Bullying Prevention Month Insight and Resources

October marks National Bullying Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness, share the latest data, and highlight strategies that help schools create safer environments. Bullying remains a significant concern, especially with the rise of new digital platforms.

Strategies for Bullying Prevention

To help address bullying in schools, all 50 states have adopted anti-bullying legislation that requires schools to develop and implement a policy prohibiting bullying. In almost all states, schools are also required to implement age-appropriate bullying prevention programs and to provide training for all school staff, including teachers, aides, support staff, and school bus drivers, on preventing, identifying, and responding to bullying.

Preventing bullying requires a proactive and collaborative approach from staff, students, and families. Here are ten evidence-based strategies schools can use to create safer, more supportive environments:

1. Implement a School-Wide Bullying Prevention Program 

• All staff cooperate toward the common goal of reducing bullying.

2. Encourage Student Buy-In

• Use anti-bullying pledges to help students take ownership of reducing bullying.

3. Survey Students Anonymously 

• Determine the extent and nature of the problem, identify where it occurs most often, and gather student-driven recommendations.

4. Train Staff to Recognize and Respond 

• Act immediately, separate the bully from the victim, reinforce that bullying is not the victim’s fault, apply appropriate consequences, and encourage victims to report if the behavior continues.

5. Increase Staff Supervision in Hot Spots

• Target areas like bathrooms, hallways, and buses, based on student survey results.

6. Address Cyberbullying Directly

• Recognize that even a single harmful post can escalate online. Investigate disruptive online behavior, involve parents, and, when necessary, law enforcement.

7. Engage Bystanders

• Encourage witnesses to step in, report incidents, or document what they see instead of remaining passive.

8. Hold Parent Meetings and Trainings

• Focus on cyberbullying, technology use, and online safety, reminding families that access to devices is a privilege, not a right.

9. Stay Familiar with State Legislation

• Understand bullying and suicide prevention requirements, especially mandates for schools to increase prevention efforts.

10. Provide Parent Education on Mental Health

• Offer suicide prevention training, create a prevention task force with staff and community partners, and designate a credentialed suicide prevention expert.

By following these strategies, schools can move beyond reactive discipline and foster a culture of safety, empathy, and accountability.

Types of Bullying and Their Impact

Bullying can be verbal, physical, social, or digital. Each form carries unique consequences:

• Verbal & Social Bullying: name-calling, exclusion, spreading rumors — strongly linked to long-term stress and mental health struggles.
• Cyberbullying: messages, posts, or online harassment — harder to escape and often ongoing.
• Physical Bullying: pushing, tripping, or damaging property — visible but reported less often than digital or social bullying.

Research continues to show that online and reputation-related bullying are most harmful to student wellbeing, often leading to higher risks of anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts (NIJ Meta-Analysis).

Six Bullying Facts

1. Bullying remains widespread.

• According to the 2022 School Crime Supplement (NCES), about 19% of students reported being bullied on school property.

2. Most bullying goes unreported.

• Fewer than half of students who experience cyberbullying tell an adult. For in-person bullying, only about six in ten report it (CDC, 2024).

3. Bullying patterns vary by student group.

• National survey data show differences across grade levels and demographics, with some groups reporting higher victimization rates than others (NCES, 2024).

4. It’s a frequent discipline issue in schools.

• Nearly 1 in 7 public schools say bullying occurs daily or weekly (NCES Fast Facts).

5. Middle school remains the highest-risk period.

• About 28% of middle schoolers report bullying, compared to 15% of high schoolers and 10% of elementary students.
• Cyberbullying is also most common in middle school, affecting about one-third of students (NCES, 2024).

6. Rates shifted during the pandemic but have since rebounded.

• In-person bullying dropped during 2020–2021 due to school closures but has since returned closer to pre-pandemic levels.
• Cyberbullying stayed consistently high during and after remote learning (CDC, 2024).

How Vector Solutions Can Help

Vector Solutions provides expert-authored online courses for staff and students to help support bullying prevention efforts and create safer schools.

Student and Staff Training

For students, Vector’s Student Safety and Wellness Courses cover important safety, wellness, and social and emotional learning topics, including:

• Bullying Prevention: how to recognize and respond to bullying and cyberbullying.
• Digital Citizenship: how to interact safely and respectfully online, how to recognize harmful behavior, and how to protect yourself online.
• Healthy relationships: how to recognize and practice empathy, and understand how your behavior affects others.

For K-12 educators and staff, Vector’s online training courses help employees understand and respond to issues of bullying, as well as help them create welcoming school environments. Courses include:

• Bullying Recognition and Response
• Responding to Bullying
• Cyberbullying
• Bullying and Students with Special Needs
• Bullying Prevention on the School Bus
• Hazing Prevention in K12 Environments
• Workplace Bullying: Awareness and Prevention

Vector LiveSafe

Vector LiveSafe is a mobile platform and app that helps schools report, track, and receive tips about emergencies, safety concerns and other issues impacting students’ health and wellness. It’s a valuable tool that allows students to report incidents such as bullying and cyberbullying, threats of violence, student mental health crises, suicide ideation, and more. Features include:

• Anonymous reporting of incidents
• A silent panic alarm for emergencies
• Mass notification and broadcast messages

Bullying continues to evolve as technology changes, but schools can stay ahead by adopting updated prevention programs, mental health support, and effective reporting systems.

Additional Resources

Vector Blog: Best Practices in K-12 Bullying Prevention: The Role of a Positive School Culture

Vector Guide: 10 Tips to Prevent Bullying & Suicide in Schools

Vector Guide: What Can We Do to Prevent Cyberbullying?

Vector Guide: Making a Difference Together: The Impact of Vector Solutions Training Courses on Bullying and Suicide Risk in High School Students

On-Demand Webinar: Cyberbullying and Social Media Use: Overview and Implications for Schools

On-Demand Webinar: Best Practices in K-12 Bullying Prevention: The Role of a Positive School Culture