Bullying occurs when someone acts aggressively towards
your child in order to
gain power over him or her. Bullying
is a
deliberate attempt to make your child feel uncomfortable or unhappy. To help your school be a safe and happy place for your child, it's important
that you work with us to solve any bullying problem. Bullies can be anywhere; at school,
at work, even neighbors. It is important that your child learns to deal with bullies.
Barrington School District has zero tolerance for bullying, but if we don't know
about it, we can't solve it.
BULLYING CAN BE...
Giving nasty looks
Making rude gestures
Calling names
Being rude and impolite
Spreading stories and
rumours
Teasing
Keeping someone out
of a group
Acting in an unpleasant
way near someone
Hurting someone physically
Harassment
Cyber-Bullying
Any form of discrimination
based on disability, gender, race or religion.
YOUR CHILD MAY BE BEING BULLIED IF HE/SHE...
Suddenly does not want
to go to school
Has bruises but won't
talk about them
Suddenly unable to sleep
Becomes moody
Frequently feels sick
with vague symptoms
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP...
Assure your child that
the problem can be solved
Let the school know
that your child is being bullied
Communicate and co-operate
with the school until the problem is solved
Explain to your child
that bullies are usually people with a problem themselves
and use bullying others as a way to make themselves
feel good
Bullies are often victims
themselves
Bullies often have poor
social skills and do not know how to behave towards
others in a positive way
Explain that bullies
know that what they are doing is wrong and the reason
that they pressure their victims not to tell is because
they are afraid
Develop your child's
sense of humour and tolerance of others
Positively reinforce
your child's self esteem and sense of self worth
Develop your child's
social skills by teaching him or her to share and to
co-operate with others in group situations
NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO BULLY ANYONE ELSE...
Children who are bullied feel frightened and powerless. They
sometimes blame themselves. Being bullied can seriously harm self-esteem and prevent successful learning. It is important that the victim take the appropriate action to stop the bullying. Ignoring the bullying behaviour is only a short-term strategy. If the bullying continues more than a few days some other action needs to be
taken. Avoiding the situation by going to another school may not solve the problem
as there are bullies everywhere. Responding to bullying by retaliation or with violence rarely solves the problem
and often gets the victim in more trouble with other students and with the school
discipline code. The school cannot tolerate violence no matter what the reason. The most appropriate action is to tell someone at the school and work with the
school staff to solve the problem.
IF YOUR CHILD IS BEING BULLIED
Tell your child that...
It is not his or her fault
He or she has the right to feel safe and happy
He or she has the right not to be bullied
It is all right to walk away
It can be stopped
It is all right to tell the school staff
By acting on the bullying you are also protecting other students
from the bully
WHAT WILL THE SCHOOL DO IF BULLYING IS REPORTED?
Assure him/her that the problem can be solved and then provide ongoing
support
Investigate the problems raised
Treat everyone involved with fairness
Take action that is appropriate to the particular circumstances
- this may be:
- Mediation
- Disciplinary action
- Warnings
- Social skills program
- Counselling
- Parental involvement
