Bullying Prevention for Schools

A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing a Successful Anti-Bullying Program

Allan L. Beane

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9780470639566
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Pedagogía
• Subtopic: Métodos de enseñanza de la educación

A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing a Successful ANTI-BullyING Program

Bullying can be found in every school system, school, and classroom. It is destructive to the well-being of students, creates unsafe schools, and impacts learning. School personnel, parents, and others are increasingly realizing the importance of putting effective anti-bullying strategies and policies in place that will create safe, caring, and peaceful schools where all students feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. Based on Allan L. Beane's proven Bully Free7reg; Program, Bullying Prevention for Schools is a step-by-step guide to implementing an anti-bullying program in individual schools or throughout a district.

In Bullying Prevention for Schools, Dr. Beane details how to:

• Implement training for school personnel and volunteers and awareness sessions for students, parents, and the community
• Establish policies, rules, behavioral expectations, discipline rubrics, and response plans
• Prepare intervention and prevention strategies
• Develop a plan to actively include, involve, and empower students, parents, and the community
• And much more

Bullying Prevention for Schools also contains a wealth of reproducible documents and forms, such as surveys, statement sheets, and intervention questionnaires.

Step 1

Establish and Train the Bully Free Program Team and Develop the Program Time Line

In order for the Bully Free Program to achieve the expected results in your school, the steps set out in this book need to be implemented systematically and as described here. Since planning is the beginning of action and input from all stakeholders is important, a team structure should be used to systematically implement and assess the effectiveness of the Bully Free Program. If this is a systemwide effort (there will be a program in several schools), I recommend that two types of teams be established: a systemwide Bully Free Program team and a Bully Free Program team in each school. Establishing such teams communicates the school system’s commitment to preventing and stopping bullying. If a systemwide team is appointed, it should serve as the steering committee and be made up of the chairs of the school teams. The superintendent should appoint a chair of the systemwide team.

From here on, this book will address the role of the schoolwide Bully Free Program team. A school team serves as the working committee in the school.

Establishing the School’s Bully Free Program Team

Membership

A team should be formed in each school desiring to implement the program. The team chair should be appointed by the appropriate person in the school system. The chair must be dedicated to preventing and stopping bullying and must have the ability to provide effective leadership. This person often serves as the Bully Free Program coordinator. The chair should then work with the school officials to identify the team members.

The team should have no more than about a dozen members. Although it may be tempting to limit the membership of this team to school personnel because it is easier to get everyone to a meeting, wide representation on the team is important. The broader the scope of representation, the more likely the team will be successful. Although parents are very busy and have difficulty meeting during the day, they can play an important role in planning and implementing the Bully Free Program. They also can assist in enlisting the support of other parents and other community representatives. Sometimes it is not realistic to have a student representative on the team. In many school systems, all the students ride buses and can’t meet with the team, which usually meets after school. If circumstances make it feasible for student representation, we encourage it.

Some schools have used an existing committee to serve as the program’s team when there seems to be appropriate representation on the committee. For example, schools have used discipline committees and school safety committees.

I offer one note of caution on membership. Just because a person volunteers to be on the Bully Free Program team does not mean this person should be on it. Sometimes adults who are bullies want to be on the team, and sometimes individuals with negative attitudes who always want to have their way want to be on it. Therefore, be very selective in choosing members.

Nevertheless, whether you are using an existing committee or forming a new team, the following people should be considered for membership:

• A school principal or assistant principal who provides leadership so the program has priority and its momentum is maintained

• A teacher representative from each grade who serves as a program liaison with other teachers in that grade and an ongoing consultant to them

• A guidance counselor or school psychologist who serves as a program liaison with other counselors and school psychologists

• A special education director or teacher who serves as a program liaison with other special education personnel

• A parent who serves as a program liaison with other parents and helps coordinate efforts to involve parents in the program

Others may be asked to be on the team or to attend team meetings from time to time—for example:

• A member of the nonteaching staff (secretary, cafeteria worker, bus driver)

• A school resource officer or school-based law enforcement officer

• A volunteer supervisor

• A school nurse

• A community representative (for example, the parks and recreation director or YMCA director)

• A student (for students in middle school or higher grades)

• A representative from the after-school program

These individuals should feel passionate about preventing and stopping bullying. The members of the school’s team should also be willing to give the project the time it requires, listen to those they represent, and take the initiative to obtain the opinions and ideas of those they represent.

The representation of the team members may vary from one school to another. For example, some schools may decide to have one teacher represent more than one grade level.

Desirable Team Member Behaviors

The individuals selected should demonstrate willingness to:

• Accept that all members are equal in value and power.

• Be on time and give full attention to each session.

• Commit to the tasks of the team.

• Share and value different ideas and viewpoints.

• Seek ideas and strategies that all can agree on.

• Communicate often to keep everyone informed.

• Recognize the efforts as well as the accomplishments of team members.

• Actively listen to team members and ask information-seeking questions.

• Leave their position, title, and degrees outside the team meetings.

• Assist in keeping the team on task and make effective use of time.

• Encourage and explore the use of creative ideas from all team members.

• Be prepared for each team meeting and complete assignments on time.

• Learn from and value the knowledge and experience of team members.

• Support and implement the team’s plan.

These desirable characteristics should be periodically reviewed by the team members and used to discuss the effectiveness of the team in working together.

Responsibilities of the School’s Team

The school’s team is considered the working committee and is responsible for planning and ensuring the implementation of the Bully Free Program using the steps presented in this book. It also has responsibility for maintaining commitment to the Bully Free Program and maintaining the program’s momentum in the school. Strategies for maintaining commitment and momentum are presented in Step 8.

The Bully Free Program team should become knowledgeable about bullying and become familiar with all of the Bully Free Program materials and resources.

Planning and Conducting the First Team Meeting

The team chair should establish a date, time, and location for the first meeting. He or she should make sure the meeting is held in an easily accessible location, preferably with nearby parking or public transportation. The room should have good lighting, tables, and comfortable chairs. Appropriate refreshments should also be made available (consider those who may have special dietary needs, including food allergies).

Prior to the first meeting, the chair should determine which of the members of the team will write and disseminate the minutes to the members and others deemed appropriate to receive minutes. It is best for the chair to select this person and ask him or her to serve in this capacity before the meeting.

A copy of this book should be ordered for each team member. This book is not only a guide; it contains numerous documents that team members need to examine prior to certain meetings and also serves as a record book for tracking the team’s progress and recording important team decisions.

I suggest ordering one of each of the grade-appropriate Bully Free Program kits and a support materials kit that your school will use (www.bullyfree.com) so that they are available at the first meeting. At some point, a brief period of time may be scheduled for members to examine these.

The chair and principal or superintendent should send a letter and a copy of this book to team members thanking them for agreeing to serve on the team and inviting them to attend the first team meeting; specify the date, time, and place; and ask them to become familiar with this book and bring it with them to the first meeting (and all other meetings as well). They should also be told to read Appendix A. The letter should also mention the mission of the team: to make sure the Bully Free Program is successfully implemented.

At the first meeting, each member should be asked to introduce himself or herself. The chair should thank them for agreeing to be on the team and explain why they were selected. Next, the recorder/secretary should be introduced. The team should then determine the best way to disseminate the meeting minutes.

The chair should explain the mission of the team: to implement the Bully Free Program by following the steps described in this book. The chair should note that each team member will become very familiar with the program and should strive to become very knowledgeable about bullying.

Next, a time and place for future team meetings and ground rules should be determined—for example:

• We will meet for two hours only unless everyone agrees to meet longer.

• We will start on time.

• We will do our best not to be late.

• We will not leave the meeting early.

Ground rules are important to the functioning of teams. Sometimes teams are ineffective because the ground rules are not enforced or they might not be clear.

The suggestions of team members regarding ground rules could be written on a flip chart and discussed. How often the team meets will depend on the availability of the members and the eagerness of the team to implement the program. My recommendation is that the team meet at least once a month, and perhaps more often initially. To move the team more quickly through the steps, groups of two or three team members could be given assignments focusing specifically on certain steps.

Too often individuals in education are asked to work toge...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• About This Book
• Acknowledgments
• Dedication
• The Author
• Introduction
• Step 1 - Establish and Train the Bully Free Program Team and Develop the ...
• Step 2 - Provide Bully Free Awareness Training for School Personnel and Volunteers
• Step 3 - Provide a Bully Free Awareness Assembly for All Students
• Step 4 - Provide a Bully Free Awareness Presentation for Parents and the Community
• Step 5 - Develop a Program Evaluation Plan and Determine the Status of ...
• Step 6 - Develop the Bully Free Program Mission Statement, Objectives, Slogan, ...
• Step 7 - Implement a Bully Free Curriculum
• Step 8 - Develop and Implement the Bully Free Program Administrative ...
• Step 9 - Establish the Bully Free Rules and Behavioral Expectations
• Step 10 - Develop the Discipline Rubrics and Adopt Prosocial (Nonpunitive) Strategies
• Step 11 - Develop the Response Plan
• Step 12 - Identify the High-Risk Locations and Times and Develop and Implement ...
• Step 13 - Train School Personnel, Volunteers, and Other Key Individuals to ...
• Step 14 - Conduct a Meeting with Adults and an Assembly Program for Students ...
• Step 15 - Develop and Implement a Student Involvement and Empowerment Plan
• Step 16 - Develop and Implement Parent and Community Involvement and Education Plans
• Step 17 - Review and Confirm the Implementation and Completion of Program ...
• Step 18 - Readminister the Survey Instruments, Analyze Pre- and Post-Data, and ...
• Step 19 - Celebrate Success and Plan for Next Year
• Appendix A - Description of the Bully Free Program
• Appendix B - Overview of Bullying—Handouts and Fact Sheets
• Appendix C - Bully Free Survey Instruments
• Appendix D - Example Anti-Bullying Policy
• Appendix E - Bully Free Discipline Rubrics and Blank Rubric Forms
• Appendix F - The Bully Free Response Plan Forms for Students Bullying Students
• Bibliography
• Index