CONTENTS

About This Course

Table of Contents

1. School Bullying: What It Is and Why It Hurts
2. The Role of Bullies, Victims, and Witnesses
3. Factors Contributing to Bullying and Violence
4. Screening and Assessment
5. Treatment For Children and Adolescents
6. Prevention and Intervention
7. Legal and Ethical Issues

Supplements
Case Studies
Fact Sheets
References
Resources

The ABCs of Bullying
Addressing, Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression

What Can Students Do?

Students play a very important role in helping a school eradicate bullying. Students may not know what to do if they witness a bullying incident or become the target of bullying themselves. Students can:ref^, ref^, ref

• Seek immediate help from an adult. If adults do not hear about the incidents, they cannot act to disrupt and stop the behavior.
• Report bullying/victimization incidents to school personnel.
• Speak up and/or offer support for the victim.
• Participate in the development of school safety planning through committees and organizations.
• Encourage their parents to become involved in school activities.
• Become a buddy for a younger or quieter student.

What Victims/Bully Victims Can Do

It is important that students learn appropriate tools to address bullying. Any adult, including teachers, school counselors, and parents, can help provide students with the skills necessary to deal with bullying. Students can be taught to:ref

• Ignore the bully's behavior whenever possible.
• Use social skills, such as assertiveness, negotiating, sharing, taking turns, inviting others to participate, assisting others, and asking for permission instead of using aggression and intimidation (when the victim is also a bully).
• Leave the situation.
• Rebuff in a firm manner.
• Protect themselves emotionally and physically (without using retaliation).
• Request that the bully stop, and then walk away; if this does not work, then tell the teacher.
• Use humor.
• Agree with the bully (this takes the power away from the bully).
• Spend time in groups.
• Practice what to say in front of a mirror or with friends.

What Victims Should NOT Do

These children can be taught, through role-playing, specific ways to help them NOT to:ref

• Cry or act hurt in front of the bully.
• Lose their temper.
• Escalate the situation.
• Return the aggression.
• Get others to gang up on the bully.
• Tease back.
• Call the bully names.
• Bring weapons to school.

A condensed version of this page is available as a Fact Sheet in HTML and PDF formats.