Bullying
Here at Nancy Ryles and across the Beaverton School District there is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy regarding bullying. School is meant to be a safe and supportive environment for every student. As educators it is our job to work with students to become kind and respectful community members, and understanding how our words and actions impact others is an important part of this development. Bullying is a problem experienced throughout out world, especially in this new age of social media. Being aware of the ways that bullying appears in our students lives helps us to be able to teach them how to be an anti-bully.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is when an individual or group of individuals intentionally causes repeated mental, physical or emotional harm to another individual. Bully's use their words, actions or body to repeatedly harm someone.
Bullying is NOT allowed, but we all know sometimes it does happen. There are different forms of bullying, and learning about them can help us to keep bullying out of our school. When you see someone being bullied it is important to remember that in order to keep everyone safe, please get an adult to help with the situation, or let an adult know what has happened so they can help resolve the issue.
Copyright StopBullying.gov
Bullying is...
Bullying is not...
Unwanted aggressive behavior
Intentionally causing fear, distress or harm
Repeated over time
An imbalance of power using...
Physical strength
Access to embarrassing information/content
Social status or popularity
A mean or rude moment
Something that happens ONCE
Accidental or unintentional
Not liking someone
Types of Bullying
Physical Bullying
Using physical force to torment or harm someone
Using physical size/strength to intimidate someone
Using physical size/strength to manipulate someone
Hitting, kicking, tripping, punching, hair pulling, pinching, unwanted touching, grabbing, flicking or other forms of unwanted/physical contact
The damaging of, use/misuse of, or taking of of personal property.
Cyber Bullying
Using messaging, social media, gaming platforms or other forms of technology to target someone
Cruel messages, mocking posts, rude comments, posing as someone, comments using inappropriate/offensive language
Social Bullying
Harming someones social reputation or status
Intentionally embarrassing or humiliating someone publicly
Rumors with intent to harm
Lying with intent to harm
Exclusion or isolation
Using jokes or pranks to humiliate someone
Rude facial expressions
Offensive hand gestures or body movements
Mocking or mimicking
Verbal Bullying
Vocal comments intentionally directed at a person or people
Name calling
Insults
Teasing/Taunting
Use of racist or homophobic slurs, remarks, threats or intimidation
Mental/Emotional Bullying
Intentionally harming the way a person thinks or feels about themselves
Can be a combination of other types of bullying
Comments about an individuals worth or value, teasing, rumors, and cruel nicknames
What Does it Mean to be an Anti-Bully
Being an anti-bully takes a lot of courage, and at time it can mean standing up to friends or classmates. An anti-bully is an individual who actively promotes kindness, but also is someone who advocates for bully free school environment. An anti-bully encourages others to think before they speak, choose kindness and to help others.
An anti-bully is also someone who, when they see a bullying situation, uses calm, kind and safe choices to diffuse the situation. Choices made by an anti-bully are:
Offering to play/sit/or work with a bullying victim
Asking the bully to stop
Asking the bullying victim if they are okay
Getting a trusted adult to help
Encouraging others to make kind and respectful choices
Advocates for victims of bullying
Bullying Prevention
Teasing is different than bullying in how often it happens and how a person feels when it is happening. Poking fun and playful teasing happen among friends – but when it’s hurtful, it’s probably bullying. If someone feels hurt from what’s happening, it is bullying even if the words or actions are directed to someone else.
How is teasing different from bullying?
Can you think of a time teasing turned into bullying?
Copyright StopBullying.gov
When you see bullying happen, there are ways you can help. Knowing what to say, how to shift the conversation, and what to do to make bullying stop are ways you can move from being a bystander to becoming an upstander.
The video gave a lot of examples of what you can do when you see bullying. Which one did you like most?
Can you think of a time that you saw bullying? What could you do if it happens again?
Copyright StopBullying.gov
Online gaming is fun, competitive, and exciting. But when it gets negative, it’s best not to retaliate and let things escalate. Take a break or join another game while things cool down.
Have you ever had an experience when someone was mean during an online game?
If so, what did you do?
Why do you think people are mean online?
Copyright StopBullying.gov
Beaverton School District Code of Conduct
Please click on the logo to visit the Beaverton School Districts policy on Hazing, Harassment, Intimidation, Menacing, Bullying, Cyberbullying as well as other other student conduct information.