School Bullying Council

The Irish Times – Tuesday, August 28, 2012

SECOND OPINION: Vague anti-bullying policies are clearly not working, writes
JACKY JONES 

ABOUT 850,000 children are going back to school next week and roughly 200,000 will be bullied at some stage. The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study: International Report from the 2009/2010 Survey shows that 12 per cent of Irish 11 year olds, 8 per cent of 13 year olds, and 7 per cent of 15 year olds were bullied at least twice in the two months before the study was carried out.

One in every 20 children bullied others during the same time frame. Ireland is in 19th place among 38 countries for numbers of children being bullied, and sixth for children who bully others. Bullied children feel humiliated, lonely and fearful every day, and experience health problems such as depression and anxiety.

They lose self-esteem, underachieve at school and often drop out. Those who observe it are also badly affected.

Most bullying takes place in classrooms, playgrounds, corridors and changing areas. Bullying can involve physical aggression, damage to property, demands for money, exclusion and name-calling.

Some adults erroneously believe bullying is a normal phase of development, that it teaches children to toughen up and prepare for adult life. An ESRI 2007 study found that 7 per cent of Irish adults, nearly 130,000 people, experienced workplace bullying in the preceding six months.

Since 2005, bullying in Irish schools has increased in younger age groups and stayed the same in older age groups. Schools have had anti-bullying policies for many years but they are not working because the policies are vague about who is really responsible.

At worst, the bullied child is apportioned some of the blame, or at best, the responsibility is shared between the school, the parents and the pupils. The result is confusion, obfuscation and little effective action.

Parents need to know that the locus of responsibility for school bullying lies with the school authorities.

The Guidelines on Countering Bullying Behaviour in Primary and Post-Primary Schools, issued by the Department of Education in 1993, and still in use, have a distinct whiff of victim-blaming about them and mixed messages about responsibility.

On the one hand, the guidelines emphasise the school’s responsibility to provide a safe environment and, on the other, they blame the child being bullied. The “pupils who are most at risk of becoming victims are those who react in a vulnerable and distressed manner. The seriousness and duration of the bullying behaviour is directly related to the pupil’s continuing response to the verbal, physical or psychological aggression. It is of note that some pupils can unwittingly behave in a very provocative manner which attracts bullying behaviour.”

With guidelines like these it is no wonder schools have not succeeded in eliminating bullying. Try inserting “women” or “men” instead of “pupils” and read the paragraph again. Adults would strike if such a statement appeared in their workplace.

Children who are bullied have no responsibility for the behaviour of perpetrators. Parents who are worried about their child being bullied must be clear about the locus of responsibility so that they can approach the school authorities in the right frame of mind.

Two scenarios illustrate the point. Scenario 1 – Mrs Jones: “My child is being bullied by name(s).” Principal/teacher: “Tell me about it.” After such a bad start the conversation is likely to focus on the child being bullied and not on what the school intends to do about the perpetrator(s).

Parents are even offered “pastoral care” to supposedly make their bullied child less vulnerable. Shifting the locus of responsibility onto the parent and child is wrong. It increases bullying and victimisation since the message is “you can stop this if only you are more confident, less sensitive, a different person”. Scenario 2 – Mrs Jones: “My child is being bullied by names(s). What can you tell me about it?”

Principal/teacher: “I am aware of what is happening (or not) and this is what the school is doing (or not).”

In this scenario the parent puts the responsibility for bullying onto the school, which is where it belongs.

Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2011) is unequivocal about school authorities being responsible for dealing with bullying and notes “they should exercise that authority”. Solving bullying means school policies and practices reflect this imperative.

Dr Jacky Jones is a former regional health promotion manager with the HSE.

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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2012/0828/1224323085346.html

Monday, August 27, 2012

By ASHLEY JACKSON – Bulletin Staff Writer

Virginia has furthered its measures to tackle the issue of bullying in schools, which has pleased local superintendents.

During its 2012 session, the General Assembly passed legislation requiring the Virginia Center for School Safety to provide training on anti-bullying tactics to public school personnel. Gov. Bob McDonnell signed the legislation into law, and it took effect in July.

The center will provide training for Virginia public school personnel on school safety, on evidence-based anti-bullying tactics, and in the effective identification of students who may be at risk for violent behavior and in need of special services or assistance, according to the General Assembly’s website.

In addition, the center will serve as a resource and referral center for Virginia school divisions by conducting research, sponsoring workshops, and providing information regarding current school safety concerns, such as conflict management and peer mediation, bullying and school facility design and technology, the website said.

Martinsville City Schools Superintendent Pam Heath is looking forward to the added resources and training because it is a way to “continue our efforts” on putting a stop to bullying in schools, she said.

“Any training that’s provided is a positive thing,” especially training that helps personnel better understand how to spot bullying and what constitutes bullying, said Henry County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jared Cotton.

The more school personnel can identify the signs of bullying, the quicker the situation can be addressed and stopped, Cotton said.

Patrick County Schools Assistant Superintendent Dean Gilbert said that it always is important for teachers to learn the latest techniques for handling cases of bullying. “Anything that helps the welfare of your students” is beneficial, he added.

The new training through the Virginia Center for School Safety is an added effort to stop bullying. Area schools already have anti-bullying training, programs and guidelines in place.

For instance, a program known as Rachel’s Challenge is in place at the high school, Gilbert said.

On Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. at Patrick County High School, the Student Government Association will present Rachel’s Challenge to the faculty, students and community. The staff and students at Patrick County High School will be promoting the story of Rachel Scott, whose example of kindness and acceptance was brought to light when she became the first victim in the Columbine High School tragedy.

Rachel’s Challenge is a series of student empowering programs and strategies that equip students and adults to combat bullying and ally feelings of isolation and despair by creating a culture of kindness and compassion, according to the Rachel’s Challenge website.

In both school systems, teachers currently receive training on how to spot bullying behaviors and how to address the situation, Cotton and Heath said.

Also in both school systems, guidance counselors go into classrooms to talk to students about how bullying hurts people and to tell an adult if they know a student is being bullied, Cotton and Heath said.

In Patrick County Schools, guidance counselors teach character education classes at the elementary schools, in which bullying is addressed, Gilbert said.

Principals tell students in the county schools that bullying will not be tolerated, Cotton said.

A problem with bullying is students not telling anyone when they see it occurring, Cotton said.

To address that problem, anonymous suggestion boxes are placed at the schools to encourage students to tell, Cotton said. The key is to “get our kids to look out for each other” and not hesitate to tell someone, he added.

The city schools do the same but online with the Safe Share program, which allows students and parents to anonymously report bullying or any troublesome situation, Heath said.

Bullying “has always been around,” but now there are more opportunities to bully with the Internet and social media, Heath said.

“We’re strongly opposed to bullying, and we take it very seriously,” Heath said. “We know it (bullying) exists, and we’re trying to be proactive,” she added.

In the school programs, cyberbullying is addressed as well, Cotton and Heath said.

Students are educated not to post online or text someone anything that could cause a disruption at school because if it causes a disruption, it will be addressed by administrators, Cotton said.

Heath said that students are asked to “let someone know” when they witness a case of cyberbullying.

Each school system takes disciplinary action against bullies; the action depends on how severe the situation is, Cotton, Heath and Gilbert said.

Heath added the action against the bully can range from the child meeting with a guidance counselor, a meeting with his/her parents, in or out of school suspension, or expulsion.

For the victim of bullying, they can meet with a counselor or school psychologist to learn how to cope, Heath said.

Addressing the issue of bullying is so important because a school system must “provide a safe environment for students that is conducive for learning” and students must feel that they have adults who they can turn to, Heath said.

“Bullying is hard to spot if no one tells us about it” so the goal is to get teachers to be able to effectively identify the signs and further encouraging students to speak up, Cotton said.

“Everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect and should not have to live in fear of someone harming them just because of the way they look, act or view the world we live in,” said Moriah Dollarhite, principal at Patrick County High School.

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=34452

In the last few years, you may have heard the words bullying or cyberstalking in the news quite a bit. With more and more people using cell phones and social networking sites online, the problem of children –or others–being harassed, propositioned, humiliated or in some way, bullied, has grown exponentially.

In 2006, a 13 year old St. Charles, Missouri girl, Megan Meier, committed suicide after being bullied and humiliated online by an adult posing as a teenage boy. Megan was only one of many who made that fatal choice after internet stalking or bullying. In the past decade, there have been several cases of suicide among children who have been bullied, which has prompted tougher cyberstalking laws in many states.

Though much cyberstalking takes place via the internet, many stalkers will use cell phones to further victimize their targets. Previously, cell phone calls were among the hardest threats or harassment to trace due to the lack of Caller ID information available. All of that is about to change, however, due to action taken by The Reverse Phone Lookup Company.

The Reverse Phone Lookup Company has just unveiled a new service called Reverse Cell Phone Lookup. Parents who suspect their child is receiving unwanted calls can now trace the caller’s phone number and receive that caller’s name, address, former address and GPS location. To use the service, simply enter the offending caller’s phone number into the Reverse Cell Phone Lookup service online.

Once parents have the information they need, it will be easier to work with their local law enforcement’s task force to put a stop to the cyberstalking.

If you believe that your child is being bullied and your child experiences changes in mood, physical well-being or performance; speaks negatively of herself; seems hopeless; begins giving away possessions or talking about himself as though everyone would be better off without him; injures herself or begins detrimental habits such as smoking, alcohol consumption or drug use, your child may be considering suicide.

Call your local Access Crisis Intervention Hotline, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK or seek professional help at the nearest hospital’s ER.

Cyberstalking and bullying are both extremely serious situations. If your child is being victimized, your child’s feelings should never be ignored or trivialized. Children can become so fearful or humiliated in what seems like a hopeless situation that they can become suicidal –or their own naivet’e can lead to a very dangerous encounter if a sexual predator gains their trust. For this reason, internet usage and all cell phone calls to and from your minor child should be monitored. The Reverse Cell Phone Lookup gives parents that extra peace of mind that perpetrators will not be able to hide under the cloak of anonymity any longer.

For more tips on how to best protect your health, your pocketbook, your sanity and more, follow Jaelyn Jamik on FACEBOOK, Twitter, and Pinterest.

To receive Jaelyn’s articles via email, simply click Subscribe at the top of Jaelyn’s home page.

http://www.examiner.com/article/find-out-who-called-my-child-cyberstalking-bullying-exposed

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Photo Gallery: See Something? Say Something? Slogan

Winston-Salem, NC – With school approaching, the 10 or 15 minute school bus ride can determine the rest of a child’s day.

“If its chaos…if they are afraid and if they are being picked on. And what about the child who says they are walking and doesn’t come to school,” said Rhonda fleming, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

Winston-Salem Forsyth county schools placing anti-bullying ads on their buses using the slogan, See something? Say Something?

Kids will be able to call the number on the ad to report bullying.
The anti-bullying stickers were purchased as apart of the bullying curriculum which is funded by the school district. This is a perfect time to remind you at home to slow down when buses are present. And when stop arm is extended to put on the brakes.

According to Forsyth School officials, our school district has had Bullying Awareness committee since 2010. It started when the district rolled out “Rachel’s Challenge” in an effort to educate students, parents and the community on what is bullying, its affects and what to do about it.

There is a national bullying curriculum for all school bus drivers and their slogan is “SEE SOMETHING. DO SOMETHING.” (See this link for more about the curriculum/training.)

The Winston/Forsyth County School District, held training for all school bus drivers last week on being aware of bullying and reporting it to school administration right away and general student management.

The district’s data indicated their are “hot spots” in every school system such as hallways, stairwells, playgrounds and buses. So, transportation officials decided to make available the number on the school bus to add to resources available to help us stop bullying.

The ads, would allow both the victim to report it and any witnesses.

“Sometimes children lack the confidence to stand up for themselves, we have to help them until they are able to help themselves. Other students can help us stop bullying by reporting it,” said Fleming.

http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article/241936/57/See-Something-Say-Something-Anti-Bullying-Ads

by Molly Cain

You know how they say if you can’t tell who the ugliest person in the room is…then it’s probably you? I think the same is true for bullying. I hate to break it to you, but if you don’t think there are bullies at your workplace, you’re probably it. And to all the people who tell me that your workplace is so great this never happens, then congrats! (but I don’t believe you).

I can tell you the exact moment I was bullied for the first time in the workplace. But I won’t, it’s boring. I will, however, tell you I’m just like anyone who’s ever been bullied to the point of breakage, I remember the experience vividly. It made an impact on me and drove me to change how I interacted with certain kinds of coworkers. It also gave me the resolve to never work for a company that fostered a culture of bullying. And I haven’t since.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not perfect. Because ever since that experience that I remember so well, I’m willing to bet that I’ve unknowingly bullied someone. And I bet you have too.

For some, bullying is a lifestyle – these people are the easiest to spot and avoid (seriously, I should have seen her coming, but my blonde highlights, I mean…my natural color…got in the way). For the rest of the bunch, moments of bullying are passing. But impactful. And people in this category are the ones I’m writing to here. The ones who have been bullied or the ones who have bullied in random situations. For the sake of the conversation, let’s say I’m only talking to…all humans.

Our moments of bullying come from a bevy of scenarios. Take your pick. If you’re competitive in the workplace or work in an industry where you have no choice not to be, you could be familiar with a little term called jealousy (we’ve all been there). Little random moments of jealously can drive you to become a bully in the blink of an eye. For others, it’s simply survival in a cut-throat environment (no one likes to see the boss stomping down the hall!). Sometimes its anger (payback’s a…well, you know). Whatever it is, we can all agree that bullies are rarely born from sunshine’y happy internal moments that we would admit in public.

Here are just a few of the bullying tactics out there.

You torment. Ahh, this category has endless possibilities. You ignore someone. You bug them too much. You don’t invite them to lunch. You bombard them with meetings. You intentionally disregard emails. You don’t listen to instructions and make them do extra work. You can find a number of ways to torment a colleague, I’m sure you’ve all gotten creative. Each time you’re doing something you know will annoy a colleague, you’re being a bully. Here’s the caveat though, we all annoy each other! So when I talk about tormenting, I’m not referencing the torment that comes from different working styles and different personalities. I’m talking about the intentional instances.

You tattle. I’ll say this as professionally as I can – tattling about stupid stuff is stupid. When I tattled as a child (I’m the middle kid, of course I tattled), my parents were just as mad at me as they were at my sister for insert whatever highly inappropriate, illegal and offensive act that big sisters do to make your life more difficult. And now as a grown adult in the workplace, I see the same thing happening. The tattler looks just as foolish as the one who did the wrong. Why not, instead, work with the person who frustrated you and fix the problem before it turns into a wildfire of they-said-they-said?  

You point fingers. Finger pointers are exposed when someone approaches them with fire in their eyes, looking for a fall guy. Some inner element of their body just cannot take the torture and BAM! Their fingers aim squarely into another person’s face (it’s the classic “I’m rubber, you’re glue” syndrome). Or, you want to share the love and spread the blame (because everything’s better in a team!). If you are in “trouble” for something that you legitimately played a part in, be a bigger person and take your licks. Sometimes there are issues in the workplace that are so big, the blame has to go somewhere, so don’t bully someone else and point fingers off of you. Taking ownership of your mistakes is a noble characteristic and a sign of a leader.

You publicly pick on people. None of us are idiots (I’m assuming). You know the coworkers who can take a joke, and you know the ones who can’t. You also know which topics are sensitive and which ones are not. When you publicly pick on someone who can’t take a joke about a topic they do not want to joke about, you might be bullying them. Cheap shots fall into this category too. Oh, and following it up with “I’m just teasing,” doesn’t give you reprieve.

You CC the whole world. So you don’t like what you read in an email. Well, that’s ok. It happens all the time. However, if your first go-to tactic is CC’ing your boss, or their boss, or tons of other people who can wreak havoc on a person, then you might be bullying someone. Granted, there are times when you really need to hammer something in, and a higher-up is helpful here. But people overuse the heck out of the CC line in an email, and frankly, it’s considered hostile if not warranted (here’s a simple test: if you’re doing it to be sassy, then it’s not warranted).

http://www.forbes.com/sites/glassheel/2012/08/23/7-ways-to-spot-a-bully-at-work/

Her unofficial biographer Sean Smith wrote that Kate was bullied at Downe House school in Berkshire, to the extent that her parents took her out of the school after two terms, and the story was given legs when it was announced that of the four charities Kate was to be patron of, one of them was Beat Bullying.

The worst story was that she had faeces put in her bed, according to Jessica Hay, who sold her story of their time together at Kate’s next school,  Marlborough College.

Now a classmates, Emma Sayle, who has remained a close friend, has spoken out in defence of the school to Adam Heliker, diarist for the Sunday Express.

“The main points of that bullying story do not add up,” says Emma.

“There was no poo in her bed because she was a day girl and not a boarder, and she was not bullied for being too perfect. The girls considered perfect were never bullied but idolised. They were the ones ruling the roost… and Kate went on to rule one of the biggest roosts in the world.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/07/19/was-kate-bullied.html

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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/working-too-hard-for-bully-boy-boss/story-fndo317g-1226424884906

Laura Kanter/The Center OC Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez speaks to YETA youth. Orange County students have ignited a know-your-laws campaign in light of an anti-gay bullying measure that went into effect on July 1. AB9, dubbed Seth’s Law after Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old boy who committed suicide upon experiencing persistent homophobic harassment at school, mandates that California’s public schools enact anti-bullying policies.

Some young adults, who work under Orange County’s Center for Gay and Lesbian Community Services, seek to ensure that high school students cite these laws when they experience bullying or discrimination. They have released an online public service announcement featuring Betty Degeneres, mother of Ellen Degeneres, to educate students about their responsibilities of administrators and teachers when students experience bullying.  


“If you’re bullied, your school is now obligated to do something about
it immediately,” say students in the video. “And if your school doesn’t
protect you, you may have the right to transfer to a new school
district.”

One of the students who appeared in the video is
Blake Danford, friend of Kearian Giertz, a senior at Fullerton Union
High School who was disqualified from the school’s annual “Mr.
Fullerton Pageant,” because he made a pro-gay marriage remark during the
question-and-answer portion. The student was asked where he envisioned
himself in 10 years to which he responded that he hoped gay marriage
would be legal so he could marry the man of his dreams. The school’s
assistant principal directed Giertz off the stage and
dismissed him from the contest.

Giertz’s friends, Danford and Katelyn Hall, launched a
letter-writing campaign shortly thereafter to raise awareness about the
incident. They asked students, “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
And they added their vision of a safe education environment.

“The letters were meant to be a vehicle,” wrote Danford in an
article featured on Huffington Post Gay Voices. “[It was meant] to show
the assistant principal that the students of FUHS wanted to live in a
world free of hatred and bullying, including the type of bullying that
he had displayed onstage that night.”

Danford reflected on his experience with bullying in high school. After fellow peers continually nagged him with
anti-gay slurs, he wrote a lengthy e-mail to the school principal, who
forwarded it to the assistant principal who then suggested that Danford
look into professional therapy. In the course of all of it, he learned
that the Gay-Straight Alliance club on campus wasn’t allowed to observe
the National Day of Silence, which calls attention to the silence that
some victims of anti-gay bullying resort to in the face of harassment.

Danford and Hall’s joined forces with Laura Kanter, who
directs Youth Empowered to Act – a youth leadership organization aimed towards LGBT students. The organization helps bolster and promote
campaign efforts.

“A lot of administrators don’t really know what the laws are for LGBT students and that’s where this campaign comes in,” says Kanter. “We’re trying to make sure that all of the youth that need to know about these laws know them.”

Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!

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http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2012/07/seths_law_bullying.php

Kenneth, who attended South O’Brien High School in nearby Paullina, came out about a month ago to family and friends, and he quickly became the target of threatening cellphone calls, voicemails and online comments, his mother said.

http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2012/04/18/iowa_mom_blames_gay_teen_sons_suicide_on_bullying/

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/union-politicking-is-not-bullying/2012/04/01/gIQAxRzZpS_story.html

Your school administration

The first bullying resource for parents is their child’s school. Whether your child is a victim of bullying or is the bully himself (or you are just concerned about intimidation at the school), you should reach out to your school teachers, counselor and principal for help. If you don’t get satisfactory results or assistance, don’t hesitate to go up the chain of command to the superintendent and ultimately the state Department of Education.

StopBullying.gov

The government website, StopBullying.gov, can be a helpful resource to learn about bullying policies and laws. 49 states have passed anti-bullying laws. The website also includes tips on preventing bullying, responding to bullying and talking about bullying.

Read about when girls bully

No Kidding About Bullying (Book with CD-ROM)

Based on a nationwide survey of more than 2,000 students and their teachers, No Kidding About Bullying: 125 Ready-to-Use Activities to Help Kids Manage Anger, Resolve Conflicts, Build Empathy, and Get Along (Amazon, $26) provides educators, parents and youth leaders with a wide assortment of activities that can be used to help children to resolve their conflicts without resorting to anger or violence. Geared toward grades three to six, this book and CD-ROM features games, role plays, group discussions, art projects and language arts exercises. The lessons affirm the importance of respect and kind actions.

The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander (Paperback)

This international best-seller is a favorite among parents and teachers. The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander: From Preschool to High School — How Parents and Teachers Can Help Break the Cycle of Violence (Barnes Noble, $12) talks about topics from conflict resolution to the three kinds of bullying. This practical, compassionate book is aimed at helping the triad of bullying — the bully, the bullied and the bystander.

Read about bullying in schools

Stop Bullying: Standing Up for Yourself and Others (DVD)

This 20 minute DVD is short, but it provides very good information for kids. Featuring nationally acclaimed and Emmy-nominated youth speaker Mark Brown, Stop Bullying: Standing Up for Yourself and Others (Amazon, $40) uses personal experience to help provide students with concrete steps they can take to respond to bullying. It talks about the importance of respect and tolerance. This DVD is appropriate for junior high school and up.

Stand Up To Bullying (DVD)

This bullying DVD is essential for your little ones. Perfect for parents to watch with children ages 4 and up, Stand Up To Bullying (Amazon, $13) features Lucky Kat and Daren the Lion to address the topic of bullying. It talks about the different types of bullying and teaches children the best ways to respond.

The Bully Project

Another vital bullying resource for parents is The Bully Project. The Bully Project is highlighted by a documentary film, Bully, about bullying in our schools. Directed by Lee Hirsch, the film follows the lives of five students in Georgia, Iowa, Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma who face bullying on a daily basis. The Bully Project is more than just a film — it’s a call to action and a tool to raise awareness about bullying. On The Bully Project website, you can find out more about the film and its stories, as well as tips and suggestions for parents, students, educators and advocates. Kids can share their own bully stories by posting stories, uploading photos or recording videos. You can also find out about new initiatives in school, communities and online. Watch the trailer below to learn more about the film. Bully releases in theaters March 30.

More about bullying

How a bully can change your life
Is your child being bullied at school?
Protecting kids from cyber bullying

Your school administration

The first bullying resource for parents is their child’s school. Whether your child is a victim of bullying or is the bully himself (or you are just concerned about intimidation at the school), you should reach out to your school teachers, counselor and principal for help. If you don’t get satisfactory results or assistance, don’t hesitate to go up the chain of command to the superintendent and ultimately the state Department of Education.

StopBullying.gov

The government website, StopBullying.gov, can be a helpful resource to learn about bullying policies and laws. 49 states have passed anti-bullying laws. The website also includes tips on preventing bullying, responding to bullying and talking about bullying.

Read about when girls bully

No Kidding About Bullying (Book with CD-ROM)

Based on a nationwide survey of more than 2,000 students and their teachers, No Kidding About Bullying: 125 Ready-to-Use Activities to Help Kids Manage Anger, Resolve Conflicts, Build Empathy, and Get Along (Amazon, $26) provides educators, parents and youth leaders with a wide assortment of activities that can be used to help children to resolve their conflicts without resorting to anger or violence. Geared toward grades three to six, this book and CD-ROM features games, role plays, group discussions, art projects and language arts exercises. The lessons affirm the importance of respect and kind actions.

The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander (Paperback)

This international best-seller is a favorite among parents and teachers. The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander: From Preschool to High School — How Parents and Teachers Can Help Break the Cycle of Violence (Barnes Noble, $12) talks about topics from conflict resolution to the three kinds of bullying. This practical, compassionate book is aimed at helping the triad of bullying — the bully, the bullied and the bystander.

Read about bullying in schools

Stop Bullying: Standing Up for Yourself and Others (DVD)

This 20 minute DVD is short, but it provides very good information for kids. Featuring nationally acclaimed and Emmy-nominated youth speaker Mark Brown, Stop Bullying: Standing Up for Yourself and Others (Amazon, $40) uses personal experience to help provide students with concrete steps they can take to respond to bullying. It talks about the importance of respect and tolerance. This DVD is appropriate for junior high school and up.

Stand Up To Bullying (DVD)

This bullying DVD is essential for your little ones. Perfect for parents to watch with children ages 4 and up, Stand Up To Bullying (Amazon, $13) features Lucky Kat and Daren the Lion to address the topic of bullying. It talks about the different types of bullying and teaches children the best ways to respond.

The Bully Project

Another vital bullying resource for parents is The Bully Project. The Bully Project is highlighted by a documentary film, Bully, about bullying in our schools. Directed by Lee Hirsch, the film follows the lives of five students in Georgia, Iowa, Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma who face bullying on a daily basis. The Bully Project is more than just a film — it’s a call to action and a tool to raise awareness about bullying. On The Bully Project website, you can find out more about the film and its stories, as well as tips and suggestions for parents, students, educators and advocates. Kids can share their own bully stories by posting stories, uploading photos or recording videos. You can also find out about new initiatives in school, communities and online. Watch the trailer below to learn more about the film. Bully releases in theaters March 30.

More about bullying

How a bully can change your life
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New Jersey police are investigating whether the apparent suicide of a 15-year-old boy is linked to reports that he was bullied at school, according to two sources close to law enforcement.

The sources said the Morristown High School freshman died at his home in Morris Township by hanging himself after school Wednesday. School officials identified the boy as Lennon Baldwin.

Read the original report at NBCNewYork.com

“No one should ever be bullied to the point where they feel they need to take their own life,” a friend wrote beneath one of several YouTube videos posted in his memory. “R.I.P. buddy! I will never forget you.”

Investigators from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit, who are taking part in the probe, have not indicated what type of bullying Baldwin may have endured.

“He wasn’t the kid standing in the corner, disheveled,” said Joe Mottola, his bowling coach who spent every Saturday morning with him for the last four years. “He was with the mix, he was with everybody.”

Maureen Adamo, Baldwin’s Cub Scout leader, said her son had seen him just days ago. “My son said he seemed to be okay.”

Hundreds gathered at a prayer service Friday afternoon at Assumption Church in Morristown, where mourners cried and hugged each other. The remembrances continued Friday evening in front of Morristown High School where some 60 classmates gathered for a candlelight vigil that was moved to a more private location.

Supporters also set up a memorial page for him on Facebook that has quickly filled with condolences.

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http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/31/10960817-was-15-year-old-lennon-baldwins-death-a-result-of-bullying-police-investigate

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Manchester Superintendent David Trethaway reported that, districtwide, 66 HIB incidents were investigated between September and December, with 40 of those incidents determined to be violations of the HIB policy. The greatest number, 16, occurred at the high school.

“The number of incidents may seem large, but it shows the schools are doing a good job of investigating all perceived incidents of HIB,” said Kevin Burger, director of student and administrative services, who also serves as the district’s anti-bullying coordinator. “I think it says that the district is very serious about this.”

Trethaway also said the district is continuing to improve procedures and identify problem areas, such as school buses. To address this, the district is using a recent safety grant of $8,000 to install video cameras on all of the district’s large buses that do not yet have them, he said.

During the first half of the school year in the Middletown School District, school personnel investigated 144 complaints of bullying, with 36 confirmed cases of harassment, intimidation and bullying. Of the total, 55 were deemed conflicts and 43 were recorded as “other.”

James Stefankiewicz, superintendent of Red Bank Regional High School, said his district investigated 32 HIB complaints from September through December, but only six were confirmed as violations of the HIB policy, with the remainder determined to be conflicts.

In Asbury Park, most HIB incidents occurred at the middle school, which had 52 confirmed cases from September through February, said Chrissy Coloma, community relations coordinator for the district.

There were also four cases in the high school and alternative school, and nine cases at the elementary level, with the majority of cases involving name-calling and electronic messaging, she said.

Parent workshops, districtwide workshops for staff, and a No More Bullies and No More Victims program were among initiatives that took place in the district, Coloma said.

Meanwhile, anti-bullying continues to be a hot topic. Last year, 24 Long Branch Middle School eighth-graders who followed the suicide of Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi were inspired to created an anti-bullying video and song, using the music from Julio Iglesias’ hit “I Like It,” that went viral on YouTube.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/B3/20120325/NJNEWS/303250011/Has-bullying-declined-?odyssey=mod_sectionstories