Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Reporting

1. Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Reporting Woodlin Elementary School

2. Agenda • History of Reporting Procedures • Definition of Bullying • Signs of Bullying • What is Woodlin E.S. Doing to Address Bullying? • Literature on Bullying • Survey Data • Reporting Procedures • Resources • Student Council Skit • Questions

3. Have You Been Bullied? • Talk to another Woodlin parent/guardian and tell them the name of a bully you encountered during your youth or adulthood. What made that person a bully?

4. History • 2005 - Safe Schools Reporting Act • All school systems in MD have a process for reporting and investigating instances of bullying, harassment, or intimidation • 2008 –MD General Assembly • MD Board of Education directed to develop and adopt a model policy prohibiting bullying, harassment, or intimidation in schools

5. History • 2009 – MCPS • Created a draft bullying policy • Under review and comment with the Board of Education Policy Subcommittee as part of the approval process • June 2010 – Board of Education • Adopted Policy JHF to comply MD law • http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/jhf.shtm

6. Bullying Definition Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power or strength. Typically, it is repeated over time. A child who is being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. www.StopBullyingNow.hrsa.gov

7. Types of Bullying • Physical Bullying – hitting or punching • Verbal Bullying – teasing or name calling • Non-Verbal Bullying or Emotional Bullying – intimidation through gestures or social exclusion • Cyber-Bullying – sending insulting messages by text or email www.StopBullyingNow.hrsa.gov

8. Signs of Bullied Students • Comes home with torn, damaged, or missing pieces of clothing, books, or other belongings • Has unexplained cuts, bruises, and scratches • Has few, if any friends, with whom he or she spends time • Seems afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, riding the school bus, or taking part in organized activities with peers (such as clubs) • Has trouble sleeping or has frequent bad dreams

9. Signs of Bullied Students • Experiences a loss of appetite; • Appears anxious and suffers from low self-esteem. • Takes a long, “illogical” route when walking to or from school • Has lost interest in school work or suddenly begins to do poorly in school • Appears sad, moody, teary, or depressed when he or she comes home • Complains frequently of headaches, stomachaches, or other physical ailments

10. What is Woodlin E.S. Doing to Address Bullying? Bullying, harassment, or intimidation are serious and will not be tolerated at Woodlin E.S. Woodlin E.S. has programs and procedures in place to prevent and deal with instances of bullying.

11. Woodlin E.S. • Stop and Think Social Skills Program • Teaches students social skills needed in academic and social settings • Teaches appropriate steps for listening, dealing with teasing, apologizing, ignoring distractions, dealing with frustration, etc. • Taught by classroom teachers and allows for students to practice skills in a controlled environment

12. Stop and Think Social Skills • Stop and Think! 2. Am I going to make a good choice or a bad choice? I need to make a good choice. 3. What are my choices or steps? 4. Just do it! 5. Good job!

13. Woodlin E.S. • School-wide Behavior Policy • Students monitor their own behavior on a daily basis keeping track on an individual calendar • Students rewarded for positive behavior • Weekly – Grade Level Incentives – Often extra recess! • Students aware of consequences of inappropriate behavior • Students who do not meet daily/monthly behavior expectations have the opportunity to set a behavioral goal

14. Woodlin E.S. • Classroom Guidance Lessons – Taught by the school counselor • Teaches students to identify bullying behaviors and strategies for dealing with unwanted behavior • Encourages students to use problem-solving strategies • Teaches students to interact in positive ways with peers and adults DEBUG

15. Woodlin E.S. • Individual Behavior Plans • Teachers work with colleagues and school counselor to develop individualized behavior plans for students who need additional support. • Guidance Advisory Committee • Meets monthly to monitor effectiveness of school-wide behavior plan and plan activities related to school behavior.

16. Bully Blockers Club New This Year Because bullying often happens when adults are not watching, students can play an important part in bully prevention. • Students are encouraged to notice bullying behavior and respectfully remind the misbehaving student about school rules and/or get adult help. • All students can join the Woodlin Bully Blockers Club

17. Bully Blockers Club • 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade homerooms will have Bully blocker representatives who attend monthly meetings, describe bully problems they are aware of, brainstorm solutions and report back to homerooms. • Representatives are the “go to students” for peer support in bullying situations.

18. Question • Has your child come home and complained about being bullied or teased? How did you respond as a family? Introduce your self to a person you have not met before and discuss.

19. Books on Bullying & Teasing • Stories can be a great way to teach students about the topic and how to handle situations in the correct way.

20. Survey Results • 266 students in grades 2-5 completed the bullying & teasing survey in October 2010.

21. Survey Results

22. Survey Results

23. Survey Results

24. Survey Results

25. Survey Results

26. Preemptive Measures to Bullying & Teasing • COMMUNICATION!!!! • Talk with your child • Learn the details • Who/what/where/when • Talk with the classroom teacher • Share details • Teacher can address in classroom

27. Preemptive Measures to Bullying & Teasing • Contact the school counselor & administration • Counselor can work with child to help deal with feelings and to talk about strategies for avoiding bullying situations. • Counselor can work with the student who is bullying to help find better ways to deal with anger, frustration, etc.

28. Procedures for Reporting Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation • Complete MCPS Form 230-35 “Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Reporting Form” • Available in Woodlin E.S. main office or from school counselor • Available online: www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/forms/230-35.shtm

29. Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Reporting Form • Principal/designee is required to conduct an investigation using Form 230-36 “Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Incident School Investigation Form”. • All information will be entered in system-wide database and a copy of forms will be kept in a confidential file in Woodlin’s main office.

30. Additional Websites Resources • www.montgomerycountyschoolsmd.org/departments/forms/230-35.shtm • www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov • www.connectsafely.org • www.ikeepsafe.org • www.infomontgomery.org • www.nea.org/home • www.NetSmartz.org • www.stopcyberbullying.org

31. Questions? Please feel free to contact us for additional information or resources.