Some students are hesitant to report bullying, as a bystander or a victim, for various reasons.
Statistics from the 2018 Indicators of School Crime and Safety - PDF show that only 20% of school bullying incidents were reported. Kids don’t tell adults for many reasons:
Bullying can make a child feel helpless. Kids may want to handle it on their own to feel in control again. They may fear being seen as weak or a tattletale.
Kids may fear backlash from the kid who bullied them.
Bullying can be a humiliating experience. Kids may not want adults to know what is being said about them, whether true or false. They may also fear that adults will judge them or punish them for being weak.
Kids who are bullied may already feel socially isolated. They may feel like no one cares or could understand.
Kids may fear being rejected by their peers. Friends can help protect kids from bullying, and kids can fear losing this support.
At CRMS, we are constantly seeking ways to improve the bullying protocols and take allegations seriously. Please refer to the (draft) bullying prevention and reporting flowchart below for our current procedures that include five major steps: Defining, Educating, Reporting, Investigating, Intervention.
Bullying Education and Prevention at CRMS will include:
Second Step: 6 lessons per grade level
Students learn how to recognize bullying and harassment, stand up safely to bullying, and respond appropriately to harassment. The content helps students develop empathy, understand the impact of bullying and harassment on individuals and their communities, and examine social and environmental factors that contribute to negative behaviors as well as identify solutions for preventing those behaviors.