RCPS bully prevention program

Radford City Public Schools will be incorporating the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) in our school system. The OBPP is a universal, schoolwide effort involving all adults and students in a school community. It is an evidenced based program that focuses on changing the school environment and social norms pertaining to bullying behaviors.

Statistics show how successful implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program can reduce school bullying. Outcomes have included:

Fifty percent or more reductions in student reports of being bullied and bullying others. Peer and teacher ratings of bullying problems have yielded similar results.
Significant reductions in student reports of general antisocial behavior such as school bullying, vandalism, school violence, fighting, theft, and truancy.
Significant improvements in the classroom social climate as reflected in students' reports of improved order and discipline, more positive social relationships, and more positive attitudes toward schoolwork and school.
Greater support for students who are bullied, and stronger, more effective interventions for students who bully.

Before implementation of the program can begin students in grades 3-12 will be given the opportunity to participate in the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire (OBQ).

The OBQ is a standardized, validated multiple choice tool for assessing bullying problems in schools. The OBQ, which consists of 34-42 online questions, is used with students in grades 3-12 and is filled out voluntarily and anonymously. The questionnaires also serve as an initial means of raising students’ awareness about what bullying is and looks like by providing a consistent definition and asking about specific behavior. The results also offer insights about supervision, school climate, and patterns of behavior that can be invaluable in planning and implementing our bullying prevention program. Each question will be read to students in grades 3-5, or to any other students unable to read them for themselves. It will take approximately 45 minutes to administer. Participation is voluntary and parents may opt their student out of the survey activity.

Students who choose not to take the survey do not have to take it. Students can also choose not to answer specific questions. This is okay. Please assure your child that staff members will not be able to tell how specific students answered the questions. There is no place for students to type their names and because we are using a universal URL, we won't be asking for passwords that could be tracked.

Below is a sampling of questions a student might be asked to answer.

How do you like school?

How many good friends do you have in your class(es)?

How often have you been bullied at school in the past couple of months?

How often have you been called mean names, made fun of, or teased in a hurtful way?

How often are you excluded from a group of friends, or completely ignored?

Have you ever been kicked, pushed, or shoved?

Have others told lies or spread false rumors about you or tried to make others dislike you?

I have been bullied with mean names, comments, or gestures with a sexual meaning.

Have you been bullied with mean or hurtful messages, calls or pictures, or in other ways on my cell phone or over the Internet (computer). (Please remember that it is not bullying when it is done in a friendly and playful way.)

In which class(es) is the student or students who bully you?

How long has the bullying lasted?

Where have you been bullied?

How often do the teachers or other adults at school try to put a stop to it when a student is being bullied at school?

How often do other students try to put a stop to it when a student is being bullied at school?

Has any adult at home contacted the school to try to stop your being bullied at school in the past couple of months?

Have you bullied other students(s) at school in the past couple of months?

Has your class or homeroom teacher or any other teacher talked with you about your bullying another student(s) at school in the past couple of months?

Do you think you could join in bullying a student whom you do not like?

How often are you afraid of being bullied by other students in your school?

RCPS bully prevention program

Statistics show how successful implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program can reduce school bullying. Outcomes have included:

Fifty percent or more reductions in student reports of being bullied and bullying others. Peer and teacher ratings of bullying problems have yielded similar results.

Significant reductions in student reports of general antisocial behavior such as school bullying, vandalism, school violence, fighting, theft, and truancy.

Significant improvements in the classroom social climate as reflected in students' reports of improved order and discipline, more positive social relationships, and more positive attitudes toward schoolwork and school.

Greater support for students who are bullied, and stronger, more effective interventions for students who bully.

Before implementation of the program can begin students in grades 3-12 will be given the opportunity to participate in the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire (OBQ).

Below is a sampling of questions a student might be asked to answer.