Some Facts on Bullying, and Five Things You Can Do Today to Impact Bullying and its Negative Effects on Children

Angela Waguespack, Ph.D.
Faculty, Center for Psychological Studies at Nova Southeastern University
Public Policy & Information Chairperson, Florida Association of School Psychologists

Did you know…

• that over 5 million children are bullies or victims of bullies in the United States annually? 
• that in a recent U.S. secret service study investigating school shootings for over the past two and a half decades, 71% of the shooters had been bullied at school?
• that bullying takes its toll on school attendance and inability to concentrate on instruction impacting the academic achievement of children and adolescents?
• that, in the past, kids could get away from bullies once they reached their own doorsteps; however, today, technology such as text messaging and emails allow the harassment and victimization to continue around the clock?
• that kids are killing themselves across the country because of peer rejection and victimization?
• that boys and girls bully differently, with males being more physical and girls talking about kids behind their backs and excluding them from activities?
• that bullying impacts ALL kids because if they are lucky enough not to be the victims or bullies, they are the bystanders who have to process and make sense of what is going on and this impacts their relationships and tolerance for aggression?

What Can You Do?

In conjunction with Florida’s First Annual Bullying Prevention Conference, sponsored by Department of Education and Office of Safe and Healthy Schools, Safe and Drug-Free Schools (SFDS) Program, FASP has designated the month of April as “Bullying Prevention Month.”  This is a great opportunity for you to advocate for the well-being and safety of ALL children in your schools and community. 

Five Things you can do TODAY to impact bullying and its negative effects on children

1. Present to your school staff on ways to create positive school environments to address bullying.  A hands on approach that assists schools in taking direct action (e.g., having staff be more visible in locations where bullying often takes place, working with bystanders so they take a stand to reduce bullying rather than laughing or reinforcing it) would be most helpful.
   
   
2. Send the FASP Position Paper on Bullying (www.fasp.org) to your school administrator or district superintendent.
   
   
3. Speak at a PTA meeting about what parents need to know about Cyber Bullying, the link between Bullying, Depression and Suicide, or the impact of being a bullying victim with regard to relationships and aggression.
   
   
4. Write a letter to your state representative or senator indicating your support of anti-bullying legislation that requires every school district school board to have an anti-bullying policy and allows districts which currently have policies and programs to continue to utilize them (amendment of HB 535/SB 1384). To locate your legislator’s go to http://www.congress.org or www.leg.state.fl.us.
   
   
5. Send information on Anti-Bullying Programs to the education editor of your local paper.