Bullying Prevention

November 6, 2019

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Mary Dolan

c-mdolan@pa.gov

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www.education.pa.gov

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Welcome & Introductions

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Objectives

1. Current state of bullying prevention

2. Bullying prevention 101

3. Individual interventions (Tier 3)

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www.education.pa.gov

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�Let’s get Real….

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What do you hear people say about bullying in the schools?

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www.education.pa.gov

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What do we already know?

www.education.pa.gov

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�Prevalence of Bullying

Local Data

• What does your data say?

National Data

• 19% of high school students were bullied on school property in the last 12 months (2017-YRBS)
• 14.9% were electronically bullied (2017 YRBS)
• 33.8 % were cyberbullied, ages 12-17 (Cyberbullying Research Center 2017)

State Data

• 28.2% of all students in grades 6, 8, 10 & 12 (2017 PAYS) indicated they had been bullied in the past year
• 16.9% of all students in grades 6,8,10 & 12 (2015 PAYS) indicated they had been bullied 2 or more times a week
• Highest among 8^th graders, 31% (2017 PAYS)
• 16.5% electronically bullied (2017 PAYS)

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www.education.pa.gov

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What We Know

BP Consultation Line calls + calls to PDE average

300-350 per school year

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2017 PAYS Report- Increase in bullying from 2015 PAYS 16.9% to 28.2% (265,751 students in grades 6,8,10,12)

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Safe2Say Something- 3,600 calls from total of 23,000 calls were bullying/cyberbullying concerns (15.6%)

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Bullying Prevention 101

www.education.pa.gov

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Bullying as a Social-Ecological Issue

Bullying prevention should involve:

• All adults who are involved in supervising students
• Bullied students
• Students who bully
• Students who join in bullying
• Students who think bullying is cool but don’t join in
• Disengaged onlookers
• Possible defenders
• Defenders

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www.education.pa.gov

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�What is bullying?

According to the CDC, bullying is defined as

• any aggressive behavior
• that involves and observed or perceived power imbalance
• is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated

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Bullying takes many forms

• Physical
• Verbal
• Social
• Online

www.education.pa.gov

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�Concerns about Children Who Bully

Children who bully are more likely to:

• get into frequent fights
• be injured in a fight
• steal or vandalize property
• drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes
• be truant or drop out of school
• report poor academic achievement
• perceive a negative climate at school
• carry a weapon

www.education.pa.gov

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�Possible Effects of Being Bullied

• Lower self-esteem
• Depression and anxiety
• Absenteeism and lowered school achievement
• Thoughts of suicide
• Illness
• Feeling adults are not listening or intervening

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www.education.pa.gov

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��Effects of Bullying on Bystanders

Bystanders may feel:

• Afraid
• Powerless to change the situation
• Guilty for not acting
• A diminished empathy for victims over time
• Adults are not interventing

www.education.pa.gov

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��Possible Effects of Bullying on School Climate

• Bullying creates a climate of fear and disrespect.
• Bullying interferes with student learning.
• Students may feel insecure and not like school as well.
• Students may perceive a lack of control or caring on the part of the adults.

www.education.pa.gov

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�Institutional Costs of Bullying Climate

• Lower academic achievement

3-6% reduction in NCLB test pass rates (Lacey & Cornell, 2011)

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• Enrollment in cyber and other charter schools

20% of charter school families identified “safety concerns” as primary reason for leaving public school (Mackinac Center, 2018).

80% Homeschool families identified “negative school environment” as primary reason for choice. Many supplement with “cyber school” programs. (NHES, 2016)

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• Drop-out, OSS and alternative education (Cost-Benefit of Bullying Prevention, 2012)

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Voices and Choices (Mackinac, 2018) - https://www.mackinac.org/archives/2018/SchoolChoiceSurvey2018-web.pdf

The Cost Benefit of Bullying Prevention (2012)- https://www.highmarkfoundation.org/pdf/publications/HMK_Bullying%20Report_final.pdf

NHES (2018). https://www.responsiblehomeschooling.org/homeschooling-101/reasons-parents-homeschool/

www.education.pa.gov

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���Students with disabilities are much more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers.�

• Although only 10 U.S. studies have been conducted on the connection between bullying and developmental disabilities, all of these studies found that children with disabilities were two to three times more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers. (Disabilities: Insights from Across Fields and Around the World; Marshall, Kendall, Banks & Gover (Eds.), 2009 )
• One study shows that 60 percent of students with disabilities report being bullied regularly compared with 25 percent of all students. (Source: British Journal of Learning Support, 2008)

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Source: www.pacer.org

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www.education.pa.gov

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��PA BP Legislation 2008�

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• A school entity is not prohibited from defining bullying in such a way as to encompass acts that occur outside a school setting, if those acts
• Are severe, persistent or pervasive
• Are directed at another student or students; and
• Have the effect of doing any of following;
• Substantially interferes with a student’s education
• Creates a threatening environment; OR
• Substantially disrupts the orderly operation of the school

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• Directors of Special Education or any other school administrator, whose responsibility is to oversee special education, should be consulted concerning the use of an IEP or 504 Plan to address the unresolved bullying situation.

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• FAPE Free and Appropriate Public Education
• Dear Colleague Letter (October 21, 2014)

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www.education.pa.gov

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�FAPE

Dear Colleague Letter (Oct 21, 2014) also states that under IDEA, schools have an ongoing obligation to ensure that a student with a disability who is the target of bullying continues to receive FAPE in accordance with his or her IEP- and that obligation exists regardless of why the student is being bullied

www.education.pa.gov

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��OCR could find a disability-based harassment violation if:�

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1. A student is bullied based on a disability

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• The bullying is sufficiently serious to create a hostile environment

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• School officials know of or should know about the bullying and

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• The school does not respond appropriately

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www.education.pa.gov

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�Best practices for a student�who may be bullying others

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INDIVIDUAL INTERVENTIONS

www.education.pa.gov

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Reporting and response

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• KEEP IN MIND- Bullying behavior is an anti-social behavior and ZERO TOLERANCE may stop the current situation, but not future incidents.

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• Develop an action plan for the student who may be bullying others.

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• Consider if a behavioral or mental health referral is warranted (SAP)

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• If the student has an IEP or 504 Plan, consider convening an IEP meeting to address concerns

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• Assure the student that you will get back to them ASAP and they can certainly turn to you or your team (when this has been established) at any time.

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• Be clear that any retaliation, directed at the student who reported this incident, will not be tolerated and to work with you in solving this problem.

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www.education.pa.gov

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Ask open-ended questions to help clarify if this situation is bullying or conflict.��Explore any safety issues and make proper referrals. ��Gather all information on the where, when, how and who may be involved�On school property? Online? Etc.? ��Ask open-ended question to determine possible impact on student and/or the educational setting�

www.education.pa.gov

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�Best Practices for a student �who may be a target of bullying

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INDIVIDUAL INTERVENTIONS

www.education.pa.gov

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Reporting and response

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• Interview the student to hear their side of the story.

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• Explore any safety issues and make proper referrals.

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• Assure the student that you (your team) will be working hard to stop the alleged bullying behavior

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• Ask open-ended questions to help clarify if this situation is bullying or conflict.

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• Gather all information on the where, when, how and who may be involved
• On school property? Online? Etc.?

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• Ask open-ended question to determine possible impact on student and/or the educational setting

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• Determine if a parent meeting has been requested or if one should be convened

www.education.pa.gov

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Action Plan Meeting

www.education.pa.gov

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Developing an Action Plan

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• When?
• Who?
• Why?
• How?

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www.education.pa.gov

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When?

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• As soon as initial interventions do not appear to be effective
• As perceived by the parents, students or staff

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• Waiting until there is PROOF that the situation is “bullying” can place students at harm.

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www.education.pa.gov

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Who?

• Parents/guardians
• School Counselor
• School Social Worker
• School Psychologist
• Classroom Teacher
• Special Education Teacher
• Director of Special Education
• Building-level Administration
• District-level Administration
• SRO
• Student
• Other

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www.education.pa.gov

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Why?

• Short-term & long-term effects of being bullied and bullying others
• Unaddressed bullying has a negative impact on the overall school climate
• The need for individual Interventions for both the target of bullying and for students who bully others continues to be supported by research
• Verbal plans can lead to confusion or mis-communication or lack of communication.
• Further demonstrates to parents that the school prioritizes the creation of a safe learning environment, which is free from harassment and bullying.

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www.education.pa.gov

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How?

• Develop in partnership with parents, school officials and include the student when appropriate.
• If a student has an IEP or 504 Plan, determine if an action plan to address the bullying should take place at an IEP or 504 Plan meeting.
• Remain in a problem-solving mode.
• Lists strategies to best assure safety in the present situation and in the event of future occurrences.
• Designate who is responsible for each action steps.

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www.education.pa.gov

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Completing the action plan chart

• Acknowledge parent/guardian concern and/or frustration over the bullying situation.
• Remain focused on possible solutions moving forward.
• Communicate that the school district shares the same goal; to provide a safe and secure learning environment for their child.
• Discuss who will be invited to the meeting and how the date, time and place will be communicated.
• Have a blank copy of an action plan chart ready for the meeting

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www.education.pa.gov

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In preparation for an action plan meeting

• Review all reports of the bullying situation.
• Identify any safety concerns of harm to self or others reported to you or the team.
• Take immediate referral steps, if safety concerns are present.
• Identify where and when the bullying allegedly occurred. (Do not use student names)
• Identify the types of bullying which have been reported. (physical, emotional, relational, cyber-bullying)
• Examine your school’s documentation process concerning steps taken to address bullying situations.

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www.education.pa.gov

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• Review investigative steps which have taken place and those which are still in progress.
• When appropriate, assure actions and/or interventions have taken place for the student/s who has been accused of bullying. THE DETAILS AND NAMES SHOULD NOT BE DISCUSSED OR INCLUDED IN THE ACTION PLAN – FERPA. PARENTS GENERALLY WANT TO KNOW THAT ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN.
• Review individual interventions that have taken place to date, for the student who reports being bullied.
• Discuss additional action steps
• List who is responsible for each step

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www.education.pa.gov

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Bullying Prevention in Three Tiers

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MTSS Approach

www.education.pa.gov

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MTSS -

• Should be the organizing lens for addressing teaching and learning needs, school climate and public health needs in schools and communities.
• It is both preventative and responsive
• Offers a way for decision-makers to engage others and a process for identifying priorities and strategies.
• MTSS for bullying prevention, requires that the school must have reliable systems of data collection for bullying-related behavior.

www.education.pa.gov

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�Tier 1

• Inclusive norms and welcoming routines
• Bullying policy and procedures
• Teacher and staff professional development on bullying prevention
• Tracking system for identifying potential bullying trends across settings, including bullying hot spots*
• Knowledge and skill-based instruction on bullying-prevention
• Define bullying and differentiate between bully, conflict and mean behavior**
• Basic behavioral expectations modeled and practiced (for bullying, conflict and mean behavior)
• Advanced bullying scenarios for problem-solving
• Online bullying norms, skills and problem-solving scenarios
• Classroom meeting or SEL lessons to address underlying skills.
• Application of BP and SEL skills in academics
• Guidelines and lessons on digital/media citizenship

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* Research indicates that teachers tend to underestimate/under-report bullying. Student self-report data is critical. Therefore, teacher-report data is useful but not sufficient

**PA LAW required schools to review bullying policy with students each year, which implies defining it.

Misdirections:

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Stand alone assemblies

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Zero tolerance

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Banning the word “bullying”

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Program du jour

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www.education.pa.gov

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�SEL and Bullying Prevention

FOCUS AREAS

• Recognize feelings self/others
• Perspective-taking
• Empathy
• Emotional regulation
• Friendship building
• Assertiveness/advocacy skills
• Social problem solving

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Do you have SEL curriculum maps and benchmarks? Model lesson plans for SEL-integrated instruction?

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www.education.pa.gov

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�Tier Two

• Increased supervision in bullying hot spots
• Referral system for students at-risk of bullying involvement
• System of communication and tracking of concerning interactions across classrooms.
• Teacher nomination/ratings
• Advanced screeners
• Targeted SEL training for children at-risk of being bullied or participating in bullying
• Cognitive-behavioral educational groups to learn and practice:
• Social Problem-Solving skills
• De-escalation strategies
• Friendship skills
• Advocacy skills
• Prosocial and Social Justice Clubs/Service Learning
• Creating space for kids to play a role in shifting school climate

Misdirections:

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Group treatment for students who bully

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www.education.pa.gov

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�Tier 3

• Individual meetings with students and parents
• Action plan for students who bully others
• May include individual counseling for students or families
• Supportive planning with students who are bullied
• May include regular check-in, mentoring, plans for safety/support, schedule changes, etc.
• IEP or 504 Meetings for kids already identified as in need of individualized support

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Misdirections

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Mediation or Peer Mediation

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Zero Tolerance

www.education.pa.gov

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www.education.pa.gov

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Contact information

PDE, Office for Safe Schools

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Bullying Prevention Consultant

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Mary Dolan

c-mdolan@pa.gov

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www.education.pa.gov

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