present a unique and comprehensive approach to preventing youth violence by targeting the root causes of bullying and other forms of social cruelty. It exposes the cultural expectations that teach young people to humiliate and dehumanize others as the way to achieve power and respect, then challenges them to transform this dynamic. A CD is included for a nominal fee.

NetSmartz – 20-30% of kids report having been cyberbullied in their lifetime. Resources to help deal with cyberbullying – such as “Cyberbullying Unplugged (PDF)”.

Elementary Lesson Plan – Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Pacer is a square pumpkin who lives in a round pumpkin patch world. In The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin, a perennial fall favorite children’s story, Spookley helps you understand that the things that make you different are what make you special.

Includes Connections to Common Core State Standards @ RHTeachersLibrarians.com. School Counselor, Laura Barbour has taught and counseled children from preschool through high school and presently works as an elementary professional school counselor at Stafford Primary School in West Linn, Oregon. (Random House Inc)

Students in grades 2-5 can use these activities to practice skills in resolving conflicts with bullies and help them think critically about logical resolutions.  Teasing is Tough  – Get children to talk about how it feels to be teased. Work together to create coping strategies, in this activity from Arthur. (PBS Learning Media)

This site has many creative resources to educate elementary students about bullying. It includes an animated cast of characters, information, celebrity videos, Webisodes, interactive games, animation, contests, and other activities. (PACER’S National Center for Bully Prevention) 

In this Dinosaur Train episode, the Pteranodon kids and Tank Triceratops play games at Big Pond, where they discuss the purpose of Tank’s frill, and outsmart a bully. They learn that Tank’s frill is a defense mechanism which makes the Triceratops look threatening to potential predators. (Stream Only)

The Ned Program school-wide character education program centers around a 45 minute assembly called The NED Show. NED is a loveable cartoon character whose name is an acronym for Never give up, Encourage others, and Do your best. Teachers love that NED is simple, relatable and kid-focused.

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is designed to improve peer relations and make schools safer, more positive places for students to learn and develop.

Anti-Defamation League – In this article, find prevention, intervention and education strategies in order to promote inclusive school environments where young people can learn, thrive and become their best selves.

Anti-Defamation League – The most effective responses to bias-motivated incidents incorporate prevention, intervention and sustained anti-bias education. Use ADL’s teaching tools, lesson plans, discussion guides and other resources to help with your short and long-term incident response.

U.S. Department of Justice – Everyone deserves safe and inclusive learning environments free of harassment and discrimination. Well-designed and facilitated opportunities for groups to dialogue can enable communities to address differences, through respectful sharing of perspectives that move toward solutions focused on the common good.

Learning for Justice – Bias incidents are far too complex for on-the-fly planning; an early misstep can heighten tension and damage chances for long-term success. Responding to Hate and Bias at School is designed primarily for school administrators, but teachers, staff, counselors, students and others also may find guidance here.

Topics on this handout include: “Characteristics of those who bully”, “Alarming Stats” and “Who are the victims?” (KCSS 2-Sided Handout)

Topics on this handout include: “What is Bullying?”, “Are you bullying others?”, “Students: What’s with those who bully?”, “Bystanders to Bullying” and “Why don’t kids ask for help?” (KCSS 2-Sided Handout)

Educate the school staff and students on the real definition of bullying. Be consistent when enforcing policies and codes of conduct (after these have been revised and work for your school).  (KCSS Handout)

When talking with your students use these handouts. Everyone needs to know the difference between conflict and bullying. Review these in classrooms and place them on the wall to refer to every now and then.  (KCSS Handout)

Jon Akers, Executive Director of KCSS, offers suggestions for principals to consider when establishing bullying/harassment standards within their respective schools. This is not an all-inclusive list…but it is a good start for principals to reflect and act accordingly. (KCSS Handout) 

If someone threatens a school or school activity in any way that causes the school to have to evacuate (to keep students and teachers safe), that is called terroristic threatening. (KCSS Handout)

• It’s not a joke!
• It’s not a prank!
• It’s not for fun!
• It’s against the law!

Bookmarks are fun and they are a great way to encourage students with a theme. This Seuss inspired bookmark is for early elementary and rhymes. It promotes kindness and sharing. Everyday, let’s enjoy reading and show kindness, helping make our schools a great place to learn and grow.

Parents can prepare themselves to talk with their children by considering how they are going to handle their child’s questions and emotions. They can also decide what information they would like to give their child about bullying. (From PACER)

Teaching Tolerance – These robust, ready-to-use classroom lessons offer breadth and depth, spanning essential social justice topics and reinforcing critical social emotional learning skills.

Common Sense Education – As humans, we thrive on social connections and group associations. But this tendency can also lead us to be suspicious of people outside our group. This fear — xenophobia — can be overcome by more exposure to people who are different from us. However, the internet can often make this more difficult. Help students recognize this challenge and find strategies for navigating content online.

A collection of videos, along with a few sent in by audiences. All are curated around content themes of bullying prevention, kindness, acceptance and inclusion. (PACER’S National Center for Bully Prevention)

This video depicts a mock bullying scene with children playing a game and excluding one child. During the mock segment, Mackenzie, the host, identifies what bullying is, the different forms of bullying, and what to do if you or a friend is being bullied. Finally, the scene is replayed with a different outcome with all three children engaging with each other. (PBS Learning Media)

Kentucky Department of Education – Student behavior that is challenging may be related to traumatic stress responses. To be effective at maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment for all students and staff, schools should utilize trauma-informed disciplinary policies and practices that avoid retraumatization, reduce potential escalation of difficult behavior and are embedded in a system of positive behavior supports.

Jon Akers, Executive Director of KCSS, offers suggestions for principals to consider when establishing bullying/harassment standards within their respective schools. This is not an all-inclusive list…but it is a good start for principals to reflect and act accordingly. (KCSS Handout)

StopBullying.gov – Every phase of community assessment, planning and evaluation entails a process of shared decision-making and coordination in carrying out the tasks assigned. Conducting a landscape assessment of bullying prevention strategies that may already exist in your community will inform your own efforts and provide a better understanding of how receptive your community will be to a bullying prevention campaign.

How to talk to your kids about being online, and how to help them make good decisions and stay safe. Resources on topics include cyberbullying, online security, mobile devices, socializing online, video games, texting and sexting. (The Federal Trade Commission) 

Here are a few survey samples

• Basic Elementary and High School Bullying Climate Survey (Character Counts)
• Create a survey on Survey Monkey for free

Kentucky Department of Education – Bullying can come in a variety of forms such as verbal, social or relational, physical and cyberbullying. Quite frequently, when a child experiences a form of bullying, parents and/or school personnel need assistance in identifying possible solutions.

Regulations/Statutes

KRS 158.148 – Definition of “bullying” — discipline guidelines and model policy — local code of acceptable behavior and discipline — required contents of code
KRS 525.070 – Harassment
KRS 525.080 – Harassing Communications

Kentucky Department of Education – Student Discipline Guidelines and model policies are published here in fulfillment of KRS 158.148(2)(c), which requires the Kentucky Department of Education to distribute, in even-numbered years, student discipline guidelines as well as model policies implementing the following Kentucky Revised Statutes: 158.148, 158.156, 158.162, 158.444, 525.070, and 525.080. (includes bullying, harassing, etc.)

State and local lawmakers have taken action to prevent bullying and protect children. Through laws (in their state education codes and elsewhere) and model policies (that provide guidance to districts and schools), each state addresses bullying differently. Each state refers to bullying in its laws and what they require on part of schools and districts. By clicking the link above you can access a map with each state’s information. (StopBullying.gov)

Reports from the National Center for Education Statistics, in the Institute of Education Sciences, use data collected in the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Three Data Points released July 28, 2016 look at trends in reports of bullying, use of hate-related words, etc. in the nation’s schools. (1) Trends in Bullying at School Among Students Ages 12 to 18 (2) Trends in Hate-Related Words at School Among Students Ages 12 to 18 (3) Reports of Bullying and Other Unfavorable Conditions at School
Three Data Points released March 15, 2018 look at trends in reports of bullying, repetition and power imbalance as components of the uniform definition of bullying, and the relationship between students’ feelings of safety in school  … (1) Changes in Bullying Victimization and Hate-Related Words at School Since 2007  (2) Students’ Relationships in School and Feelings about Personal Safety at School (3) Repetition and Power Imbalance in Bullying Victimization at School