Bullying Prevention at Highland
During SEL lessons with Ms. Tamara, students have been discussing how to recognize others’ feelings and the importance of this work to help develop empathy. Students then were introduced to the definition of bullying:
Bullying is unwanted aggressive behavior (words or actions) that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated over time and is intended to cause fear, intimidation or harm.
Through read-alouds, and weekly check-ins, students connect with examples of hard feelings and behaviors they may have experienced at school. They also are learning the roles involved in bullying scenarios as well as the four main types of bullying: Physical, verbal, social/relational, and cyberbullying. Students are becoming more familiar with what to do if they feel like they have experienced or witnessed a bullying situation. Students have access to bullying report forms, which after being filled in, will initiate a bullying investigation. Students’ parents will be notified about this and the outcome of the investigation. Please click here for more details about our school’s bullying policy.
Here is a copy of a lower elementary bully report form that students would complete. Students, teachers, and parents may also complete one using this link.
How to Approach Situations at Home
If your child is being bullied….
- Be supportive
- Listen to them without judgment
- Let them know that you are there for them and want to help
- Discuss their ideas on how they want to handle the situation
- Make a plan for next steps
- Identify others who may be able to help, such as a teacher or counselor
If your child witnesses bullying….
- Reassure them that telling an adult is a positive first step
- Share that they can make a positive impact on others
- Work together to make a plan that your child is comfortable with using to respond to bullying incidents in the future
- Reinforce that they should never participate in or support bullying
- Encourage them to be supportive and kind to the student being bullied
- Explain why telling an adult about bullying is a good idea and is not tattling
If your child is engaging in bullying…..
- Know that bullying is a behavior and behavior can be changed
- Recognize that children engage in bullying for many different reasons
- Have a calm conversation and explore the reasons for their behavior
- Help your child understand how their behavior affects others
- Make your expectations of appropriate behavior clear and consistent
- Let them know bullying is not okay under any circumstances
- Provide appropriate and meaningful consequences that fit the situation