The 6Rs of Bullying Prevention by Michele Borba

Author:Michele Borba
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781631981043
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
Published: 2016-10-11T00:00:00+00:00

Meet with your staff and ask these questions: Which students are more likely to come to us, and which ones are we overlooking? What can we do to help special needs, ESL, and introverted kids feel they can report concerns to us? If we were in our students’ places, what would we need to feel safe enough to report bullying?

Make your word good. The easiest way to let kids know you’re taking their concerns seriously is to act on their reports. The word will spread among kids as to which staff members can and cannot be counted on to follow through. Emphasize that threats need to be reported and will be taken seriously. Repeat this announcement school-wide and/or in each classroom so that all students understand.

Convey your message as a unified team. Many schools hold an assembly (sometimes with police involvement) to convey the seriousness of reporting threats or bullying. Other schools have a building administrator meet individually with each homeroom class to explain reporting options. The key is to stress to students that all threats will be reviewed. An administrator of a private school in Taipei held a school-wide assembly and asked the student council to urge the student body to report bullying incidents and threats. The staff agreed that the students convinced far more peers to report than adults could have done.

Hold “Five-Minute Urgent Talks.” One of the most powerful strategies I’ve seen was in a middle school where the student council asked the principal if they could go to each homeroom and give a “five-minute urgent talk” (the students’ words) to encourage their peers to report bullying incidents. They were able to mobilize the majority of students to do so.

Make reporting a rule. Some schools institute a rule that it’s against school policy (for all stakeholders except the targeted child) not to report bullying or threats. Check your anti-bullying policy to verify that the wording is there. After students understand that rule, they are more likely to report bullying incidents.

Initiate a student poster campaign. A team of middle school students in Arkansas asked their principal if they could start a poster campaign to encourage peers to report bullying. Dozens of colorful, student-made posters lined the hallways with captions such as “It’s Okay to Tell,” “Want to Stop Bullying? Report it!,” and “Tuluka Kids Stop Bullying by Reporting.”

STUDENTS TELLING STUDENTS

Research shows that students often are more comfortable telling peers about bullying than telling adults.8 This reporting method is not utilized enough on school campuses. The majority of peers are also sympathetic toward kids who are frequently victimized by bullying, so mobilize them as “peer helpers.” Here are suggestions for having students report to other students.

Report bullying as a duo. Many targeted kids who are uncomfortable reporting bullying incidents to an adult alone will do so with a peer. Another student can accompany the targeted child or bystander to report the bullying incident and serve as a supportive companion. Teach students to ask a child who has been targeted: “Would you like me to go with you to report this to a teacher?”

Use peer mentors.

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