As a parent, teacher or administrator, nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of the children entrusted to us. But in recent years, the landscape has changed. Technology and social media have added new and still relatively unfamiliar territory – and one that can often prove difficult to navigate.
And that’s why October is National Bullying Prevention Month, including Safe Schools Week from October 21 – 27, which aims to motivate key education and law enforcement policymakers, as well as students, parents and community residents, to vigorously advocate school safety.
Bullying prevention calls on parents, school staff, and other adults in the community to respond quickly and consistently to bullying by talking about it, building a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy. Similarly, school safety focuses on keeping campuses free of crime and violence, improving discipline, and increasing student attendance.
Research has shown that approximately 49 percent of children grades 4–12 reported being bullied by other students at school at least once during the past month, whereas 30.8 percent reported bullying others during that time – but only 20 -30 percent of students who are bullied tell adults.
So putting an end to bullying, cyberbullying and school safety issues will take a collective effort from adults, including parents, teachers and administrators, as well as lawmakers, schools and even the children themselves.
From bullying prevention continuing education courses, to organizing community events, to working with stakeholders, discover your role in bullying prevention and learn how to take a public health approach to bullying prevention and earn continuing education credits.
State and local lawmakers have taken action to prevent bullying and cyberbullying to protect children. Through laws and policies, each state addresses bullying differently. Here, you can find out how your state refers to bullying in its laws and what they require on part of schools and districts.
Bullying threatens students’ physical and emotional safety and can negatively impact their ability to learn – so the best way to address bullying is to stop it before it starts. There are a number of things school staff can do – from activities to teach students, to evidence-based programs and curricula, to staff training – that make schools safer and prevent bullying.
Children are at the frontlines of these issues and need to know what they can do to keep themselves and the kids they know safe from bullying. It starts with impressing the importance of treating everyone with respect and includes tips for what to do should they or someone they know experience bullying or cyberbullying.
National Bullying Prevention Month and Safe Schools Week 2018 are about promoting growth, creating a safe school atmosphere, and taking a stand.
As such, Vector Solutions brands TargetSolutions and SafeSchools are committed to helping school districts be proactive against bullying with important school bullying training courses from the online course catalog for school districts.
