October is bullying prevention awareness month
STOP
BULLYING! Everyone can play a role in intervention and prevention
Sponsored as a public service for the Brown County community by
IN-35149851
Brad Stogsdill
Brown County Sheriff
Emily Tracy
Brown County School Superintendent
Ted Adams
Brown County Prosecutor
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What is Bullying? Bullying is a form of youth violence and an adverse childhood experience (ACE). CDC defines bullying as any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths, who are not siblings or current dating partners, that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance, and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated. Bullying may inflict harm or distress on the targeted youth including physical, psychological, social, or educational harm.
Common Types of Bullying Include: Physical, Verbal, Social and Cyber. See examples of each on page 3.
20%
About of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying nationwide.
Who is at risk? No single factor puts a child at risk of being bullied or bullying others. Bullying can happen anywhere—cities, suburbs, or rural towns. Depending on the environment, some groups—such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ) youth, youth with disabilities, and socially isolated youth—may be at an increased risk of being bullied. Stigma can also spread false and harmful information that can lead to increasing rates of bullying, harassment, and hate crimes against certain groups of people.
Children at Risk of Being Bullied Generally, children who are bullied have one or more of the following risk factors: • Are perceived as different from their peers, such as being overweight or underweight, wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or being unable to afford what kids consider “cool”
www.cdc.gov
• Are perceived as weak or unable to defend themselves • Are depressed, anxious, or have low self esteem • Are less popular than others and have few friends • Do not get along well with others, seen as annoying or provoking, or antagonize others for attention
• Others are more isolated from their peers and may be depressed or anxious, have low self esteem, be less involved in school, be easily pressured by peers, or not identify with the emotions or feelings of others. Children who have these factors are also more likely to bully others; • Are aggressive or easily frustrated
However, even if a child has these risk factors, it doesn’t mean that they will be bullied.
• Have less parental involvement or having issues at home
Children More Likely to Bully Others
• Have difficulty following rules
There are two types of kids who are more likely to bully others:
• Have friends who bully others
• Some are well-connected to their peers, have social power, are overly concerned about their popularity, and like to dominate or be in charge of others.
• Think badly of others • View violence in a positive way Remember, those who bully others do not need to be stronger or bigger than those they bully. The power imbalance can come from a number of sources—popularity, strength, cognitive ability—and children who bully may have more than one of these characteristics.
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types of bullying Sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes: • Leaving someone out on purpose • Telling other children not to be friends with someone • Spreading rumors about someone
Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes: • Teasing • Name-calling • Inappropriate sexual comments
• Hitting/kicking/ pinching • Spitting
• Taunting
• Tripping/pushing
• Threatening to cause harm
• Taking or breaking someone’s things • Making mean or rude hand gestures
• Embarrassing someone in public
SOCIAL BULLYING
Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
VERBAL BULLYING
PHYSICAL BULLYING
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyber bullying includes:
• Posting comments or rumors about someone online that are mean, hurtful, or embarrassing. • Threatening to hurt someone or telling them to kill themselves. • Posting a mean or hurtful picture or video. • Pretending to be someone else online in order to solicit or post personal or false information about someone else.
CYBER BULLYING
The consequences of bullying Bullying can result in physical injury, social and emotional distress, self-harm, and even death. It also increases the risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school. Youth who bully others are at increased risk for substance misuse, academic
problems, and experiencing violence later in adolescence and adulthood. Youth who bully others and are bullied themselves suffer the most serious consequences and are at greater risk for mental health and behavioral problems. Source: www.cdc.gov
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Officials work to ensure Brown County Schools are a safe place for all By Abbie Gressley Brown County Democrat
O
ctober is anti-bullying month and Brown County schools and law enforcement do everything in their power to teach and prevent bullying as much as possible, not only during the month, but throughout the entirety of students’ lives. Emily Tracy, superintendent of the school district, said being able to educate and support students and families with bullying awareness cannot and should not be just throughout the month of October. “We have the highest responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment for all students at Brown County Schools,” said Tracy. “They need to learn how to be kind, respectful and loving to all individuals so as they grow through their educational journey at BCS, they not only learn how to be, but are kind, respectful and loving adults.” Tracy said there are many plans in place to try to prevent bullying as much as possible and procedures ready if bullying does occur. “We have built a pre-K through adult system here at BCS,” said Tracy. “Our students need to learn at a foundational level that every student matters. We
cannot wait until students get into middle and high school to learn about bullying, the different types, what it looks like, feels like, sounds like.” Chuck Hutchins, Assistant Principal of BCHS, said they take every allegation that is reported very seriously. “I keep a log of every time a student comes to the office or to guidance and reports an issue related to harassment or bullying,” said Hutchins. “I record the allegations and any disciplinary consequences that
said Hutchins. Hutchins said he believes the most important thing we can do as a staff is to have relationships with kids. He said when students feel they have a trusted adult in the building who they can turn to and make reports then we are more likely to know what is going on and be able to deal with situations “Our counselors step in early. Students often report issues they are having to guidance and then guidance will relay the information to administration,” said Hutchins. The elementaries have curriculums set up and anti-bullying lessons and messages on bulletin boards. For example, Helmsburg Elementary does a ‘Bullying Hurts’ unit that each teacher works into their classroom time throughout the year and Sprunica Elementary has bullying checklists in all classrooms that are visible all year long. “Consequences include calling parents, education and counseling, finding creative ways to repair the damage and tracking the behaviors to look for patterns,” said Van Buren Elementary school counselor Sarah Forest. There is also a ‘Second Step’ bullying curriculum presented yearly to grades six through eight. Second Step is an evidenced-based program providing social-emotional curriculum to students on a Tier 1 basis. Each classroom at the middle school does Second Step lessons weekly according to BCMS School Counselor Wendi Gore. “Another way counselors engage in preventative measures is by being intentional about curating a space where ALL students feel as though they are welcome, belong, and embraced for who they are,” said Gore. Brown County Sheriff Brad Stogsdill and officers also step in to help prevent bullying or take care of situations that do occur. Stogsdill said they have a school resource officer at the high school daily that has been through a week-long special training. “The presence there helps with trying to keep the bullying down,” said Stogsdill. “People know they have an officer there to stand up and do what’s necessary to keep bullying from continuing.”
“We have the highest responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment for all students at Brown County Schools.” —Emily Tracy, Superintendent might be assigned. In some cases we use “no-contact agreements” to try to stop future allegations from taking place.” Hutchins said in potential bullying situations, they contact the parents of both parties involved. If they feel bullying is taking place it could ultimately lead to expulsion from school. “In some instances students also utilize our SafeSchools link on the website so they can make an anonymous report in regard to bullying,”
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He said sometimes bullying can cross from legal to illegal. He said it thankfully doesn’t happen that often, but they have to deal with it accordingly. “Children can commit crimes as well,” said Stogsdill. “If we get reports from it we may talk to them first then take further action if necessary. Our officers try to talk to youth as much as we can to be positive role models for them. I encourage officers to stop at schools and do events to build rapport with the kids so they know they can come to us inside or outside of school to build that bond.” County Prosecutor Ted Adams said bullying can absolutely cross the line into a criminal offense. “Obviously, any physical bullying can be charged as a battery with the severity of the charge dependent upon the severity of the battery,” said Adams. “Bullying can also manifest itself through verbal threats to do harm to another individual, which is known as intimidation.” Adams said harassment can also be a criminal offense if the perpetrator has no intent to have legitimate communication. “A new criminal charge has been added to our prosecutor toolbox: any sort of illegal distribution of an intimate image, commonly known as revenge porn, is now a chargeable offense,” said Adams. “My office has already charged individuals with illegally distributing intimate images, and we do ask for jail time on first-time offenses.” He said these images are frequently used to bully victims, especially younger victims. “Detective Brian Shrader and I frequently speak at our high school and middle school to not only discuss the dangers of sharing intimate images amongst our younger citizens, but we also notify would-be offenders of the likelihood of seeing us in court if we know the images are used as an instrument of bullying,” said Adams. Adams said these criminal offenses demonstrate the more common ways they envision bullying, but by no means would this list be exhaustive. Tracy said we are living in a world where our students are exposed to more and more cyber bullying through social media than ever before. Gore added that the degree of bullying done outside the school walls is disheartening and often crosses into school from social media posts, pictures, TikToks and more. “It is my pursuit to ensure our students are connected, have a sense of belonging here at BCS, and a support system of adults who love them,” said Tracy.
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How much does bullying effect youth? Bullying is widespread in the United States. Bullying negatively impacts all youth involved including those who are bullied, those who bully others, and those who witness bullying, known as bystanders.
• Bullying is common.
• Bullying is a frequent discipline problem.
About 1 in 5 high school students reported being bullied on school property. More than 1 in 6 high school students reported being bullied electronically in the last year.
• Some youth experience bullying more than others.
Nearly 40% of high school students who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and about 33% of those who were not sure of their sexual identity experienced bullying at school or electronically in the last year, compared to 22% of heterosexual high school students. About 30% of female high school students experienced bullying at school or electronically in the last year, compared to about 19% of males. Nearly 29% of White high school students experienced bullying at school or electronically in the last year compared to about 19% of Hispanic and 18% of Black high school students.
Nearly 14% of public schools report that bullying is a discipline problem occurring daily or at least once a week. • Reports of bullying are highest in middle schools (28%) followed by high schools (16%), combined schools (12%), and primary schools (9%). • Reports of cyberbullying are highest in middle schools (33%) followed by high schools (30%), combined schools (20%), and primary schools (5%).
www.cdc.gov
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is my child being
Cyberbullied? SIGNS TO LOOK FOR www.cybersmile.org
CHANGES IN YOUR CHILD’S ONLINE BEHAVIOR
BECOMING INCREASINGLY WITHDRAWN
Is your child suddenly spending noticeably more or less time on social media, online gaming, or on their mobile phone?
Has your child reduced their usual social activities such as going out shopping and meeting friends? Changes in offline activities can be a sign of online problems.
SIGNS OF DISTRESS After using their mobile phone, console or computer does your child become annoyed, seem stressed, or look flustered and confused? SUDDEN INTEREST IN SECURITY OR SAFETY FEATURES Has your child asked you about closing down social media accounts, or about security features such as blocking other account holders or certain phone numbers?
REGULAR OR UNUSUAL BOUTS OF ILLNESS Has there been an increase in headaches, stomach upsets or other ailments? Sometimes, online bullying and harassment can manifest themselves in genuine illnesses through a combination of stress, lack of sleep and inability to eat healthy foods. Sometimes illnesses can be faked to avoid certain situations such as school and other public places.
POOR OR DECLINING SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND PERFORMANCE Is your child increasingly late for school or off ‘sick’? has there been a decline in the standard of schoolwork? If your child is being bullied or blackmailed on the internet, they might be finding it hard to concentrate on anything else. NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT LEVEL OF SECRECY Does your child suddenly act secretively when using their console, computer or mobile phone? For example, do they close down the computer or hang up the phone mid-conversation when you walk in the room? Try and be aware of changes in the way they behave around their devices.
STOP BULLYING NOW HOTLINE 1-800-273-8255
1 in 5
high school students reported being bullied at school in the last year.
Available 24/7
SELF-ESTEEM PROBLEMS Has your child started to put themselves down verbally or show other signs of low self-esteem? Cyberbullying and abuse online can seriously affect children’s selfconfidence and self-esteem. RELATIONSHIP BREAK-UP Has your child recently broken up with a girlfriend or boyfriend? When relationships go wrong, arguments can be played out over the internet and by phone. Relationship breakdowns in school environments can lead to online hate campaigns. LACK OF SLEEP OR LOSS OF APPETITE Is your child having trouble sleeping or suffering from a sudden loss of appetite? Or is your child having excessive mood swings? Although these can all be put down to ‘teenage‘ issues – they can also be indicative of problems such as cyberbullying and online abuse.
More than
1 in 6
high school students reported being cyberbullied in the last year
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THe relationship between bullying and suicide www.cdc.gov
Recent attention focused on the relationship between bullying and suicide is positive and helpful because it: 1. Raises awareness about the serious harm that bullying does to all youth involved in bullying in any way. 2. Highlights the significant risk for our most vulnerable youth (e.g. youth with disabilities, youth with learning differences, LGBTQ youth). 3. Encourages conversation about the problem of bullying and suicide and promotes collaboration around prevention locally and nationally. However, framing the discussion of the issue as bullying being a single, direct cause of suicide is not helpfuland is potentially harmfulbecause it could: 1. Perpetuate the false notion that suicide is a natural response to being bullied which has the dangerous potential to normalize the response and thus create copycat behavior among youth.
2. Encourage sensationalized reporting and contradicts the Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide (http:// reportingonsuicide.org) potentially encouraging copycat behavior that could lead to “suicide contagion. 3. Focus the response on blame and punishment which misdirects the attention from getting the needed support and treatment to those who are bullied as well as those who bully others. 4. Take attention away from other important risk factors for suicidal behavior that need to be addressed (e.g. substance abuse, mental illnesses, problems coping with disease/ disability, family dysfunction, etc.) Still, a report of a young person who takes his/her own life and leaves a note pointing directly to the suffering and pain they have endured because of bullying is shocking and heartbreaking. While a young person’s death by suicide is a tragedy and both bullying and suicide-related behavior are serious public health problems, our response to such
situations must reflect a balanced understanding of the issues informed by the best available research. It is particularly important to understand the difference between circumstances being related to an event versus being direct causes or effects of the event. To explore this idea, let’s look at a similar but much simpler example: In the case of drowning deaths among children, those who are not directly supervised by a competent adult while swimming are more likely to die by drowning than those children who are directly supervised. While the lack of adult supervision does not directly cause a child to drown, it is a critical circumstance that can affect the outcome of the situation .Just as with preventing deaths by drowning, for bullying and suicide prevention, the more we understand about the relationship between circumstances and outcomes the better decisions we can make about what actions to take to prevent bullying and suicide-related behavior So, if bullying doesn’t directly cause suicide, what do we know about how bullying and suicide are related? Bullying and suicide-related behavior are both complex public health problems. Circumstances that can affect a person’s vulnerability to either or both of these behaviors exist at a variety of levels of influence—individual, family, community, and society. These include: • emotional distress • exposure to violence • family conflict • relationship problems • ack of connectedness to school/sense of supportive school environment • alcohol and drug use • physical disabilities/learning differences
• lack of access to resources/ support. If, however, students experience the opposite of some of the circumstances listed above (e.g. family support rather than family conflict; strong school connectedness rather than lack of connectedness), their risk for suicide-related behavior and/ or bullying others—even if they experience bullying behavior— might be reduced. These types of circumstances/situations or behaviors are sometimes referred to as “protective factors.” In reality, most students have a combination of risk and protective factors for bullying behavior and suicide-related behavior. This is one of the reasons that we emphasize that the relationship between the two behaviors and their health outcomes is not simple. The ultimate goal of our prevention efforts is to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors as much as possible. The bottom-line of the most current research findings is that being involved in bullying in any way—as a person who bullies, a person who is bullied, or a person who both bullies and is bullied (bully-victim)—is ONE of several important risk factors that appears to increase the risk of suicide among youth.
call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) if you, or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide
Brown County Sheriff
IN-35149852
Brad Stogsdill
Brown County School Superintendent
Emily Tracy
Brown County Prosecutor
Ted Adams