Bullying in schools is just one of a multitude of student behaviors that restorative practices principles and practices addresses. For that reason, I typically don’t attend webinars on bullying. But recently I attended an excellent virtual webinar that intrigued me, Essential Bullying Prevention Strategies Every School Needs by Second Step.
Bullying by the Numbers
I’m not current with bullying numbers so these statistics are interesting.
- “40% of students are victims of bullying at school.
- 38% of students who are bullied at school don’t tell an adult.
- 18% of students are victims of online bullying.
- 55% of students who are bullied online don’t tell an adult.”1
I’m surprised that the number of students who are victims of online bullying isn’t way higher. I’m curious if there is a difference between elementary and secondary bullying statistics.
Bullying or Harassment?
Early in the workshop the presenters defined two terms that are often confusing and misunderstood. I often hear students say, “She’s bullying me,” but when I hear more details it isn’t bullying.
“Bullying is intentional physical, verbal, or social aggression. It’s often repeated over time and occurs when there’s a real or perceived power imbalance.”2
“Harassment is aggression against someone based on a real or perceived characteristic they have, such as their race, religion, sex, or gender. It’s serious enough to create an unsafe environment and is a form of discrimination.”2
Resource
Here’s a link to a two-page overview of Bullying Prevention Strategies Every School Needs3 for your reference. In part two, we will explore the three keys to Creating and Fostering a Positive School Climate featured in the webinar Essential Bullying Prevention Strategies.
Sources
- Office for Civil Rights. (2018). 2015–2016 Civil rights data collection: School climate and safety. US Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/school-climate-and-safety.pdf
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America. (2023). Youth right now: Full survey results. https://www.bgca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/YouthRightNow2023_FullSurveyResults.pdf
- 2024 Bullying Prevention Strategies Every School Needs. Committee for Children, Second Step, no author. https://cdn.secondstep.org/static/pdf/guides/second-step-bullying-prevention-strategies-every-school-needs-digital.pdf
- Image: cyber-bullying-122156_960_720 [Pixabay.com]