Bullying & Harassment

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According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 50% of children are bullied and l0% are victims of bullying on a regular basis.

Kids who have learning disabilities are especially vulnerable to bullying problems.

On this page you will find information about bullying and harassment, prevention, legal decisions about harassment, and effective ways to respond to bullying.

We have included articles, campaigns, reports, and resources to empower schools, parents, and kids to end bullying and childhood harassment.

What Laws Apply to Disability Harassment

Prohibited Disability Harassment, letter from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the U.S. Department of Education. Disability harassment can have a profound impact on students, raise safety concerns, and erode efforts to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to the myriad benefits that an education offers.

"States and school districts also have a responsibility under Section 504, Title II, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is enforced by OSERS, to ensure that a free appropriate public education (FAPE) is made available to eligible students with disabilities. Disability harassment may result in a denial of FAPE under these statutes. Parents may initiate administrative due process procedures under IDEA, Section 504, or Title II to address a denial of FAPE, including a denial that results from disability harassment. Individuals and organizations also may file complaints with OCR, alleging a denial of FAPE that results from disability harassment. In addition, an individual or organization may file a complaint alleging a violation of IDEA under separate procedures with the state educational agency. State compliance with IDEA, including compliance with FAPE requirements, is monitored by OSERS' Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)." Read the letter.

Articles

What Adults Can Do. Read what works-and doesn't work-in bullying prevention and intervention. Best practices in bullying prevention from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

In Preventing Bullying, Linda Lumsden identifies some of the warning signs, examines the problems caused by bullying, and discusses strategies to prevent this pervasive problem.

Talk With Your Child About Bullying. Information about how to discuss bullying with your child.

Your Three Step Plan to Stop Bullying. Learn how to take action at home and work with teachers and administrators to create a safer environment for all children.

The IEP and Bullying. Learn how to work with the IEP team to develop goals and supports for prevention and intervention against bullying.

Bullying, Discipline, and Confidentiality. A special education teacher asked a question about a student’s right to confidentiality after being disciplined by the school.

Is Your Child the Bully?

Teaching Kids Not to Bully from KidsHealth.

Confidentiality v. Parent's Need to Know. Pete and Pam answer when a special education teacher asks, "how much information about bullies should a school provide?"

Cyber-Bullying

The National Crime Prevention Council instituted a cyberbullying prevention campaign that targets 12 and 13-year-olds, particularly girls. But in today's "virtual world," cyberbulling can affect those even younger.

Cyberbullying Prevention Campaign - Delete Cyber Bullying! Don't Write It! Don't Forward It! Information about cyberbullying for kids, teens, and parents.

"So called cyber bullying is the most rapidly expanding kind of abusive behaviour among school children." For information for schools, parents and children of all ages, go to StopCyberBullying.org.

Articles for Kids

Pacer Kids Against Bullying. Fun and games, real life stories, and smart stuff on how to "Spot it" and "Stop it."

What Every Kid Needs to Know About Bullying from the PACER Center.

You Can Beat Bullying. Find out one thing Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, and David Beckham have in common.

Use the Bully Pack from Kidscape. You'll find advice for kids of all ages...and parents, too.

bully book

A free e-book, The Bully, is available online for kids (and parents) who want to learn the signs of bullying and positive ways to cope with their feelings.

Bullying in Schools

Stop Bullying Now! Multimedia toolkit for school leaders and educators about the dangers of bullying. Developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration, the DVD toolkits include animated Webisodes, which depict how students experience bullying and reach safe and healthy solutions; public service announcements; video workshops for professionals in education, health and safety, mental health and other fields; and an instructor’s guide to help teach children aboutbullying.

Bullying in Early Adolescence: The Role of the Peer Group. Important information for schools to use for helping children and young adolescents learn how to manage, and potentially change, the pressure to hurt their classmates in order to "fit in."

A 2006 study of urban elementary school teachers in the U.S. found that 40% of teachers admitted that they had bullied a student, and 3% did so "frequently."

Teachers Who Bully Students: Patterns and Policy Implications. "Although most professional educators are ethical in their conduct, bullying of students by teachers needs to be recognized as a problem" - an article from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Are You A Bully? If you are a teacher, behavior management in the classroom is always a challenge. What is the difference between behavior management and bullying? Linda Starr says you can tell the difference.

What Teachers Can Do. Learn as much as you can about bullying among children and youth and best practices for addressing bullying.

The National School Safety Center has excellent resource information about how to create bully-resistant schools.

Bullying in Schools: Fact Sheet Series

Bullying in Schools: Discussion Activities for School Communities

Bullying in Schools: Talking with Hilda About Bullying

Preventing Classroom Bullying: What Teachers Can Do, by Jim Wright of Intervention Central.

Find out more about the National Education Association's "National Bullying Awareness Campaign".

Leadership Insider from the National School Boards Association
1. Coming to Grips with Harassment and Bullying
2. Strong School Board Policies Can Help Prevent Bullying
3. When Can Schools Discipline Students for Cyber-Bullying?
4. Sticks and Stones in Cyberspace
5. Practical Tips on Dealing with Cyber-bullying

Bullies2buddies by Izzy Kalman, MS. If the anti bullying program in your school doesn’t seem to be doing what you expected, you should refer to this website. You will find a manual for teachers and parents (free download): A Revolutionary Guide to Reducing Aggression between Children.

From the AskERIC section on bullying, Dr. Ken Rigby defines bullying in a New Look at an Old Concept.

Studies from NoBully.org found that what works best is a whole school approach.

Studies have found dramatic reductions in bullying of between 20-80% when school wide strategies are used.

Read the Stop Bullying: Guidelines 4 Schools at NoBully.org.

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Cases

Jarron Draper v. Atlanta Public School District (N.D. GA 2008) Court denies motion by Atlanta Public Schools (“APS”) to dismiss Jarron’s civil rights claims that APS discriminated against him, harassed him, and retaliated against him and his family; damages requested under Section 504. (PDF)

Reports and Resources

Ten Actions All Parents Can Take to Help Eliminate Bullying. An excellent list of interventions parents can take to help eliminate bullying and its destructive effects on the victim, the bully and the witnesses.

Bullying at School and Online. Up-to-date research and practical tips on bullying and cyberbullying including warning signs, how to help a child, how to spot victims and bullies, parents and schools working together and preventing bullying at your school.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 50% of children are bullied and l0% are victims of bullying on a regular basis. (The NYU Child Study Center, 2005.)

Kids who have learning disabilities (LD) or ADHD are especially vulnerable to bullying problems. Read Understanding Bullying and Its Impact on Kids with Learning Disabilities or AD/HD from NLDline.com.

The PACER Center, a national parent center in Minnesota, has established a National Center for Bullying Prevention. Read about their campaign to empower schools, parents, and kids to end childhood harassment. With an emphasis on children with disabilities, you'll find toolkits for daily activities, online bullying prevention training for parents, and informational handouts.

Stop Bullying Now! Information, prevention, tips, and games from the Health Resources and Services Administration. You'll find webcasts and podcasts for kids about what bullying is and how to take a stand against bullying.

You can find many other excellent resources on bullying the Uniquely Gifted website.

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Free Pubs

Disability Harassment in the Public Schools (Word format) by Mark C. Weber, published in the William and Mary Law Review (Volume 43, Issue 3, February 2002). Mark Weber, author of the Special Education Law and Education Treatise, has written an excellent publication that will help you understand the legal issues of disability harassment. Pdf format

Bullying Prevention in Positive Behavior Supports. Giving students the tools to reduce bullying behavior through the blending of school-wide positive behavior support, explicit instruction, and a redefinition of the bullying construct from the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

Another excellent resource for parents, teachers and others who are trying to protect kids is a publication from the Office of Civil Rights, Protecting Students from Harassment and Hate Crime: A Guide for Schools. It includes a section on the definition of harassment based on disability and provides step-by-step guidance for developing a district's written anti-harassment policy.

Free From EdPubs.org (ED001366B) Preventing Bullying: A Manual For Schools and Communities: This document addresses the problem of bullying in schools and defines bullying, discusses the seriousness of this behavior and the effectiveness of a comprehensive approach, and presents strategies for teachers, students, and parents to use when dealing with bullying situations. It also provides examples of innovative and successful approaches used by schools in different parts of the country.

Books

Schools Where Everyone Belongs: Practical Strategies for Reducing Bullying, by Stan Davis. Practical information for school personnel concerned with reducing bullying among students.

The Bullying Prevention Handbook by John H. Hoover.

The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander by Barbara Coloroso.

Bullies to Buddies: How to turn your enemies into friends by Izzy Kalman.

Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do by Dan Olweus.

Bullies are a Pain in the Brain by Trevor Romain.

Childhood Bullying: What School Personnel, Other Professionals, and Parents Can Do by Dorothea M. Ross.

Last revised: 09/13/09

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