Bullying Prevention for Educators

Bullying Prevention for Educators

[Announcer] This program is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hello, this is Dr. Greta Massetti. I’m a behavioral scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Schools are where bullying predominately occurs, and where it can be prevented. During the 2007-2008 school year, 25 percent of public schools reported that bullying occurred among students on a daily or weekly basis. Educators play a key role in preventing bullying from happening in the first place. Research on evidence-based bullying and youth violence prevention programs in schools provides valuable information about the elements of school-based bullying prevention programs that are promising.

Teachers and school administrators should locate when and where bullying happens in the school. It may be helpful to establish a system to track the bullying incidents that are taking place at your school. Schools may then increase adult supervision in areas where bullying takes place. This may mean increasing supervision during children’s lunch and recess time, or working with school bus drivers if bullying is occurring while students travel to and from school.

Schools may consider providing training to staff so they feel comfortable identifying bullying when it happens and intervening to stop it. Regular school staff meetings to discuss obstacles faced in the classroom and throughout the school are an important way for educators to gain insight and support from their peers in their efforts to identify and prevent bullying.

In addition, schools may consider establishing policies and rules that include clear and consistent consequences for bullying. Schools can convey the expectation of respectful behavior by creating policies and guidelines - particularly consistent and clear school rules that convey clear expectations for student behavior and the consequences for not following the rules. It is important to consider a whole school anti-bullying policy and enforce that policy consistently. It is also important to promote cooperation among different professionals and between school staff and parents.

Educators should work with parents, coaches, and other adults that may be supervising school-aged children so that the anti-bullying message is consistent. Educators are essential in the effort to prevent bullying.

For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention.

[Announcer]For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.