Bullying Bullying in Schools Paper Name Class Date Professor Bullying in Schools Paper Bullying is mean spirited and unwanted intimidation by another student. Bullying can come in many different forms but the result is an imbalance of power where one student suffers physical and verbal attacks as well as social exclusion. The bully repeatedly focuses in on their victims and subjects them to continued harassment and false rumors. Bullying causes the victims extreme emotional damage and lifelong pain but occurs most commonly in the school setting. In order to ensure that bullying is prevented the educational system will need to become more proactive and create programs and services designed to educate, reduce, deter and punish bullying. Types and Extent of Bullying The three types of bullying experienced by the youthful victim in the school setting consist of verbal and physical assaults as well as social exclusions. The types of verbal threats the victims of bullying suffer are name calling, false gossip, lewd sexual comments, taunts, and threats to cause harm. Physical assaults include hitting, kicking, pushing, tripping, pinching, and spitting on the victim. Social exclusions includes the bully taking steps to isolate the victim from peers by leaving them out of social events or gatherings and talking rudely about them to other peers. Other students will fear the bully and go along with their mean spirited actions. The victim will be isolated and the bully will take steps to embarrass the student in front of other peers. The bully will spread malicious rumors and make rude comments to the victim. Adolescents are extremely sensitive to rejection and the opinions of peers, both of which can serve as catalysts for revenge (Booth, 2011). The result is the bullying becomes escalated and the victim takes revenge on the bully or physical altercations occur. Bullying is a major problem in society. While bullying occurs most in the school setting there are other places where bullying occurs. Bullies target victims using social networks and will bully them at social events. Victims of bullies are harassed and attacked on school buses and on school playgrounds as well as in the victim’s neighborhood. While bullying can happen anywhere it is most prevalent in schools making it the responsibility of educational systems to take steps to see it stopped. In 2001 in a report conducted by the Bureau of Juvenile Justice Statistics it was discovered that 20% of all students will be bullied while in high school while the number creeps up to almost 30% when dealing with school children from second to sixth grade (DeVoe, 2009). This comes to one in seven students from kindergarten to twelfth grade being victims of bullying. Over half of the students surveyed have been witness to bullying in the school setting and over 70% find bullying is a real issue in their school as well as the report found girls where far more ...

1. Bullying
Bullying in Schools Paper
Name
Class
Date
Professor
Bullying in Schools Paper
Bullying is mean spirited and unwanted intimidation by
another student. Bullying can come in many different forms but
the result is an imbalance of power where one student suffers
physical and verbal attacks as well as social exclusion. The
bully repeatedly focuses in on their victims and subjects them to
continued harassment and false rumors. Bullying causes the

2. victims extreme emotional damage and lifelong pain but occurs
most commonly in the school setting. In order to ensure that
bullying is prevented the educational system will need to
become more proactive and create programs and services
designed to educate, reduce, deter and punish bullying.
Types and Extent of Bullying
The three types of bullying experienced by the youthful
victim in the school setting consist of verbal and physical
assaults as well as social exclusions. The types of verbal threats
the victims of bullying suffer are name calling, false gossip,
lewd sexual comments, taunts, and threats to cause harm.
Physical assaults include hitting, kicking, pushing, tripping,
pinching, and spitting on the victim. Social exclusions includes
the bully taking steps to isolate the victim from peers by
leaving them out of social events or gatherings and talking
rudely about them to other peers. Other students will fear the
bully and go along with their mean spirited actions. The victim
will be isolated and the bully will take steps to embarrass the
student in front of other peers. The bully will spread malicious
rumors and make rude comments to the victim.
Adolescents are extremely sensitive to rejection and the
opinions of peers, both of which can serve as catalysts for
revenge (Booth, 2011). The result is the bullying becomes
escalated and the victim takes revenge on the bully or physical
altercations occur. Bullying is a major problem in society.
While bullying occurs most in the school setting there are other
places where bullying occurs. Bullies target victims using social
networks and will bully them at social events. Victims of bullies
are harassed and attacked on school buses and on school
playgrounds as well as in the victim’s neighborhood. While
bullying can happen anywhere it is most prevalent in schools
making it the responsibility of educational systems to take steps
to see it stopped.
In 2001 in a report conducted by the Bureau of Juvenile
Justice Statistics it was discovered that 20% of all students will
be bullied while in high school while the number creeps up to

3. almost 30% when dealing with school children from second to
sixth grade (DeVoe, 2009). This comes to one in seven students
from kindergarten to twelfth grade being victims of bullying.
Over half of the students surveyed have been witness to
bullying in the school setting and over 70% find bullying is a
real issue in their school as well as the report found girls where
far more likely to be the bully over males. The survey also
reported than one in twenty students will have observed a
student carrying a gun while almost 300,000 students each year
are physically attacked by another student (DeVoe, 2009). Most
importantly bullying has been blamed on at least 75% of all
school shootings.
Impact of Bullying and Profile of Bully
Bullying causes the victim both short and long term
consequences. Victim of bullying suffer severe emotional
consequences when being targeted for bullies. They are afraid
to go to school, feel anxious, and have lowered self worth. The
victims of bullying become depressed and lack social
confidence as well as will avoid social gatherings in fear of
being ridiculed or teased by their bully (Boyd, 2005). The bully
makes the victim feel worthless and in some cases they will
commit suicide in order to avoid the torture they experience at
the hands of their bully. Bullies also commit violent, physical
acts against their victims which can result in lasting
consequences for the victim.
The victim of bullying becomes socially isolated from peers
and in some cases instead of avoiding their bully the victim will
seek revenge. Because the victim experiences continuous and
prolonged cruel treatment from their bully they become angry at
the failure of the school, adults in their lives, and peers who
failed to stop or assist them with the bully and as a result bring
a gun to school and go on a killing spree. Bullying is harmful
and causes victims to drop out of school and turn to substance
abuse in order to mask their pain as well as engage in other
harmful behaviors.
The youths that are most likely to become bullies are the

4. ones experiencing problems in their home life or have feeling of
insecurity and lash put on students they perceive as weaker than
them. Bullies are impulsive, aggressive, and fail to experience
empathy for the pain of their victims. Many bullies come from
homes where their parents or guardians display similar behavior
and in some cases have been targets of bully’s themselves. The
bully is more likely to engage in juvenile delinquent behavior
and is often truant form school.
School Anti-Bullying Strategies
In order for bullying to be stopped in the school setting and to
prevent acts of school violence by victims of bullying bent on
revenge the school will need to educate students and develop
programs. While programs are essential so is providing training
for personnel on the proper response to bullying behavior. One
prevention program employed in schools is School resource
officer (SRO) programs. The SRO is in place to provide
students and staffs a place to report cases of bullying and
actively responds to any reported cases. The SRO educates staff
members and students on bullying and is aware of any potential
warning signs that could alert them to potential bullies or
victims of bullying. Because school shootings are a real threat
in the school setting it is essential that the SRO identify victims
in order to give them the tools to vent their emotions and find
alternative measures for dealing with their pain. The SRO can
also address the bully and takes steps to assist them in
correcting their behavior.
Bullying prevention and intervention programs are
developing in schools across the country the more society
recognizes the extent of the problem and the need for effective
solutions. One program is “Let be Friends” which encourages
children in grades kindergarten through second grade to develop
friendships with all children despite any differences. The
children are taught to embrace the unique differences of their
classmates and too treat all students kindly and fairly. Bullying
programs for middle school students include Stand U Speak Out
where students are encouraged to report their bully and stand

5. with peers that are being bullied. Programs for high school
students include education programs such as Ignorance is no
Defense for Bullying where students educate other students on
bullying.
Role of Law Enforcement and Community Policing
While the educational system is responsible for developing
the necessary processes to stop bullying law enforcement also
plays a role in ensuring bullying does not occur. Law
enforcement officials are responsible for working directly with
members of the community in order to make positive changes. A
mandatory reporting law could assist police in be alerted to
incidents of bullying in schools and require school officials to
report these acts. First law enforcement can support new
policies in society that make bullying both in person and
through the use of social networks punishable by law and then
enforcing these laws to ensure the bullies are punished. In order
to deter this behavior the culprits must be punished to deter
future offenders.
Community oriented policing is an approach taken by
policing organizations where police officers work closely with
community members in order to develop solution to crime and
social issues. Law enforcement also supports community
programs that develop in society aimed at preventing or
reducing the bullying problem. Law enforcement can
collaborate with schools and teachers in order to make public
appearances to stress to children the consequences of bullying
and to support the schools efforts to implement anti-bullying
programs.
Police officials in the community can conduct research on
the extent of the bullying program and create relationships with
students and school officials in order to ensure cooperation
during incidents of bullying that occur in the school. Law
enforcement can also create a reporting system where bullying
can be reported anonymously. Police agencies partner with
community programs, such as Bullying Prevent Program and
D.A.R.E, to assist in changing the attitude, behavior, and

6. perception of youths and provide them with the tools to avoid
bullying behavior and support peers being bullied.
Law enforcement is responsible for partnering with school
officials and sharing information with school on the best
practices for preventing, reducing, and deterring bullying. Law
enforcement needs to make educator and students ware of state
laws and support efforts to establish bullying programs. Police
officer deters bullying through providing a presence and
actively engages in training process for the SRO officer and
other pertinent personnel. Without support from the community
and law enforcement educational system will not be successful
in stopping this growing problem in their schools.
References
Booth, B. & Vecchi, G. (2011). Addressing School Violence.
Retrieved June 29, 2012 from
http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-
bulletin/may_2011/school
Boyd, D. (2005).Youth Bullying: Incidence, Impact, and
Interventions. Journal of the New
Jersey Psychological Association, 55(3), 22-24. Retrieved
June 30, 2012 from
http://www.umdnj.edu/vinjweb/publications/articles/bullying.pd
f
DeVoe, J. & Bauer, L. (2009). Student Victimization in U.S.
Schools Results from the 2009
School Crime Supplement to the National Crime
Victimization Survey. Retrieved June 29,
2012 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012314.pdf