How To Stop Bullying
In Middle School
Parents have fear and angst about how their child will
settle into a middle school environment.
The start of a new learning adventure in middle school has the potential
to dictate the comfort or discomfort level he or she will face for the next few
years of school. Stopping bullying in
middle school requires a cooperative effort.
It is wise to use an “all hands on deck” approach when trying to
figure out how to stop bullying in middle school.
School administration, teachers, and staff must make a solid effort
to stop and minimize bullying behavior. Thankfully, there are now laws in virtually
every state in the nation that prescribe guidelines, programs, and procedures
on how to stop bullying in middle school and at every level of the education
system. In 2010, the Federal government issued information
on bullying and harassment in schools, which provided insight on how to stop
bullying in middle school and others schools across the nation: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201010.pdf
.
According to the "Dear Colleague" recommendations to educators, a school must “take
immediate action" to investigate and determine what happened related to the
bullying incident. Schools must also have a clear definition of bullying. This requirement helps everyone to identify,
understand and recognized bullying when it occurs. Again in 2014, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of
Civil Rights issued a statement about bullying with special attention given to students with
disabilities: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-bullying-201410.pdf
. Unfortunately, students with
disability often face bullying and harassment more often than non-disabled peers.
It is important to emphasize respectful behavior toward
all members of the school community and to be accepting of differences. Activists and community members have created
projects, events, and observances for promotion and use against bullying. October has been set aside as National
Bullying Prevention Month. School
personnel, students, and community members should spread information concerning the negative effect of bullying, harassment, intimidation, and violence of any
type. This sends a message of acceptance and support for the victims of bullying. School practices and actions make a statement about the acceptance or
rejection of bullying behavior. Adults
should not engage in behaviors that appear to “turn away from
bullying” as if not to see or hear the incident.
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Middle school stakeholders should become aware of the attributes bullies identify as targets. Bullies use verbal or
physical harassment to intimidate victims about their race, religion, physical
appearance, disability, or gender or other characteristics. The following suggestions provide several key ideas on how to stop bullying in middle school. School officials must
use a clearly defined description of what bullying is. A bullying audit which surveys the level of
bullying incidents in the school should be administered to students and school stakeholders. School officials need a clear
understanding of the “hot spots” or locations where bullying typically occurs in
the building or outside. The location of most of the incidents should be identified, monitored and supervised. Students need to feel secure in their ability to make confidential reports and have a reasonable level of confidence that
something will be done to assist them. These are
several key strategies, which provide ideas for consideration on how to stop bullying in middle
school.
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