Bullying is defined as repeatedly causing someone to feel stressed, humiliated or threatened in an effort to assert power or control over that person. The document discusses different types of bullying and provides scenarios to determine if they are examples of bullying or just conflicts. It emphasizes that bystanders have the power to stop bullying by defending victims, getting help from trusted adults, or reporting bullying anonymously through various methods. The most important thing is for students to avoid being targeted by staying with groups and building friendship skills.

1. Bullying 411

2. Essential QuestionWhat is bullying?

3. GET THINKING!What do you know about bullying? What do you want to learn about bullying?

4. Bullying (Definition)Repeatedly causing someone to feel stressed, humiliated or threatened in an effort to assert power or control over that person

5. Types of BullyingBullying can be divided into five main categories:Physical BullyingVerbal BullyingRelational Bullying (AKA Emotional/Social Bullying)Cyber BullyingSexual Bullying

6. Physical BullyingRepeated acts of physical aggression toward a person in order to assert power—hitting, pushing, spitting, etc.

7. Verbal BullyingRepeated acts of verbal aggression toward a person in order to assert power—name calling, teasing, demeaning

8. Relational BullyingRepeated acts of aggression in which someone attempts to manipulate or damage a peer by sabotaging their friendships in order to assert power—spreading rumors, hurtful gossip

9. Cyber Bullying (Definition)Using the internet or other digital technologies to communicate words, images or language in an effort to purposely cause distress to another.

10. Sexual BullyingAny unwanted sexual advances or actions intended to make the other person uncomfortable, embarrassed, or humiliated. May include obscenities, or gestures, exposure or physical contact.

11. Conflict: Bullying:A disagreement between two or more persons of equal power Repeatedly causing someone to feel stressed, humiliated or threatened in an effort to assert power or control over that person

13. Criteria of Bullying“Three criteria are necessary for an incident to be bullying:Any behavior that is unwanted, offensive, threatening, insulting, causes discomfort or humiliation, or interferes with the individual’s school performance which results in the victim feeling stressed, injured, or threatened,the behaviors are repeated ,andthere is an imbalance of power between the bully and the victim.” from Section 7.07 of Polk County’s Code of Student Conduct, reflecting Florida DOE interpretation of bullying

14. THINK….Decide if the following scenarios meet all three criteria to be considered bullying, or if it is a conflict which should be worked out. If the scenario is an example of bullying, identify the type of bullying depicted.

15. Bullying or Conflict?Every time Aaron passes Joel he bumps him and says, "Watch where you're going, fresh meat!" All of Aaron's friends snicker. Joel starts to skip school to avoid Aaron. Jennifer is mad because Shaina got the lead in the school play. Jennifer bad mouthed Shaina to their mutual friends until no one talks to Shaina at all. This has been going on for a week. Shaina is upset because no one will talk to her. Sally thinks Gina took her boyfriend. She confronts Gina in PE. Gina starts taking off her jewelry and tells Sally, "Bring it on if you think you can." Toby sends Courtney emails calling her horrible names and threatens to tell everyone at school that Courtney eats dog food because her family is so poor. He makes Courtney cry every day.

16. Dealing with Bullying

17. Essential QuestionHow should we respond to bullying?

18. GET THINKING!Think about a time when you witnessed bullying and didnothing to stop it because you weren’t sure what to do.What feelings did you have as a bystander?

19. Who Has The Power?Who has the most power in a bullying situation: the bully, the victim or the person watching what is going on? Why do you think so?If you said, “the person watching,” YOU ARE CORRECT!

20. Bystander (Definition)Someone who observes a bullying event

21. Types of BystandersSidekick—A bystander who actively joins in at the bully’s invitation. Usually is a friend of the bully.Reinforcer—A bystander who does not actively participate in the bullying but laughs or encourages the bully in some way (smiling, hanging around, comments, gestures).Onlooker—A bystander who does not support the bully but does nothing when others are bullied. This student does not want to get involved and may feel that bullying is none of his/her business.Defender—Bystander who tries to stop bullying while maintaining personal safety. May comfort the victim and get adult help if necessary.

22. Interesting Fact:Most students are ONLOOKERS! They don’t support the bullying, but they don’t get involved in helping the target/victim either.Why do you think students are reluctant to get involved?

23. Why Kids Don’t Get InvolvedThey don’t know what to do or how to stop it.They are afraid that if they try to do something, they may do something wrong and make the situation worse.They fear that if they intervene, they may be next on the bully’s list for bullying.They think their friends may reject them if they reach out to someone who is an “outsider.”

24. How can a bystander help?Say what you feel. Tell the bully that you don’t like what they are doing.Tell a trusted adult. Report bullying. When it isn’t safe to intervene alone, get help.Ask other friends to help. If it is beyond what you can do alone, ask friends to join you in helping the target. Having people close by can discourage the bully.Never leave the targeted person alone. It shows support, and bullies are less likely to pick on someone if they are with others.Don’t encourage the bully. This means no laughing or smiling too! Understand that you can make a difference.Put yourself in the target’s shoes. Treat others like you would like to be treated.

25. Don’t Be a Target for Bullying!There is no way of telling who a bully is by how he/she looks.Bullies come in all shapes and disguises.Bullies bully in all different ways.Bullies all have one thing in common: they want to be powerful and in controlIf you are being bullied, there are things you can do to help keep you safe and help you steer out of the bully’s way. The following tips will help:

26. Avoid Being Targeted by BulliesStay with the groupBe friendly to othersJoin clubs or group activitiesFind things you do wellTell an adult you trustLearn friendship making skillsWalk with your head high and your shoulders backAvoid area that are unsupervised

27. Remember…..*Kids who bully love to have power, and they use it on purpose to intimidate, hurt or harass others. *They especially love it when their target gets upset, angry, scared or sad. *That reaction makes them feel even more powerful. So don’t give it to them!

28. Report Bullying!Any student, parent or other interested party can report suspected bullying.BULLYING CAN BE REPORTED ANONYMOUSLY!

29. Reporting vs RattingRatting:When a person tell something minor to an authority figure in hopes that it will get someone into trouble.Reporting:When a person shares important information with an authority figure in order to prevent someone from being in danger or hurt.

30. Ways to Report Bullying Call the school and report via the phone.Go to the school and talk to personnel in person.

31. More Ways to Report BullyingFill out a reporting form and turn it into the main office (Modular 8) or the guidance office (Modular 4).Drop a reporting form in your school’s bully box.

32. Report OnlineGo to www.colpsc.comScroll down the front page to the bullying linkThis link will explain bullying in detail and offer ways to report bullying

33. Reporting the 411 When reporting bullying, make sure you have all of the facts:Who is being bullied?Who is the person(s) bullying?What happened?Where did it happen?When did it happen? How often does it happen?Names of individuals who saw it happen (if any)?

34. Think:Which reporting methods are you most comfortable using if you ever had to report bullying?Identify two adults who will listen to you if you ever need to report bullying.

35. In Summary…Finish this sentence, “The most important thing about bullying that I learned today was _________?”