K-12 Bullying Prevention Month Resources

K-12 Bullying Prevention Month Resources
Resources

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and as life begins to return to normal it’s important for educators, staff, parents, and students to keep fighting back against bullying. 

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Bullying Quick Facts 

  • About 20% of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying nationwide. (Stopbullying.gov 
  • 41% of students who reported being bullied at school indicated that they think the bullying would happen again. (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019 
  • Among students ages 12-18 who reported being bullied at school during the school year, 15% were bullied online or by text. (Stopbullying.gov) 
  • 48.7% of LGBTQ students experienced cyberbullying in the past year (Kosciw et al., 2018) 
  • The most common form of bullying is not physical aggression or verbal threats and insults—it’s a behavior known as “social exclusion.” Social exclusion is a form of “relational aggression” that occurs when peers exclude a student from group activities or spread harmful rumors about that person. (Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab) 

Effects of Bullying 

According to a 2019 study from the CDC, students who experience bullying are at an increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school. These students are also more likely to experience negative physical health effects like stomach aches and headaches. Many students who are bullied also reported that bullying has had an impact on their relationships with their families and friends.  

Social Exclusion Prevention Strategies for Schools 

In a recent article in District Administration, Chad Rose, associate professor at the University of Missouri and director of the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab, outlined several strategies for preventing bullying in the form of social exclusion. Strategies include: 

  1. Skill-specific interventions, such as empathy training and social-emotional learning, can reduce the levels of relational aggression. 
  1. Educators—along with parents and community members—can support youth at risk of bullying by celebrating their individuality. 
  1. Teachers can immediately embed social communication skills within their daily curriculum. When educators set academic objectives for a project, they should also monitor whether students are asking their classmates to share their ideas and input. Teachers should praise students when they see this kind of respectful and inclusive behavior in action. 

Bullying Prevention Legislation 

All states have anti-bullying legislation. These state laws direct every LEA to develop and implement a policy prohibiting bullying, through a collaborative process with all interested stakeholders, including school administrators, staff, students, students’ families, and the community, in order to best address local conditions. Nearly all state laws require age-appropriate prevention education for students and requirements for training all school staff on preventing, identifying, and responding to bullying.  

When bullying is also harassment and happens in the school context, schools have a legal obligation to respond to it according to federal laws. 

How Vector Solutions Can Support Bullying Prevention at School 

Staff & Student Resources 

The Vector Training Staff Safety and Compliance course library covers topics like:  

  • Bullying: Recognition & Response 
  • Conflict Management: Student-to-Student 
  • Cyberbullying 
  • Making Schools Safe and Inclusive for LGBTQ Students 
  • Making Schools Safe and Inclusive for Transgender Students 

Vector Training offers a comprehensive course library for students in grades 6-8 and 9-12. These courses cover a variety of topics such as:  

  • Bullying & Cyberbullying 
  • Digital Citizenship 
  • Resolving Disagreements 
  • Healthy Relationships 

Vector LiveSafe improves your ability to receive valuable tips and track, manage, and respond to incidents and emergencies, resulting in increased student safety and wellness across your school community. The safety communications platform can be accessed through the Vector LiveSafe mobile app, where students can report incidents of:  

  • Bullying and cyberbullying  
  • Threats of violence 
  • Student mental health crisis 
  • Suicide ideation 
  • And more  

The app can be customized to meet the needs of your school and student population, and now includes the option to add a silent panic alarm for emergencies. 

Contact us at 800.434.0154 or Request a Demo to learn more!
 

 

Want to Know More?

Reach out and a Vector Solutions representative will respond back to help answer any questions you might have.