Bullying can be stopped!

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