Bullying |
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Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.
There are many other types of aggressive behavior that don’t fit the definition of bullying (e.g. peer conflict, hazing, gang violence, harassment, stalking, etc.). This does not mean that they are any less serious or require less attention than bullying. Rather, these behaviors require different prevention and response strategies.
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Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes: teasing, name-calling, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, threatening to cause harm;
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Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes: Leaving someone out on purpose, Telling other children not to be friends with someone, Spreading rumors about someone, Embarrassing someone in public;
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Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes: hitting/kicking/pinching, spitting, tripping/pushing, taking or breaking someone’s things, making mean or rude hand gestures.
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When you, your child, or someone close to you is being bullied, there are many steps to take to help resolve the situation. Make sure you understand what bullying is and what it is not, the warning signs of bullying, and steps to take for preventing and responding to bullying, including how to talk to children about bullying, prevention in schools and communities, and how to support children involved. Review our district's policy 443.7 Anti-bullying.
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reviewing that information, if you feel you have done everything you can to resolve the situation and nothing has worked, or someone is in immediate danger, there are ways to get help.
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The Problem
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The Solution
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There has been a crime or someone is at immediate risk of harm.
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Call 911.
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Someone is feeling hopeless, helpless, thinking of suicide.
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Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The toll-free call goes to the nearest crisis center in our national network. These centers provide 24-hour crisis counseling and mental health referrals.
See Suicide Prevention page for more resources available.
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Someone is acting differently than normal, such as always seeming sad or anxious, struggling to complete tasks, or not being able care for themselves.
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See Mental Health page for available resources
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A child is being bullied (or cyber-bullied) in school.
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Contact: Teacher, School counselor, School principal, District administrator, Wisconsin Department of Education
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The school is not adequately addressing harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion.
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Contact: District administrator, Wisconsin Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
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What To Do If I Am Bullied (PDF) (courtesy of Mental Health America of Wisconsin)
http://www.togetheragainstbullying.org/join-together (brought to you by Gundersen Medical Foundation & Health System)
http://thecompassionproject.me La Crosse, WI
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| Last Updated: 6/4/19 |
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