School Safety: Bullies and Bullying
Jim Kouri, CPP
January 30, 2006
Bullying among children encompasses a variety of harmful behaviors that are repeated over time, according to behavioral science experts. It involves a real or perceived imbalance of power, with the more powerful child or group attacking those who are less powerful. It can take three forms: physical, verbal, and psychological.
Bullying, a form of violence among children, is common on school playgrounds, in neighborhoods, and in homes throughout the United States and around the world. Often occurring out of the presence of adults or in front of adults who fail to intercede, bullying has long been considered an inevitable and, in some ways, uncontrollable part of growing up.
School bullying has come under intense public and media scrutiny recently amid reports that it may have been a contributing factor in shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, in 1999 and Santana High School in Santee, CA, in early 2001 and in other acts of juvenile violence including suicide. Bullying can affect the social environment of a school, creating a climate of fear among students, inhibiting their ability to learn, and leading to other antisocial behavior.
Nevertheless, through research and evaluation, successful programs to recognize, prevent, and effectively intervene in bullying behavior have been developed and replicated in schools across the country. These schools send the message that bullying behavior is not tolerated and, as a result, have improved safety and created a more inclusive learning environment.
A recently published report by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development on the US contribution to the World Health Organization's Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey found that 17 percent of the respondents had been bullied "sometimes" or "weekly;" 19 percent had bullied others sometimes or weekly, and 6 percent had both bullied others and been bullied.
The researchers estimated that 1.6 million children in grades 6 through 10 in the United States are bullied at least once a week, and 1.7 million children bully others as frequently. The same study found that bullying has long-term and short-term psychological effects on both those who bully and those who are bullied. Victims experience loneliness and difficulty in making social and emotional adjustments.
The impact of bullying often extends into the victim's adulthood, as it correlates with depression and other mental health problems. In responding to bullying, schools can conduct surveys to determine the nature and prevalence of bullying, increase supervision of students during breaks, and conduct schoolwide assemblies to discuss the issue. In the classroom, teachers should introduce and enforce classroom rules against bullying and hold regular classroom meetings with students to discuss bullying. School staff should intervene with bullies, victims, and their parents to ensure that the bullying is stopped.
Sources: National Criminal Justice Research Center, Nels Ericson and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, American Federation of Police and Concerned Citizens, National Association of Chiefs of Police, National Criminal Justice Association
Bullying, a form of violence among children, is common on school playgrounds, in neighborhoods, and in homes throughout the United States and around the world. Often occurring out of the presence of adults or in front of adults who fail to intercede, bullying has long been considered an inevitable and, in some ways, uncontrollable part of growing up.
School bullying has come under intense public and media scrutiny recently amid reports that it may have been a contributing factor in shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, in 1999 and Santana High School in Santee, CA, in early 2001 and in other acts of juvenile violence including suicide. Bullying can affect the social environment of a school, creating a climate of fear among students, inhibiting their ability to learn, and leading to other antisocial behavior.
Nevertheless, through research and evaluation, successful programs to recognize, prevent, and effectively intervene in bullying behavior have been developed and replicated in schools across the country. These schools send the message that bullying behavior is not tolerated and, as a result, have improved safety and created a more inclusive learning environment.
A recently published report by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development on the US contribution to the World Health Organization's Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey found that 17 percent of the respondents had been bullied "sometimes" or "weekly;" 19 percent had bullied others sometimes or weekly, and 6 percent had both bullied others and been bullied.
The researchers estimated that 1.6 million children in grades 6 through 10 in the United States are bullied at least once a week, and 1.7 million children bully others as frequently. The same study found that bullying has long-term and short-term psychological effects on both those who bully and those who are bullied. Victims experience loneliness and difficulty in making social and emotional adjustments.
The impact of bullying often extends into the victim's adulthood, as it correlates with depression and other mental health problems. In responding to bullying, schools can conduct surveys to determine the nature and prevalence of bullying, increase supervision of students during breaks, and conduct schoolwide assemblies to discuss the issue. In the classroom, teachers should introduce and enforce classroom rules against bullying and hold regular classroom meetings with students to discuss bullying. School staff should intervene with bullies, victims, and their parents to ensure that the bullying is stopped.
Sources: National Criminal Justice Research Center, Nels Ericson and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, American Federation of Police and Concerned Citizens, National Association of Chiefs of Police, National Criminal Justice Association
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