Bullying in schools is a worldwide problem that can have negative consequences for the general school climate, for the right of students to learn in a safe environment without fear, and for students who bully and their victims.

At Fox Hill, your child has been learning some strategies on how to respond to bullying behavior.

• To use their words and be firm in standing up for themselves. (e.g., "I don't like your teasing and I want you to stop right now" or "Stop doing that now. If you keep on, I'm going to report you to the teacher.").
• To say nothing and walk away.
• To make a joke, laugh at oneself, or to use humor to defuse the situation.

If bullying is persistent please contact your child’s teacher and guidance counselor.

http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/topics/bullying.asp
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/links/bullylinks.htm

Types of Bullying:

• Physical bullying: hitting, kicking, pushing, choking, punching, pinching, stealing or extorting money.
• Verbal bullying: threatening, taunting, insulting, sarcasm, teasing, starting rumors, hate speech. It also includes hostile gestures such as making faces, staring, giving the evil eye, eye rolling and spitting.
• Relational Bullying: when students disrupt another student’s peer relationships through leaving them out, gossiping, whispering and spreading rumors. It includes when students turn their back on another student, giving them the silent treatment, ostracizing or scape-goating. Eg: "No one play with Mary;" "No one wants to play with him;" "Don't be her friend."
• Cyberbullying : The use of cell-phones, text messages, e-mails, instant messages, web blogs and postings to bully another student in any of the ways described above. Examples of cyberbullying are sending threatening or insulting messages by phone and e-mail, and spreading destructive rumors.

Victim Warning Signs:

• Avoiding certain situations, people, or places, such as pretending to be sick so that he or she does not have to go to school
• Changes in behavior, such as being withdrawn and passive, being overly active and aggressive, or being self-destructive
• Frequent crying or feeling sad
• Signs of low self-esteem
• Being unwilling to speak or showing signs of fear when asked about certain situations, people, or places
• Signs of injuries
• Suddenly receiving lower grades or showing signs of learning problems
• Recurrent unexplained physical symptoms such as stomach pains and fatigue

Parent Response to Bullying:

1.         Listen to your child. Just talking about the problem and knowing that you care can be helpful and comforting. Make sure that your child knows that you do not blame or feel disappointed in him or her. Ask your child what he or she thinks should be done. What has your child tried? What worked and what didn’t?

2.         Encourage your child not to retaliate against the bully or to let the bully see how much he or she has upset your child. Getting a response just reinforces the bullying behavior.

3.         Brainstorm with your child to develop some effective responses that would work well for them and their personality. Then role-play different approaches and responses with your child so that he or she will be prepared the next time.

4.         Encourage your child to go immediately to a teacher, principal, or other nearby adult if he or she feels seriously threatened.

5.         Find activities for them outside their school peer group where they can be valued and succeed for who they are. You may also want to help your child to develop strategies to avoid situations where bullying can happen and to avoid being alone with bullies.

6.         Encourage your child to form strong friendships. A child or teen who has loyal friends is less likely to be singled out by a bully, and they can be valuable allies if your child is targeted.

7.         Don’t confront the parents of the students targeting your child. More often than not, these confrontations are tainted with anger and can make your child’s situation worse. In many cases, bullying won’t require your involvement.

If Your Child Is Bullying Others:

1. Sit down and talk with your child immediately. It is important to take the problem seriously, because children and youth who bully others are at a greater risk for serious problems later in life.

2. Give your child an opportunity to explain his/her behavior, but do not accept any excuses or justifications. Make it clear that bullying will not be tolerated and outline the consequences for further unacceptable behavior.

3. Encourage your child to try to understand how the bullying feels to his/her victim. How would your child feel if it happened to him/her? If you or someone close to you has been bullied in the past, you might want to share the story with your child, discussing the emotional impact.

4. Increase your supervision of your child’s activities and whereabouts, and know who your child is spending time with. Make an effort to observe your child in one-on-one interactions. Stop any show of aggression immediately and help your child find other, nonviolent ways of reacting to certain situations. Praise your child for appropriate behaviors.
   
   

   To help teachers work more successfully with all students within the regular classroom. To provide support for teachers To increase professional partnerships To provide an efficient pre-referral process

   Back to top