Bullying Behavior:

Braiding Bully Blocker with PBIS

Barb Long and Lynne DeSousa Positive Behavior Interventions and

Supports Coaches

Thank you.• Thompson School District• George Sugai• Erin Sullivan-CDE• Safe and Civil Schools

PURPOSE

To improve our

understanding of &

responding to bullying

behavior from

perspective of school-

wide positive behavior

support.

Objectives for Today • Learn about best practices

for establishing a safe school culture and minimizing bullying for elementary students.

• Receive resources to support you in this work.

• Receive guidance on how to effectively respond when bullying does occur.

“Bullying”

Issues

Labeling kids

Generic interventio

n responses

Limited examinati

on of mechanis

m

Over-emphasis on student responsibi

lity for change

Non-data based

intervention

decisions

Too much attention

on student,

not enough

on recipients

Bullying Prevention –Why little success in US schools?

6

All programs fail to address the extent to which demographic variables (such as gender and race) impact efficacy.

Need to consider how classroom management skills and implementation levels impact a program’s effectiveness.

Need to seriously consider how to motivate schools to engage in a serious conversation about bully prevention.

REALITY– Developmental science MUST inform the next generation of prevention efforts; by contributing to modifications, enhancements, implementation issues, and must infuse INNOVATION into basic and applied scholarship.

A Positive Climate is the Best Prevention

School Wide Bullying Prevention

Create a school climate based on mutual respect

• Make bullying prevention part on the work of the PBIS Team

• Establish clear rules/procedures/ policies about bullying.

“Be Respectful” applies to students and adults in the building!”

SW PBIS is

Framework for enhancing adoption & implementation of

Continuum of evidence-based interventions to achieve

Academically & behaviorally important outcomes for

All students

PBIS Prevention Goals & Bullying Behavior

Goal 1 •Establish positive, predictable, consistent, rewarding school culture for all across all settings

Goal 2 •Teach social skills that work at least as well as or better than problem behavior

Goal 3 •Respond to nonresponsive behavior positively & differently, rather than reactively & more of same

Goal 4 •Actively supervise & precorrect for problem behaviors & settings, especially nonclassroom

Goal 5 •Individualize support based on responsiveness & effect

SYST

EMS

“BULLY BEHAVIOR”PRACTICES

DATASupportingStaff Behavior

SupportingStudent Behavior

OUTCOMES

Supporting Social Competence &Academic Achievement

SupportingDecisionMaking

IntegratedElements

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems

1-5% 1-5%

5-10% 5-10%

80-90% 80-90%

Intensive, Individual Interventions• Individual Students• Assessment-based• High Intensity

Intensive, Individual Interventions• Individual Students• Assessment-based• Intense, durable procedures

Targeted Group Interventions• Some students (at-risk)• High efficiency• Rapid response

Targeted Interventions• Some students (at-risk)• High efficiency• Rapid response• Individual or Group

Universal Interventions• All students• Preventive, proactive

Universal Interventions• All settings, all students• Preventive, proactive

Designing School-Wide Systems for Student Success

Bullying Prevention

Bullying Prevention

Bullying Prevention

Implications for Prevention Programming

• Need to give kids life and social skills, not just knowledge about bullying

• Need to develop secondary and tertiary programs, not just primary prevention programs

• Bullying programs need to consider incorporating discussion of sexual harassment and homophobic language (Birkett & Espelage, 2010).– 67 bullying prevention programs in US, only five discuss sexual

harassment or sexual orientation issues.• Peers influence has to be considered in developing and evaluating

prevention/intervention programs– 67 bullying prevention programs, only one attempts to target

and shift peer norms.

Our Starting Point

Pair Share• Turn to your neighbor and discuss

what the definition of “bullying” is.• (3 minutes)

What is Bullying?• Thompson School District

defines bullying behavior as “the use of coercion to obtain control over another person or to be habitually cruel to another person.”

• JICDE-R Bullying Prevention and Education Thompson School District Board Policy

What is Bullying?• “Any written or verbal expression or

electronic or gesture, or pattern thereof, that is intended to coerce, intimidate, or cause any physical, mental, or emotional harm to any student.”

Colorado House Bill 11-1254 June 2011

Agreements

Team

Data-based Action Plan

ImplementationEvaluation

GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION

PROCESS

SWIS Definition of B

ullying Behavior

How does Bullying Behavior Occur?

• “Written, verbal, or electronically transmitted (cyber bullying) expression or by means of a physical act or gesture.”

• Bullying Prevention and Education Thompson School District Board

Policy.

Where Does Bullying Occur?

• The most common places where bullying takes place:– School yard or playground (74% of

victims)– Hallways (53% of victims)– Cafeteria (45% of victims)– At home or on computer

(cyberbullying)But it could be different for your

school….

What does your data say?!!

Key Elements ofBullying Behavior

• Imbalance of power

• Intent to cause harm; deliberate, non-accidental

• Acts are repeated – show a pattern

• Vulnerability of victim

Direct Bullying• Hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting…

• Taunting, teasing, racial slurs, verbal harassment

• Threatening, obscene gestures

Indirect Bullying• Getting another person to

bully someone for you• Spreading rumors, gossip• Deliberately excluding

someone from a group or activity

• Many forms of Cyber bullying

Cyber-Bullying (= Digital Abuse)

“Cyber-bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others."

(Bill Belsey: www.cyberbullying.ca/)

Cost to the Victim• “Bullying fosters a climate of fear and

disrespect that can seriously impair the physical and psychological health of its victims and create conditions that negatively affect learning, thereby undermining the ability of students to achieve their full potential.”

Reference United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights memo 10/26/11

Effects of Bullying• Students who are chronically bullied are more likely to

have:– A greater dislike of school– Higher absenteeism– A decline in school performance– Poor self-esteem– Greater incidence of psychological disorders such as

depression and anxiety– Repeated bullying may also trigger serious episodes

of violence

Video• Alye Pollack “Sticks and Stones

video” (You Tube)• (http://youtu.be/37_ncv79fLA)

Why Some Children Have Bullying Behaviors

Students don’t know how else to influence peers. (skills)They don’t realize that their behavior is inappropriate- poor modeling

(taught)

. Bullying behavior meets a need. Rewards for bullying behaviors: Social attention Social recognition Social status

Family & School Risk Factors

FAMILY– Lack of supervision– Lack of attachment– Negative, critical

relationships– Lack of discipline/

consequences– Support for violence– Modeling of violence

SCHOOL– Lack of supervision– Lack of attachment– Negative, critical

relationships– Lack of discipline/

consequences– Support for violence– Modeling of violence

Sibling Bullying• Sibling bullying is tied to school-based

bullying in many countries (Espelage & Swearer, 2003 for review)

• Study of 779 middle school students, association between bullying perpetration and sibling aggression perpetration was strongly associated (girls r = .52, boys r = .42; Espelage & Stein, in prep)

Myths About Bullying• Bullying really isn’t a big problem.• Children who bully have low self-esteem.• Only boys bully.• If a kid just “fights back” or ignores the bullying, the

problem will be solved. • Adults feel that they are already doing everything they

can to address bullying.

The Tough Kid Bully Blockers Program

• Safe and Civil Schools (CHAMPS)

• Research based: Bowen, Ashcraft, Jenson, and Rhode

• Universal, targeted or individual intervention.

The Tough Kid Bully Blockers Program

• Prevents and reduces bullying behavior.

• Applies to general and special education classes.

• 15 minute weekly lessons for teachers and other school professionals.

• sample letters; tips for families

Goal of Bully Blockers• Teach replacement behaviors to

potential bullies and help potential victims counteract bullying behavior.

Use your data• Student and Staff surveys• SWIS and Infinite Campus ODR’s• Pre and Post tests

Tools for Chronic Bullies and Victims

Bullies:Functional Behavior AssessmentCheck in Check outContractsPeer Mediation

Victims:Check in Check outPeer BuddyParent InvolvementSkills training

Facts about Bystanders• Provide an audience for the bully,

reinforcing• Afraid of retaliation• Develop symptoms of stress and worry• Sometimes part of a a peer group that

encourages bullying

Lessons for 6 skills• Learning about Bullying• Bully Blocker Tool• Friendship Builders• Problem Solvers• Respecting Differences• Confidence Builders

LessonsAll materials can be reproduced.Optional Bully Blocker “Shorts”.Thompson team created lessons for each

grade, with supplemental materials for students ; and tools for family involvement on new wiki.

(Judy Norman demonstration)

Results of Internal Audit

• Need for a unified system of recording Bullying Behavior. (Thompson School District Discipline Referral Form)

• Need for a unified system to respond to Bullying Behavior. (Bullying Assessment Flow Chart)

Review of Key ConceptsCreate a positive and safe school environment.Provide supervision in high-risk areas of the school.Establish uniform response procedures for bullying behavior.

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the

lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or

more water, or less sun.

You never blame the lettuce.

Thich Nhat Hanh