National Bullying Prevention Month is recognized in communities across the United States but awareness should be encouraged throughout the year.
Bullying can leave devastating and/or long-term effects such as loss of self-esteem, increased anxiety, and depression. Bullying can take several forms: verbal (name calling, teasing), physical (punching, kicking, tripping, breaking possessions), social (making the victim feel unwelcome at school or in social groups), and cyber-bullying (through e-mail, texts, or emails, or electronic games). In addition, children with disabilities are 2-3 times more likely to be bullied and 64% of all children who were bullied did not report it.
School based bullying prevention programs decrease bullying by up to 25%, and more than half of bullying situations stop when a peer intervenes. Each year, the Munster Police Department’s Community Policing Unit provides information about reporting bullying to parents (through PTO meetings) and students in various grade levels (through the D.A.R.E. Program). Parents are encouraged to follow these important safety tips and to share them with your children as needed:
• Encourage your children to ask others to respect their feelings and personal space in a confident manner.
• Bystanders are very important. Please encourage your child to either get assistance from an adult, to stand up for a victim, or to assist a victim if they witness bullying. The worst thing that they can do is to stand around and do nothing to help a fellow student who needs it.
• Just like stranger-danger, please talk to and warn your children about the dangers of bullying and about the importance of treating others with respect. Be a good role model for your children by also treating others with respect and by not talking about other people in a negative way around your children.
• Monitor who your children are spending time with, and trust your instincts to step in if you believe that they are hanging out with bullies or other negative influences. Also please monitor your child’s internet activities and discourage them from participating in social media sites, especially when they are younger. If you observe any bullying activity online please make sure that the proper authorities and/or parents are made aware of it so that proper support and action can take place for any possible victim(s).
• If you believe that your child is being bullied or if they report it to you, please act right away and do not dismiss it. Report the problem to your child’s principal immediately when necessary and save any evidence such as e-mails, text messages, or photos taken of injuries.
• School resource officers are available to assist with bullying situations at the request of school building principals and/or parents, and possible charges could be filed for harassment, intimidation, or battery if issues progress to where they are necessary or appropriate.
• Encourage your children to get involved with clubs that provide support for their fellow students and which encourage inclusion and respect for others. Ask them to be a positive role model for others