Parents

Parental involvement and support for our program will result in many benefits. First, parents can reinforce the same anti-bullyiing messages and social rules about caring for others at home. This will provide a consistent message for students in all areas of their lives. Second, actively involving parents in the positive aspects of our program will improve the likelihood of collaboration and cooperation when/if bullying situations occur. By informing parents and establishing a positive relationship, some of the uncomfortable aspects of addressing difficult bullying situations can be reduced. Finally, we believe involving parents will also open the door to getting their help in refining and implementing the program in our school. We very much want our parents to be a part of our program.

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Parent Information

What Can I Do As A Parent?

• Be at the bus stop

• Walk your child to school

• Attend school meetings

• Volunteer at school

• Be a parent member on the committee

• Use the same bullying language at home if a child who bullies comes to your house

• Talk to your child about bullying

What Can I Do If I Think My Child Is Being Bullied?

• Share your concerns with your child’s teacher.
• Talk with your child
  • Are students teasing you at school?
  • Is anybody picking on you at school?
  • Are there students who are leaving you out of activities at school on purpose?
• Try to find out about your child’s school life in general.
  • Do you have any special friends at school this year? Who are they?
  • Who do you sit with at lunch or on the bus?
  • Are there any students at school you really don’t like? Why don’t you like them?
  • Do they ever pick on you or leave you out of things?
• Focus on your child.
  • Support your child and find out more about the bullying.
  • Listen carefully to what your child tells you about the bullying.
  • Tell him or her that bullying is wrong and not his or her fault.
• Talk to your child’s teacher or principal.
  • Explain the facts that you know.
  • Expect the bullying to stop. Talk often to your child and his or her teacher.
• Encourage your child to develop interests and hobbies that will help him or her handle difficult situations like bullying.
• Encourage your child to spend time with friendly students in his or her class.
• Help your child meet new friends outside of school.
• Teach your child safety strategies, such as how to seek help from an adult.
• If you and your child need additional help, talk with a school counselor and/or mental health professional.

What Can I Do If My Child Is Bullying Others?

• Make it clear to your child that you take bullying seriously and that bullying is not okay.
• Develop clear rules within your family for your child’s behavior.
• Build on your child’s talents by trying to get him or her involved in positive activities.
• Share your concerns with your child’s teacher, counselor, or principal.
• If you and your child need additional help, talk with a school counselor and/or mental health professional.

Ways You Can Begin Talking About Bullying With Your Child

• “I’m interested in your thoughts and feelings about bullying. What does the word “bullying” mean to you?”
• “Do you ever see students at your school being bullied by other students? How does it make you feel?”
• “What do you usually do when you see bullying going on?”
• “Have you ever tried to help someone who was being bullied? What happened? What do you think you can do if it happens again? Can I help you think through or practice some ways of responding?”
• “Would you feel like a tattletale if you told an adult that someone was bullying?” (talk about how it is not tattling but doing the right thing)
• “Would you be willing to tell someone if you had been bullied? Why? Why not? Would you feel comfortable telling me? Whom at school might you tell?”
• “Have you ever called another person names? Do you think that is bullying?” Talk more about that.
• “Do you or your friends ever leave other students out of activities?” (talk more about this type of bullying)
• “What do you think needs to happen at school to stop bullying?”
• “Is your school doing special things to try to prevent bullying? Tell me about your school’s rules against bullying.”
• “I hear that you have regular class meetings to talk about issues such as bullying. What did you talk about in your class meeting this week?”
• “What things do you think parents could/should do to help stop bullying?”

Tips and Resources for Parents

Protect Your Children from Bullying and Support Safe Schools

As adults, we tend to downplay or underestimate the amount and seriousness of bullying that occurs in our children's schools. But bullying is a serious, widespread problem that needs to be addressed to safeguard our children and provide safer, more secure learning environments.

A nationally representative U.S. study shows that 17 percent of all students reported having been bullied "sometimes" or more often within a school term. This amounts to almost one in five students. And, for every case reported to school officials, there are many more bullied students who suffer in silence.

Identifying the Effects of Bullying

As a parent, you may suspect your child is being bullied. If you are not quite sure, review these common signs to help you recognize if bullying is occurring. Your child may:

• come home with torn, damaged, or missing pieces of clothing, books, or other belongings
• have unexplained cuts, bruises, and scratches from fighting
• have few, if any, friends with whom he or she spends time
• seem afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, riding the school bus, or taking part in organized activities with
• peers (such as clubs or sports)
• take a long, "illogical" route when walking to or from school
• lose interest in school work or suddenly begin to do poorly in school
• appear sad, moody, teary, or depressed when he or she comes home
• complain frequently of headaches, stomachaches, or other physical problems
• have trouble sleeping or frequent bad dreams
• experience a loss of appetite
• appear anxious and suffer from low self-esteem

Read more about how bullying affects children.

Help your child deal with bullying by talking to teachers, administrators, and staff and by taking advantage of the following resources (files are downloadable PDFs).

• How to talk with educators at your child's school about bullying
• Get advice on how to communicate with teachers and other leaders at your child's school if you're dealing with bullying.
• Tips for parents: What to do if your child is being bullied
• Get tips for supporting your child through this very painful experience.
• Spanish version: Consejos para los padres
• Tips for parents: What to do if your child bullies others
• If your child bullies others at school, it needs to stop. Find out what you can do at home.
• Spanish version: Consejos para los padres
• Tips for parents: What to do if your child witnesses bullying
• Empower your child to take positive action in bullying situations and help prevent further bullying.
• Spanish version: Consejos para los padres
• What can parents do to prevent and address cyber-bullying?
• Protect your child from indirect forms of bullying that use text messaging, Web sites, and cell phones.
• Advocate for a bullying prevention program at your school
• You can play a very important role in advocating for a bullying prevention program at your child's school.