Bullying is a serious issue for many schools, affecting 11% of all students. According to the PACER Center, 160,000 U.S. students stay home from school each day due to fear of being bullied. However, there is hope on the horizon.
A new study presented at the American Psychological Association’s 120th Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida, found that cyberbullying—that takes place online or via mobile device—isn’t growing as rapidly as once thought.
“There is very little scientific support to show that cyberbullying has increased over the past five to six years, and this form of bullying is actually a less frequent phenomenon,” said psychologist Dan Olweus of the University of Bergen, Norway.
Olweus has conducted several large-scale international studies about bullying. One of his studies involved about 450,000 U.S. students in grades three to 12. About 18% of those students said they had been verbally bullied, and 5% had been cyberbullied. Meanwhile, about 10% said they had verbally bullied others, and 3% had cyberbullied others.
The PACER Center, an organization dedicated to enhance the quality of life for children and young adults with disabilities and their families based on the concept of parents helping parents, has created a Web site supporting and bringing awareness of National Bullying Prevention Month. This site includes templates for parents to report bullying, toolkits for teachers, a petition to bring awareness to bullying, and resources to support groups for families and educators. Students can submit videos, stories, or community events expressing how bullying has affected them and what they’ve done to prevent it. Get involved!
Additional ISM resources of interest
Private School News Vol. 11 No. 2 Bullying the Food Allergic Student
ISM Monthly Update for Division Heads Vol. 9 No. 2 Drama: Bullying in a Teenager’s Context
ISM Monthly Update for Risk Managers Vol. 2 No. 2 Tips for Students: Managing Bullying
ISM Monthly Update for Business Managers Vol. 10 No. 1 Back-to-Bullying Season
Private School News Vol. 10 No. 5 Cyberbullies Need Protection, Too
