Bullying

BULLYING PREVENTION AND RESPONSE

What is Bullying?

Bullying is unfair and one-sided. “It happens when someone keeps hurting, frightening, threatening, or leaving someone out on purpose.” ~Steps to Respect, Committee for Children

Bladen County Schools Code of Conduct:

“BULLYING-Any pattern of gestures or written, electronic, or verbal communications, or any physical act or any threatening communication, that takes place on school property, at any school sponsored function, or on a school bus, and that; (1) places a student or school employee in actual and reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property; or (2) creates or is certain to create a hostile environment by substantially interfering with or impairing a student’s educational performance, opportunities, or benefits. Bullying may be physical, verbal, social/relational, sexual harassment, or cyber-bullying. Social/relational bullying consists of indirect, covert attempts to affect the target’s reputation or social standing.”

Types of Bullying:

Physical Bullying – Hitting, kicking, hair pulling, pushing, or any physical aggression.
Verbal Bullying – Teasing, name calling, put-downs, or other behavior that could deliberately hurt others’ feelings.
Sexual Bullying – Any bullying behavior, whether physical or non-physical that is based on a person’s sexuality or gender.
Emotional or Exclusion Bullying – Starting rumors, telling others not to be friends with someone, eye rolling, or other actions that could cause someone to be without friends or intentionally left out.
Cyber-bullying – Using electronic devices such as computers, cell phones, and pagers to bully others through methods such as posting comments, statements, or pictures on blogs or websites, text messaging, instant messaging, and email.

What to do:

You don’t have control over another’s actions, but you have a voice as to how you respond. If you are dealing with someone who is bullying, try doing the following:

Speak up and speak out. Look the bully in the eye, remain calm, and speak in a confident, respectful voice. Be assertive and tell the bully to stop.
Walk away. Calmly walk away and ignore the bullying behavior. Don’t show fear. Fear, anger, and other reactions give bullies what they’re looking for.
Use humor. Say something funny to show that you’re not upset.
Tell an adult. Talk to a teacher, school counselor, principal, coach, parent, or adult you trust.
Complete a STUDENT BULLYING REPORT FORM available in the office, counselor’s office, or online.

Should it be reported?

Report it immediately if. . .