"Bully Blocking" Action Plan

Transcription

1 "Bully Blocking" Action Plan The keys to establishing an effective, clear, and meaningful anti-bullying action plan are: 1. an anti-bullying statement included in your school's mission/vision statement. 2. properly worded definitions. 3. clearly written, strong policies. 4. an effective anti-violence campaign. 5. consistent follow-through and follow-up on any and all violence reports. SAMPLE MISSION STATEMENT "We believe all students deserve to learn in a welcoming, non-threatening environment free from intimidation, physical threats and mental abuse." 1

2 What is a Bully? A bully is defined as: 1. A person who causes, attempts to cause, or threatens to cause physical injury to another person. One who willfully uses force or violence upon another person for the purposes of personal gratification, coercion, or humiliation. 2. A person who demonstrates habitual verbal behavior to intimidate, humiliate, or mentally abuse another person. 2

3 Sample Bully Blocking Policy (SHORT VERSION) (School) has a zero tolerance policy. Any student who causes, attempts or threatens to cause physical injury to another person, or uses forceful violence upon another person for the purposes of coercion, personal gratification, or humiliation may be subject to removal from (School) (pursuant to education code...). A note about consistency: "Say what you mean and mean what you say." Nothing is worse than a policy that is ill applied. Students will not respect the boundaries of any discipline policy that is not consistent. 3

4 Sample Bully Blocking Policy (LONG VERSION) (School) has a zero tolerance policy. Any student who is involved with bullying behavior will face the following consequences: I. First offense: The vice-principal (or designee) will hold a meeting with the student and his/her parent(s) to: a. discuss the incident b. review the bullying definition c. review the bullying policy d. create a plan for changing behavior which may include: i. suspend the student for up to 3 days ii. require the student to attend counseling sessions with a school counselor iii. a written behavior contract with strict consequences II. Second offense: The vice-principal (or designee) will: a. notify the student's parents of the situation and suspend the student for up to 5 days b. convene a meeting of the student intervention team (site guidance team, school safety team, etc.) to determine the appropriate action from the following list: i. return to school on a contract ii. attend mandatory counseling sessions with school counselor iii. perform community service under the supervision of a school employee iv. school transfer within the district v. expulsion from the district III. Third offense: Whether the offense happens at the student's school of origin or at a school within the district to which the offender has been transferred as a result of this policy, the school administrator will expel the student from the district. 4

5 Creating an Effective Anti-Violence Campaign Who will plan and run the campaign? Options include a task force, subcommittee of an existing safety committee, or a strategically focused team. Regardless of the selected structure, the group must include representatives from all the stakeholders (student leaders, administrators, parents, faculty, and certified staff). What are the components of the campaign? Good Planning. The earlier in the year you establish your foundation the better. Include any policy changes or anti-bully campaign kick-offs in your very first all-school assembly. Schedule events and activities to keep the bully blocking message in front of the school community. Take advantage of national events (i.e. Yellow Ribbon Week, Red Ribbon Week, Diversity Week) to further enhance your message. Conflict Resolution Teams. This team is made up of trained students overseen by an administrator or teacher who is the point person in reducing discipline problems related to potential violence. The students are screened and chosen for your team insuring representation of all student groups on your campus. Training curriculum already exists from a variety of resources including the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention ( Check with your local Department of Education for other available resources. Anti-Violence Assemblies. All-school assemblies with an emphasis on non-violent behavior set the tone for how students will respond to the school culture. Providing your students with clear definitions and appropriate actions for blocking bullies goes a long way toward ridding your campus of such behaviors. Assemblies focused on changing the accepted norm are powerful allies in your bully-blocking program. Increase the Peace Week. Peace Week focuses everyone on the tools of peace: 1. personal commitment to refrain from violence, look for and verbalize positive things about others; 2. group commitments to seek non-violent solutions to stressful situations and confrontations; 3. activities/events designed to build relationships outside the school's normal groupings. This 5

6 week provides a focus on non-violent solutions which will be the first look at a non-violent world for many students. This week's activities provide students with options to violence they may not have seen before. Each of the stakeholders is responsible for some part of the week directed specifically to the group they represent. Increase the Peace Day is the climax of, or alternative to, Peace Week. On this day a variety of student driven activities are put into play to amplify the non-bullying/anti-violent message. The Student Intervention Team is a group of adults interested in keeping students safe and your campus bully-free. This team may well exist under a different name already. The team is charged with reviewing local and specific incidents to share in the intervention process. This team must contain representatives from all the stakeholding groups - teachers, administrators, local government workers, probation officers. Many schools have extended this team membership to student leaders to provide the voice of the students. It is not appropriate to have students involved with specific information contained in the discipline file of a peer. Peer Mentors are trained student leaders who have made a commitment to bettering the school experience for underclassmen. They are the point of contact between the projected and perceived culture of the school. There are training curriculums and coaching tips available to train these students from a variety of resources. One suggested resource is the Orange County Department of Education ( ). These students must be professionally trained. A good heart is a good beginning but these issues are too complex for the heart alone. Parent Empowerment Project is a planned parent training designed to bring to light the issues of violence affecting their children which highlights how they can help be part of the solution. Involving parents can be as simple as informational messages given during regular parent nights or as complex as parent support group classes. Schedule meetings (one a quarter) throughout the year and invite parents with an understanding that it is a forum to exchange information specific to violence and especially bullying. At the first meeting share the results of the bullying survey and talk about your school's policy on bullying and your plan of action for the year. Use the subsequent meetings as follow up information meetings and open forums for parents to give input. Faculty Training Workshops. The most effective plan is one supported by everyone. Therefore, a staff in-service training is critical to setting up your bully blocking. The PowerPoint presentation in this program's tool box is a useful introduction to bullying. It is also a good way to introduce your school plan for dealing with bullying and violence reduction on campus. This training should take place before the first day of school or before the launch of your bully blocking campaign. It is 6

7 important to keep the staff up to date on the progress of your campaign with a staff update meeting once a quarter. Community Awareness. Inviting key members of your community to trainings and workshops will open doors of support and build a resource base that is local and accessible. People to keep in mind: police, local politicians, community support groups and social clubs. 7

8 Parent Empowerment Schedule At the earliest convenience (preferably at a parent orientation meeting before the start of the year) hold a meeting with parents to discuss your bully-blocking policy. In your first meeting explain to them: 1. The Importance of the Issue One-half of all violence against teenagers occurs in school buildings, on school property, or on the street in the vicinity of the school. Most begins as bullying or put-downs. 80 to 90% of adolescents report some form of victimization from a bully at school. The National Education Association estimates that 160,000 students miss school every day, or 28 million missed days per year, due to fear of attack or intimidation by a bully. 90% of all students felt that bullying caused social, emotional, or academic problems for those students who were bullied. 10% of students who drop out of school do so because of repeated bullying. Bullies at age eight are three times more likely to be convicted of a crime by age 30. Chronic bullies seem to maintain their behaviors into adulthood, negatively influencing their ability to develop and maintain positive relationships. Bullying usually involves more than the bully and the victim 85% of bullying episodes occur in the context of a peer group. Being bullied leads to depression and low self-esteem, problems that can carry into adulthood. 2. Define what a bully is and the difference of bully behavior and normal peer conflict. 3. Explain your goals for the bullying campaign. 4. Hand out printed copies of the new bully blocking policy. 5. Hand out copies of the parent brochure. 6. Discuss ways they can help their kids deal with bullies. 7. Enlist their help with your bully blocking campaign. At your second meeting (sometime at the end of the first school quarter): 1. Go over the results of the surveys. 2. Review your action plan with parents giving close attention to how you intend to provide supervision to physical areas of vulnerability. 3. Ask for a report from any parent committees who were recruited for help in the last meeting. 8

9 4. Discuss with parents the connection between bullying behavior and the home. Schedule follow-up meetings with parents to specifically discuss violence and bullying issues. Use a guest speaker to reinforce ideas that have already been established. It is a good idea to hold at least one meeting a quarter to maintain support for your bully-blocking campaign. 9