Welcome

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”― Maya Angelou

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��Respect For All: Bullying and Cyberbullying

Parents as Partners

Office of Safety and Youth Development

Executive Director, Dr. Robin Davson

Executive Director, Gillian Smith

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RESPECT FOR ALL

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Primary Message

All students deserve a safe, supportive school environment free of bullying and bias-based behavior.

Agenda

Part I will cover what bullying is and signs of bullying.

Part II will cover how to address bullying and the multiple ways to report it for assistance.

Part III will cover cyberbullying and the shared responsibilities we have to address it and ways to seek help to remove offensive posts.

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Parents as Partners

Students, parents, and school staff all have a role in making schools safe and must work together to achieve this goal.

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Part I�

• What is Bullying?
• Bullying is Not Conflict 
• Signs a Child Is Being Bullied
• Signs a Child is Bullying Others
• Reasons why some children don't ask for help?

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What is Bullying?

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• Bullying behavior always involves an imbalance of power (physical or social) or strength between the person doing the bullying and the target of the behavior.
• The person doing the bullying may be physically bigger or stronger or may be older or have greater social status or social power than the person being targeted.
• Harassment and/or bullying may take many forms and can be physical, non-verbal, verbal, or written.
• It may be a single incident or a series of related incidents.
• Bullying is behavior that is intended to cause some kind of harm.
• The person doing the bullying purposely says or does something to hurt the target of their behavior.

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Power Imbalance

Looks can be deceiving.

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What are some examples of banned behaviors?�

• Physical violence;
• Stalking;
• Written or graphic material, including graffiti, containing comments or stereotypes that are either posted or circulated on the Internet (cyberbullying);
• Making derogatory statements or using language to humiliate or harass other students based on actual or perceived race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or weight;
• Verbal or physical conduct that threatens another with harm;
• Seeking to coerce or compel a student or staff member to do something;
• Hazing;
• Taunting;
• Exclusion from peer groups designed to humiliate or isolate.

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Bullying Is Not Conflict

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Scenario # 1 – Is it Conflict or Bullying?

Two siblings share a bedroom. They do not agree on how their furniture should be arranged or what color to paint the walls. They seek help from their parents and end up with a compromise they both can live with.

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Scenario # 2 – Is it Conflict or Bullying?

An 8^th grade student often shows up late for lunch then proceeds to push his way to the front of the line. The other students are intimidated and dare not say anything about it.

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Scenario # 3 – Is it Conflict or Bullying?

A group of young people regularly call another student names and hold her/him/them up for ridicule in front of other students. The student is visibly upset but says nothing.

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Scenario # 4 – Is it Conflict or Bullying?

A 5th grader verbally taunts younger students on the bus and does not let them sit where they want to.

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Signs a Child Is Being Bullied�

• Unexplainable injuries;
• Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry;
• Frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick or faking illness;
• Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge eating;
• Children may come home from school hungry because they did not eat lunch;
• Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school;
• Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations or;
• Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide;
• Feelings of helplessness or decreased self esteem;
• Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares.

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Signs a Child is Bullying Others�

• Gets into physical or verbal fights;
• Gets sent to the principal’s office or to detention frequently;
• Has unexplained extra money or new belongings;
• Is competitive and worries about their reputation or popularity;
• Has friends who bully others;
• Is increasingly aggressive;
• Blames others for their problems;
• Doesn’t accept responsibility for their actions.

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What are reasons why some children don't ask for help?

• Bullying can be a humiliating experience. Children may not want adults to know what is being said about them, whether true or false. They may also fear that adults will judge them or punish them for "being weak". 
• Students who are bullied may already feel socially isolated. 
• Children may fear being rejected by their peers. Friends can help protect them from bullying, and children can fear losing this support.
• Children may fear backlash from the kid who bullied them.
• Bullying can make a child feel helpless. Children may want to handle it on their own to feel in control again. They may fear being seen as weak or a tattletale
• They may feel like no one cares or could understand. And that’s why it’s important to keep communication lines open with your children and to let them know it’s okay for them to come to you with any concerns they have and not to be afraid to ask for help.

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Part II

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• Addressing Bullying and Biased-Based Behavior
• Preventing and Intervening Bullying Behavior
• Reporting
• Escalation Assistance

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Addressing Bullying and Bias-Based Behavior

• Each school is expected to promote a nurturing school culture that promotes positive personal and intergroup relations and respect for diversity among students and between students and staff.
• Schools should provide all students with a supportive and safe environment in which to grow and thrive academically and socially.
• The ability of students to learn and meet high academic standards and the school’s ability to educate students are reduced when students engage in discrimination or harassment, bullying, or intimidating behavior toward other students.

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Schools should prevent bullying behavior through:

• Creation of a school-wide and classroom climate that supports racial, cultural and other forms of diversity, (i.e., clear communication of behavioral expectations, incorporation of lesson plans on prejudice reduction, modeling unbiased behavior, empathy development and cooperative learning).
• Schools should prevent bullying by encouraging your participation in bullying prevention approaches, school-wide and classroom-based social and emotional learning strategies and positive methods to discipline.
• Schools should also use age-appropriate instruction on bullying prevention in each grade.

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Each school should intervene to put an end to bullying behavior

• Each school should intervene to put an end to bullying behavior. All reports of harassment, intimidation, discrimination, and/or bullying behavior will be investigated, and appropriate follow-up action will be taken.
• Immediate referral of the student harmed to appropriate support services in the school and community;

• Referral of those who caused harm to counseling or other appropriate support services to address underlying behavior and/or to administrators for appropriate discipline;

• Parents of all those involved should be notified.
• Both the student who is victimized and the student who engages in the prohibited behavior should be referred to separate school-based counseling and/or separate, appropriate community-based agencies for counseling, support, and education.

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Why SEL in our schools?

School wide SEL is a systemic approach to integrating academic, social, and emotional learning across all school contexts ( explicit SEL instruction; supportive classrooms, SEL integrated with academic instruction, youth voice and engagement, supportive discipline, etc.).

Parents and families play an important role in social and emotional learning within their school communities; modeling, teaching and reinforcing key competencies related to Social Emotional Learning.

• Students who can recognize and manage their own emotions are better able to be assertive rather than aggressive or passive when they interact with their peers.
• Students who develop caring and concern for others and establish positive relationships are less likely to engage in bullying or discriminatory behavior.
• Students who have learned how to make responsible decisions are less likely to be bystanders and more likely to act as allies if a peer is the target of harassment or bullying of any kind.

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Reporting

Parents and students can report concerns regarding bullying behavior by

1. Notifying the school’s Respect for All (RFA) liaison(s), Sexual Harassment Prevention (SHP) liaison(s), a member of the child’s school’s administration, or any other school employee; or
2. Submitting online complaint (Bullying Reporting Portal) or emailing the Office of Safety and Youth Development (OSYD) at RespectforAll@schools.nyc.gov; or 
3. Calling 718-935-2288 Monday through Friday, from 9:00AM-5:00PM.
4. Student and Parent Complaint/Reporting Form
5. If the issue involves sexual or gender-based harassment, also emailing  the DOE Title IX Coordinator at Title_IX_Inquiries@schools.nyc.gov. 

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*Parents should ask for the incident number from school administration for follow up. This is also known as Online Occurrence Reporting System (OORS) number.

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Online Portal

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Student and Parent Complaint/Reporting Form

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Posters in Schools with Name(s) of Respect for Liaison(s) and Sexual Harassment Prevention Liaison(s)

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What happens after a report is made?�

• The principal/designee must advise the parent(s) of the alleged victim and the accused student of the allegations whenever a report is received. Such notification must be made immediately but no later than two (2) school days following receipt of the report by the principal/designee.
• At the conclusion of the investigation, the principal/designee must enter the following information into OORS: the investigative findings; a determination of whether the allegations have been substantiated; and a determination of whether the conduct constitutes a violation of the regulation. This information must be entered into OORS within ten (10) school days of receipt of the report, absent extenuating circumstances.

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Retaliation �

Retaliation against someone who reports an incident of harassment, bullying, intimidation or discriminatory behavior or who participates in or helps in an investigation is prohibited. Students who believe they have been retaliated against should immediately tell any teacher or other staff member in the school, or the supports outside the school covered earlier in this presentation.

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Confidentiality�

• It is the policy of the DOE to respect the privacy of all parties and witnesses to reports made under this regulation. However, the need for confidentiality must be balanced against the obligation to cooperate with police investigations, to provide due process, and/or to take necessary action to investigate or resolve the report, including providing supports and interventions. Therefore, information regarding the report may be disclosed in appropriate circumstances or as required by law or where necessary to protect a student whose safety or well-being is at risk.
• The DOE respects the privacy of all complaints being made. 
• Therefore, the parents of the alleged victim may only be notified of any follow-up action, interventions or supports that pertain to the alleged victim and the parents of the accused student may only be notified of any follow-up action, interventions or supports that pertain to the accused student.

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�����Escalation Assistance from Superintendent and Family Support Coordinator

• You believe school staff retaliated against you or your child for making a prior A-831 student-to-student sexual harassment) or A-832 Complaint ( student-to-student discrimination, harassment, intimidation and/or bullying) at the same school; or
• Your child has been the victim of two or more A-831 or A-832 Complaints in the same school year that were determined to be material incidents (i.e., violations of Chancellor’s Regulations A-831 or A-832); or
• You did not receive a Notice of Determination from the school within 10 school days of the school’s receipt of the open A-831 or A-832 Complaint.
• The victim, accused, and/or witnesses need additional help accessing supports and interventions regarding an A-831 or A-832 Complaint reported to the school.

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Request for Escalation Staff Assistance Form

The list of superintendents and their Family Support Coordinators can be found on the Superintendents page of the DOE website.

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Part III

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• Cyberbullying
• Social Media: Parent and Student Responsibilities
• Removing Offensive Posts
• Contact

What is Cyberbullying?

• discrimination, harassment, intimidation and/or bullying includes electronically transmitted communications and cyberbullying (e.g., via technology including, but not limited to  internet; cell phone; email; personal digital assistant; wireless handheld device; social media; blogs; texting; apps; chat rooms; and gaming systems).

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Parent Responsibilities�

• Make sure your child acts responsibly.
• Keep track of your children's online use when they are not in school—including mobile apps, online games, and other social media
• Share values with your children and talk with them about what is—and is not—acceptable online behavior.

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��What You Can Do About Bullying: If Your Child is Bullying

• Involve your child in making amends or repairing the situation. The goal is to help them see how their actions affect others.
• Your child can benefit from participating in positive activities. Involvement in sports and clubs can enable him/her to take leadership roles and make friends without feeling the need to bully.
• Other times children act out because something else—issues at home, stress—is going on in their lives. They also may have been bullied. 

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������ �Student Responsibilities�

• Follow all school and class rules for using technology
• Collaborate in positive ways that help you learn
• Use technology to support an inclusive school community
• Act responsibly to all—both online and face-to-face
• Only use accounts that belong to you
• Protect passwords—don’t share them with others
• Don’t automatically save passwords on school devices
• Don’t give out personal information online without your parent’s permission
• Have permission from you before meeting anyone in person that they have met only online

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Families, Students, and Social Media�

As a suggestion keep computers in shared areas of the household and restrict usage of the Internet to certain hours of the day.

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Remember many cell phones have Wi-Fi access – without a data plan students can still get online on their phones.

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• Create a positive digital image
• Post Responsibly
• Consider the Consequences
• Take Threats of Cyberbullying Seriously

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��Manage Your Online Image

Remind your child that many people are possible audience members online.

• What would they like their teacher to see?
• How about a middle school/high school or college they want to go to?
• What if something they posted became a big news story?

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Discuss what they can do to correctly manage their online image.

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Headline Exercise�

You can also watch the "One Sentence Project" video(Open external link) to hear how other students have answered the below questions.

• If you were the subject of a newspaper article, what would the headline read?
• How do you want to be remembered?
• What is your life all about?
• How will you look back on your life?
• What do you want to accomplish?

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Post Responsibly�

• As a parent, you play a key role in ensuring your child is posting correctly and protecting their personal info online. 
• You can help your child post in ways that best show the values of your family.
• Talk with your child about sites or searches that you believe are unsafe or risky. 

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��������Consider the Consequences of Your Online Actions

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• It’s important for students to think through the effects of their online behavior.
• They also must be careful about both the websites they visit and who they are talking with online.
• Students don’t always realize that what they do outside of school can have effects at school. This is especially true online.

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Be Aware of Your Child’s Behavior Online�

• Set rules for what behavior is allowed online for your family and talk about the Student Social Media Guidelines at home found on the DOE’s website, Digital Citizenship 
• You may also want to buy filtering software or set up a program to track computer and cell phone use.

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Take Threats of Cyberbullying Seriously�

• Cyberbullying is the use of electronic technologies to hurt or harass others.
• Examples include creating or forwarding mean or hurtful text messages or emails, posts that are not true and create rumors, and embarrassing photos.

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Role Play Being an Ally�

• When your child sees that someone they knows is not being treated with respect, encourage them to support the victim.
• Try to find real examples of this from your life or in the media.
• Talk with your child about the different ways they might respond.
• Next do a role play to act out how this might work.

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I-Messages- Role Playing is Key

I feel _________________________________________________

(State the feeling- be as specific as possible)

When you _____________________________________________

(Describe the specific behavior)

Because ______________________________________________

(Describe the impact the behavior has on you)

And I would appreciate it if you would (or And I want you to...) ____________________

(state what action on the part of the other person would make the situation better for you)

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Removing Offensive Posts�

• FACEBOOK
• Facebook Help Search
• Help Center: Facebook Help
• Here are reporting instructions: Facebook Reporting Instructions
• INSTAGRAM: Instagram assistance
• SNAPCHAT: SNAP Privacy

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Reflecting Activity

Think about on what we shared and discussed today and visualize how we can continue working together in supporting our children whether at home or in our school community.

• What does it look like?
• What does it feel like?

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Resources

Chancellor’s Regulation A-831

Chancellor’s Regulation A-832

Discipline Code

Respect for All: Fostering Anti-Bullying Practices

Internet Acceptable Use Policy

Digital Citizenship

Ways to Support Your Child During Remote Learning

Parents' Ultimate Guide to Parental Controls

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Thank you

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

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Contact for Questions

Please email RespectForAll@schools.nyc.gov

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