Berkeley County Schools Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) Introduction

Elice Gregory Assistant Director, Student Support Services, BCS Kelly Piepenbrink Attendance Worker, BCS Joette Stephens Teacher, Gerrardstown Elementary

2 Reflecting on Bullying… from your school days….

3 Dan Olweus, Ph.D. Sue Limber, Ph.D.

Program Developer U.S. Developer

6 OBPP is . . .

• a systems change program • designed for all students (K-12) • preventive and responsive • focused on changing norms and restructuring the school setting • research-based

©2017-2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. 7 www.clemson.edu/olweus OBPP is for ALL Students • Those who are bullied • Those who bully others • Those who are “bystanders” – witnessing purposeful aggression

The “workplace” or school environment is impacted by unaddressed bullying behavior, making it toxic for students and adults alike.

©2017-2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. 8 www.clemson.edu/olweus OBPP IS NOT... • curriculum (a set of lessons to teach) • conflict resolution or peer mediation • classroom management technique • anger management program • suicide prevention program • short term effort (1 or 2 years)

Who is Bullied? Why? How?

Bullying is when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself.

1. Involves an aggressive behavior

2. Typically involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time

3. Imbalance of power or strength

Direct Indirect • hitting • rumors • taunting • exclusion • name calling • cyberbullying

• Bullying • Rough-and-Tumble Play; Friendly Teasing • Real Fighting; Peer Conflict (Handout)

• Physical bullying - assault • Gender bullying - sexual harassment or assault, dating abuse, domestic violence • Intimidating for gain - extortion • Rumors/Lies - defamation of character • Bullying based on race, national origin, sex, or disability – (civil rights violations) • Bullying disabled persons - disability harassment (Dear Colleague Letter, October 2014) • Cyberbullying - harassment by communication; stalking • Sexting - child pornography

Risk Factors and Effects 1. Children who are bullied 2. Children who bully others 3. Children who are both bullied and bully others

• Cautious, sensitive, quiet, and withdrawn • Anxious, insecure, have low self-esteem • Physically weaker than peers (boys) • Physically mature earlier (girls) • Have few friends--find it easier to associate with adults

• Lower self-esteem • Depression and anxiety • Absenteeism and lowered school achievement • Thoughts of suicide • Illness

©2017-2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. 19 www.clemson.edu/olweus Health Consequences of Bullying (Fekkes et al., 2004) Bullied Not bullied Headache 16% 6% Sleep problems 42% 23% Abdominal pain 17% 9% Feeling tense 20% 9% Anxiety 28% 10% Feeling unhappy 23% 5% Depression scale moderate indication 49% 16% strong indication 16% 2%

Peer Classroom Achievement Peer Exclusion Participation Decrease Rejection School Peer Abuse Avoidance Kindergarten 5th Grade • Peer rejection in K associated with peer exclusion & peer abuse, grades K-5. • Peer exclusion leads to decrease in classroom participation, which leads to decrease in achievement. • Peer abuse leads to increase in school avoidance (but not directly to decreases in achievement).

• Children with disabilities, special needs, and health problems • Children who are obese • Children who are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender)

MYTHS

FACTS

Students who bully are loners. Students who bully have low self-esteem.

©2017-2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. 23 www.clemson.edu/olweus Popular Students May Use Bullying Behaviors To Maintain Power • Who are the most powerful students in your school? • How can we help students use their power to help?

Bystanders may feel: – Afraid – Powerless to change the situation – Guilty for not acting – Diminished empathy for bullied students over time

26 What Roles Do Students Play In Bullying Situations?

Start the Dislike the bullying, A Students Who Bully Defenders bullying and G help or try to help take an active the bullied student part Student Who Is Take an active Bullied part, but do not start the B Followers bullying H

Support the bullying, but C Supporters do not take an active part Dislike the bullying Possible Passive and think they ought Defenders F Like the bullying, D Supporters to help, but don’t do it but do not display open support Disengaged Onlookers TG, p. 24 E ©2017-2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. Watch what happens, 27 www.clemson.edu/olweus don’t take a stand Group Mechanisms in Bullying

• Social contagion • Weakening inhibitions against aggression • Decreased sense of individual responsibility • Gradual changes in the view of bullied student(s)

• Creates a climate of fear and disrespect • Interferes with student learning • Students may feel insecure and not like school as well • Students may perceive lack of control/caring from adults

• Teacher to Student • Teacher to Teacher • Parent to Teacher • Teacher to Parent • Administrator to Teachers/Staff • Teachers/Staff to Administrators • Community Members to Administrators (Handout) ©2017-2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. 30 www.clemson.edu/olweus Program Components

©2017-2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. 31 www.clemson.edu/olweus School-Level Components (Overview) 1. Establish a Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee (BPCC)– monthly meetings 2. Conduct committee and staff trainings (2 days/1 day) 3. Administer the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire 4. Hold staff discussion groups (monthly) 5. Introduce the school rules about bullying 6. Review and refine the school’s supervisory system 7. Hold a school kick-off event to launch the program 8. Involve parents

©2017-2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. 32 www.clemson.edu/olweus about bullying • We will not bully others. • We will try to help students who are bullied. • We will try to include students who are left out. • If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.

• Are the civil rights of a targeted student also being violated? – Title VI, CRA of 1964; prohibits discrimination on basis of race, color, or national origin – Title IX, Educational Amendments, 1972; prohibits discrimination on basis of sex – Section 504 of RA of 1973; Title II of ADA of 1990; prohibits discrimination on basis of disability

1. Post and enforce school wide rules against bullying 2. Hold regular class meetings 3. Hold meetings with students’ parents

• OBPP is not a classroom management program • BUT, helping teachers hone behavior management skills will help to implement the program • Use of Positive Classroom Management Checklist

 Class Meeting lesson notebook  Hazeldenondemand.org (Username and password required)  http://www.netsmartz.org/Educators  http://www.ikeepsafe.org/educators/  http://www.stopbullying.gov/kids/index.html  http://www.ncpc.org/  http://wvde.state.wv.us/healthyschools/SDFSBullypag e.html  http://www.pacer.org/bullying/resources/toolkits/

•Teaching Tolerance Lessons and Videos (www.teachingtolerance.org) •Anti-Defamation League Curriculum Materials (www.adl.org) •GLSEN – Materials and Videos – No Name Calling Week (www.glsen.org) •Welcoming Schools – Human Rights Campaign (www.welcomingschools.org)

1. Supervise students’ activities 2. Ensure that all staff intervene on-the-spot when bullying occurs 3. Hold meetings with students involved in bullying 4. Hold meetings with parents of involved students 5. Develop individual intervention plans for involved students

1. Stop the bullying 2. Support student who has been bullied 3. Name bullying behavior and refer to school rules 4. Engage the bystanders 5. Impose immediate and appropriate consequences (follow your school’s procedures) 6. Take steps to ensure bullied student will be protected from future bullying (Handout) ©2017-2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. 41 www.clemson.edu/olweus Community-Level Components

1. Involve community members on the BPCC 2. Develop partnerships with community members to support your program 3. Help spread anti-bullying messages and principles of best practice throughout the community

12 11 10 10 9.5 9.6

0 Percentage of students who reported being bullied 2- 3 times a month or more

BCS 2014 BCS 2015 BCS 2016 Nat 2015 BCS Middle Schools 20

17.8 18

16 16 15.4 15

14 12.8

12 11 10.3 10

0 Percentage of students who reported being bullied 2-3 times a month or more

BCS 2011 BCS 2012 BCS 2013 BCS 2014 BCS 2015 BCS 2016 Nat. 2015 BCS Intermediate Schools 20 19.6

18 17.66 16.3 16 15.16 15 14 14 13.3

0 Percentage of students who reported being bullied 2-3 times a month or more BCS 2011 BCS 2012 BCS 2013 BCS 2014 BCS 2015 BCS 2016 Nat. 2015 Remember…

• Stopping bullying takes a team effort.

• You play a critical position on the team.

• Change happens in small increments but can have positive long-term impact for us all.

©2017-2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. 46 www.clemson.edu/olweus ©2017-2018 Susan Limber, PhD; Vicki Flerx, PhD; Nancy Mullin, MEd; Jane Riese, LSW; and Marlene Snyder, PhD This presentation is based on the work of Dan Olweus, PhD.

Use of this presentation is restricted to persons trained by the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and groups they work with for the express purpose of training schools, parents and community groups about the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program model.

Appropriate credit to the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program must appear on all presentation materials. No other use or changes are permitted without prior written permission from the authors.

For further information, please contact: Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. At 864-656-6712