Bullying

Bullying:  Tips for Parents – Mental Health America

Great bullying prevention tips and a fact sheet on bullying.

Bullying Prevention Programs
Below is a list of Bullying Prevention Programs that can be used in schools and communities.

• Connect for Respect
• National Bullying Prevention Center
• Not in Our Town
• Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
• Stop Bullying

Bullying and Substance Abuse
Bullying transcends childish acts such as teasing, roughhousing or joking around.  It can be a dangerous activity with devastating physical and psychological effects.  It’s a prominent risk factor for substance abuse and addiction, but the person being bullied isn’t the only one at risk.
Source:  DrugRehab.com

Cyber-Bullying
Tips on what to do if you are being cyber-bullied.
Source:  ConnectSafely.org

Cyberbullying Research Center
A great website for Parents, Educators, and Teens to get information on cyberbullying.

Dear Colleague Letter about Disability Discrimination
This guidance letter follows a long history of guidance issued by the Department in this critical area of disability discrimination. In 2000, OCR and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) issued joint guidance informing schools that disability-based harassment may deny a student equal educational opportunities under Section 504 and Title II.2

The 2000 guidance also noted the responsibilities of schools under Section 504 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to ensure that students receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE), and alerted schools that harassment of a student based on disability may adversely impact the school’s provision of FAPE to the student.
Source:  US Department of Education, October 2014

Dear Colleague Letter – US Department of Education
Our purpose in writing is to develop greater awareness of harassment of students based on disability and to remind interested persons of the legal and educational responsibilities that institutions have to prevent and appropriately respond to disability harassment and to suggest measures that school officials should take to address this very serious problem. This letter is not an exhaustive legal analysis. Rather, it is intended to provide a useful overview of the existing legal and educational principles related to this important issue.
Source:  US Department of Education, July 2000

Dear Colleague Letter – US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights
A 2010 dear colleague letter by the OCR, which elaborated on potential violations when bullying and harassment is based on race, color, national origin, sex, or disability
Source:  US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, October 2010

Dear Colleague Letter – US Department of Education
A 2013 dear colleague letter and enclosure by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) clarifying that when bullying of a student with a disability results in the student not receiving meaningful educational benefit under IDEA, the school must remedy the problem, regardless of whether the bullying was based on the student’s disability.
Source:  US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, October 2013

Easy Bullying Prevention Tips for Elementary School Teachers
This is a great fact sheet with lots of tips and resources for elementary school teachers to prevent bullying.
Source:  Jamie Frantz & Families Helping Families of Jefferson

Easy Bullying Prevention Tips for Middle School Teachers
This is a great fact sheet with lots of tips and resources for middle school teachers to prevent bullying.
Source:  Jamie Frantz & Families Helping Families of Jefferson

Easy Bullying Prevention Tips for High School Teachers
This is a great fact sheet with lots of tips and resources for high school teachers to prevent bullying.
Source:  Jamie Frantz & Families Helping Families of Jefferson

Effective Evidence-based Practices for Preventing and Addressing Bullying
A 7-page guide to Effective Evidence-based Practices for Preventing and Addressing Bullying.
Source:  US Department of Education

Is Your Child a Bully?
This is a great fact sheet to give parents and others tips on if their child is a bully.
Source:  Jamie Frantz & Families Helping Families of Jefferson

Kids Against Bullying
A very child-friendly interactive website specifically for children to understand what is bullying, being the target of bullying, being a bully and how you can help.

Louisiana Department of Education Bullying Prevention Toolkit
Resources to assist school districts in preventing and ending bullying.

• About Reporting and Investigating Bullying
• Implementation Checklist
• Investigation Form
• Principal/Designee Responsibilities Flowchart
• Reporting Form
• Sample Parent Notification Letter About Possible Bullying
• Sample Parent Notification Letter About Confirmed Bullying
• Sample Parent Notification Letter About Unconfirmed Bullying
• Sample Policy
• Sample School-Based Stay Away Agreement
• Training Resources
• Witness Statement Form

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments
A website that provides lots of information on a safe school including bullying and cyberbullying issues.

Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center
A website with a wealth of information for students, parents, and educators on bullying prevention.

Parent Guide to Bullying
Bullying is a main source of violence in school. Parents play a vital role in recognizing signs, supporting courage, and helping their child.
Source:  Scholastic

Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices 
New CDC resource can help states and communities prevent suicide among youth. Suicide and bullying are public health problems that affect youth. Suicide was the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10-24 in 2015. While most youth who are involved in bullying do not engage in suicide-related behaviors, those who have been bullied or who bully others are more likely to report suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. Both bullying others and being bullied are linked to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness –feelings that increase a young person’s risk of suicide.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

StopBullying.Com
A website with information for parents, educators, communities, teens, and kids to stop bullying.

Teens Against Bullying
A great interactive website specifically for teens to understand the impact of bullying.

Teens Talk About Bullying
A short video on TeensHealth website with teens talking candidly about being bullied.

The Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide:  What We Know and What it Means for Schools 
The purpose of this document is to provide concrete, action-oriented information based on the latest science to help school administrators, teachers, and school staff improve your schools’ understanding of and ability to prevent and respond to the problem of bullying and suicide-related behavior.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
A report and guide that brings the voice of the families to the national dialogue of the bullying epidemic.
Source: AbilityPath.org

What Are Public Schools Required to Do When Students with Disabilities are Bullied?
A fact sheet with resources and expectations of how bullying should be handled in public schools when students with disabilities are involved.
Source:  US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights

What is a Bully?
What is a Bully is a great fact sheet on explaining what bullying is and how to prevent bullying.
Source:  Jamie Frantz & Families Helping Families of Jefferson

What is Cyberbullying?
This great fact sheet will go over the five types of cyberbullying and how you can recognize it.
Source:  Jamie Frantz & Families Helping Families of Jefferson

What Parents Can Do About Childhood Bullying
If you’re a parent concerned about bullying, it’s important to recognize the signs that a child is a bully, as well as the signs of one who is being victimized. This website will give you great signs and symptoms of bullying.