This document provides an overview of best practices for preventing and intervening in bullying for K-12 school staff. It defines bullying, outlines warning signs, and describes the complexity of factors involved. It recommends implementing a comprehensive anti-bullying program that includes teaching social-emotional skills, increasing supervision, collecting data, establishing clear policies, responding appropriately to incidents, educating parents, and empowering bystanders to intervene. The goal is to foster a positive school climate where all students feel safe, valued and respected.

1. Recognizing, Preventing, and Intervening 
with Bullying for K-12 School Staff
Amanda Nickerson, Ph.D.
Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention | University at Buffalo
alberticenter@buffalo.edu
gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter
SUNY Geneseo Wipe Out Bullying
February 4, 2013

2. Overview
 Bullying
 Definition & Complexity
 Warning Signs
 Best Practices in School Bullying Prevention and
Intervention
 Dignity for All Students Act
 School Climate
 Comprehensive Efforts in Schools

3. Bullying
 Acts of aggression intended to
cause harm
 By a peer (or group of peers)
operating from a position of
strength or power
 Usually repeated
Olweus (1978); Stopbullyingnow.gov

4. Types of Bullying
 Physical bullying
 punching, shoving, acts that hurt people (declines with age)
 Verbal bullying
 name calling, making offensive remarks
 Indirect bullying
 spreading rumors, excluding, ganging up
 Cyber bullying
 willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of
computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices
Hinduja & Patchin (2009)

5. Quick Bullying Facts
 Estimates vary WIDELY, but about 1 in 3 children and
adolescents are involved in as bully, target, or both
 Bullying peaks in grades 4-7
 Bullying is more likely to occur in less closely supervised
areas
(bathrooms, hallways, playground, lunch, bus, online)
 Both boys and girls bully, but there are some within-sex
differences
 Boys more likely to be direct/physical with younger, vulnerable
target
 Girls may engage in more subtle, indirect forms with same-age
girls
Cowie (2000); Nansel et al. (2001); Perry, Kusel, & Perry (1988); Skiba & Fontanini (2000)

6. Bullying vs. Conflict vs. Playing
Conflict: A struggle, dispute, or
misunderstanding between two
equal forces
Playing: Mutually desirable interaction
(positive affect, give-and-take)
– rough and tumble and “playing the
dozens” often mistaken for bullying

7. Bullying is Complex
Family School (Staff & Peers)
• Bully’s family may have • School staff may be
unclear rules, poor unaware or not take
supervision, violence seriously
• Target’s family may be • Peers are more likely to
overly close, protective join in than stand up
(mother-son) or not • School climate and
encourage assertion norms
Bully & Target Community &
• Bully: Culture
power/control, aggress • Exposure to violent TV
ive attitude, lack of and video games
empathy • Violence in community
• Target: lack of • Norms of
assertiveness, position Bullying competition, superiorit
of weakness y, intolerance

8. Warning Signs that Child May be Bullying Others
 Refer to others negatively (wimp, loser)
 Lack empathy
 Strong need to get his or her own way
 Hostile/defiant attitude
 Anger easily
 Deny involvement or blame others when
behavior addressed

9. Warning Signs that Child May be Bullied
 Unexplained illnesses, cuts/bruises
 Not want to go to school or be in social
situations
 Change in behavior
 Lack of interest
 Withdrawn

10. Short- and Long-Term Consequences
 Students who Bully
 More likely to experience legal or criminal troubles as
adults
 Poor ability to maintain positive relationships in later life
 Students who are Bullied
 Loneliness, peer rejection
 Desire to avoid school
 Increased anxiety, depression,
suicidal ideation; low self-esteem
 In some cases, may respond with extreme violence (two-
thirds of school shooters were victims of bullying)
Andershed, Kerr, & Stattin (2001); Boivin, Hymel, & Bukowski (1995); Farrington (2009); Farrington, & Ttofi
(2009, 2011);Nickeson & Slater (2009); Oliver, Hoover, & Hazler (1994); Olweus (1993); Ttofi & Farrington

11. Alberti Center Slideshow
 Summary of Issues
 Moving Toward Solutions

12. Best Practices in School Bullying 
Prevention and Intervention

13. Dignity Act for All Students
(NY state legislation effective July 1, 2012)
 “The intent of the Dignity for All Students Act (Dignity Act) is to
provide all public school students with an environment free
from discrimination and harassment, as well as to foster civility
in public schools” – NYSED
 Policy (& Code of Conduct in age-appropriate language)
 Designated Dignity Act Coordinator in each school
 Instruction for students (K-12; excludes charter) on civility and
prohibition of harassment or bullying of protected classes
 School employee training
 Annual reporting

14. Guiding Principles for Positive School Climate
 Reflect on your use of power in relationships
 Treat students the way you want them to treat each other
 Help all students look valuable in their classmates’ eyes
 Take action when bullying is observed or reported to you
 Accept the person, but do not accept the bullying behavior
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but
people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Dillon (2012); Morrison & Marachi (2011)

15. Teach
Increase
Social, Emotion
Awareness &
al, & Behavioral
Supervision
Skills
Whole-School
Respond Along
Anti-Bullying
Continuum
Policy
Bullying
Collect and
Use Data Prevention Include Parents
in Schools
Hazler & Carney (2012); Rigby (2000); Ttofi & Farrington (2011); Swearer, Espelage, & Napolitan (2009)

16. Collect and Use Data
 Bullying happens in larger school context
 Examine issues, strengths, & needs in your setting
 Use data to inform and continually improve
 Resource: CDC Measures of Bullying
Victimization, Perpetration and Bystander
Experiences
 http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/measu
ring_bullying.html

17. Develop & Implement Anti-Bullying Policy
 Definition of bullying
 Statement about expected behaviors and prohibitions
 Reporting procedure (consider anonymous procedures)
 Investigation and disciplinary actions
 Continuum of logical consequences and interventions
 Training and prevention procedures
 Assistance and support for target
 Resource: Dignity Act website www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact/

18. Teach & Reinforce Social, Emotional,
and Behavioral Skills
 Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
 www.pbis.org
 Social-Emotional Learning
 CASEL Guide to Preschool & Elementary School Programs
 http://casel.org/guide/
 Schoolwide Bullying Prevention Programs
 Alberti Center Guide to School-Wide Bullying Prevention Programs
 gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter/publications/materials

19. Programs Included in the Guide
Al’s Pals: Kids Making Healthy Choices
Bully Busters
Bullying Prevention in Positive Behavioral
Intervention and Support
Bullying-Proofing Your School
Creating a Safe School
Get Real About Violence
Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
Second Step: A Violence Prevention
Curriculum
Steps to Respect: A Bullying Prevention
Program

20. Increase Awareness and Supervision
 Learn facts and strategies about bullying
 Resources:
Education.com
www.education.com/topic/school-bullying-teasing/
Stop Bullying.gov
www.stopbullying.gov
Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention
www.gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter
Cyberbullying Research Center
http://www.cyberbullying.us/

21. Visit gse.buffalo.
edu/alberticenter
for other resources

22. Sample multi-media to use with adolescents
(with a LOL break)

23. Respond Along Continuum
 Name the specific behavior and why it is not acceptable
 Make teachable moment (include bystanders)
 Apply consequences then and there if clear violation (be
sensitive to humiliation and possible retaliation)
 Conduct investigation to gather facts (if necessary) and document
 Focus on positive and constructive change
 Progressive discipline (reparation, loss of
privilege, increased supervision, parent
contact, counseling)
 Intervention plan based on function of behavior (Swearer
Target Bullying Intervention) for repeated instances
 Follow-up privately with target to provide support

24. Example of Individual Response to Bullying

25. Communicating with Parents
 Be timely with communication!
 Focus on the behavior (not the person)
 Avoid blaming or judging (expect denial)
 Emphasize how this type of behavior can be a problem for
their child, the other person, and the school environment
 Inform parent about school response
 Work together to help child behave in other ways

26. Teach Students to be Upstanders
 Most bullying happens when peers are present (and adults are
not) – create a culture that is not consistent with bullying
 Specific strategies
 Don’t join in… speak up if it is safe to do so
 Band together as a group against bullies
 Tell an adult about the bullying
 Tattling/ratting = telling an adult to get someone in trouble
 Telling/reporting = telling an adult because someone’s behavior
is unsafe or hurtful to another
 Reach out to isolated peers, offer support

27. Visit us at gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter
Thank you for your interest and attention!