October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month
According to the Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021 (ed.gov), about 22% of students ages 12-18 reported being bullied in 2019. Among students ages 12-18 who reported being bullied during the school year, about 16 percent of students in grades 9–12 reported being electronically. National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month is a month-long observance to educate and raise awareness about bullying and cyberbullying prevention. Addressing and preventing bullying is something that everyone can do, every day.
Address Bullying At School
Educators and teachers can create a safe, supportive learning environment and a classroom culture of positivity, inclusiveness and respect. They can reward students for positive social behavior. Schools can communicate bullying policies at their school to parents, students, teachers and staff and follow through on them. Monitoring bullying ‘hot spots’ around the school campus can also help prevent bullying.
Talk About Bullying At Home
Parents and caregivers can talk with their children about their school and digital life, and the many roles children can play in bullying. By asking open-ended questions, they can talk about their children’s experience and communicate expectations about appropriate behavior – in person and in their digital world. Parents are the primary role models for their children, and when they model the behavior they expect from their children, they teach through actions.
Support Your Community
Mentors can also model kindness, inclusivity, and respect. They can ask open-ended questions of their mentees and listen without judgement. Providing positive reinforcement to children and teenagers can help protect them from bullying and other risky behaviors. They can also provide support to all kids involved, and help make sure the bullying doesn’t continue and its effects are minimized.
Get Help
If you or someone you know is being bullied, there are things you can do to keep yourself and others safe from bullying.
If you or someone you know is involved in cyberbullying, it is important to document and report the behavior.
If you have done everything you can to resolve the situation and nothing has worked, or someone is in immediate danger, there are ways to get help.
Check out these videos on how to handle different bullying situations.
Information found for this article on https://www.stopbullying.gov/