Things You Should Know About Bullying:

Bullying is a problem that affects ALL of our children – those who bully, those who are victimized, and those who are witnesses to interpersonal violence.

Statistics on the rates of bullying and cyberbullying vary between studies due to the measures used, the questions asked, and the population studied. However, the general consensus is that one out of three children are bullied at school, in the neighborhood, or online and that one out of three children bully others.

Terms:

Bystander

A person who sees someone being bullied and either does or does not do anything to stop it.

Bullying

Physically or psychologically aggressive behavior or intentional “harm doing” toward a victim by one person or a group, generally carried out repeatedly and over time. Also known as “victimization.”

Cooperative or Collaborative Anti-Bullying Policy

A type of policy in which teachers, students, and parents all contribute to reduce or eliminate bullying from schools.

Cyberbullying

Willful or repeated harm inflicted through mobile phones or the internet.

Harassment

Unsolicited words or actions intended to annoy, alarm, or abuse another individual.

Happy Slapping

An extreme form of bullying where physical assaults are recorded on mobile phones and distributed to others.

Neutral Strategy

A student or administrator’s reaction to the bullying that sometimes works but sometimes makes things worse.

Perceived Characteristics

Bullies sometimes target a victim because they suspect, but do not know for sure, someone’s race/ethnicity, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.

Regular Exposure

Bullying of a specific victim that occurs at least 2 to 3 times a month or more.

Responsiveness

Students’ perception of how well the school handles bullying.

Target

The victim who is on the receiving end of bullying.

Zero Tolerance Policy

School rules that punish any words, threats, or actions that are considered bullying, sometimes resulting in suspension or expulsion.