Physical bullying:

A student uses physical force to hurt another student.

Hitting, shoving, taking or breaking a student’s belongings, stealing, or forcing them to give money.

Verbal/Non-Verbal bullying

A student uses words or gestures to hurt another student.

Threatening, taunting, name-calling, teasing, graffiti, put-downs.

It also includes negative gestures like making faces, staring, mad-dogging/mean-mugging, and eye rolling.

Cyberbullying:

The use of any electronic communication to bully another student (email, texting, Facebook, Instagram)

In addition to threats, put-downs, gossip, and spreading rumors online, it can be:

• Impersonating another student.
• Creating/joining a web page or group devoted to putting down another student.
• Recording video or pictures of a student without them knowing.
• Sending inappropriate pictures/videos.
• Forwarding messages that were meant for only you.

Bullying in schools

Nationwide, 19% of students in grades 9–12 report being bullied on school property in the 12 months prior to the survey.

The following percentages of students ages 12-18 had experienced bullying in various places at school:

• Hallway or stairwell (43.4%)
• Classroom (42.1%)
• Cafeteria (26.8%)
• Outside on school grounds (21.9%)
• Online or text (15.3%)
• Bathroom or locker room (12.1%)
• Somewhere else in the school building (2.1%)

Approximately 46% of students ages 12-18 who were bullied during the school year notified an adult at school about the bullying.

What You Can Do

Students

Sprigeo School Safety Tip Line

If you feel unsafe or know someone who feels unsafe, please report it through Sprigeo School Safety Tip Line located on the Shafter High Website . After you fill out the form, Sprigeo sends an email to an administrator with all of the details from your report.

Shafter High 101

You can also report bullying through Canvas Shafter High 101 in the Dean's office tab and select the link under the Help icon.

What Should You Do If You Are Being Bullied?

• Do not deal with it alone, go to someone you trust and strategize on how to confront it.
• Don't react to the Bully
• Stay Calm
• Avoid the Bully
• Find Friends to Be with Whenever the Bully is Around
• Don't keep the Situation a Secret
• Report through Sprigeo School Safety Tip Line
• Report through Canvas Shafter 101 Dean's Tab under Help icon

What Should You Do If You See Another Person Being Bullied?

It's hard to get involved. You may fear that you'll be the next target if you stand up for someone who is being bullied. That may be true, but think about how you would feel if you were that person being bullied. How would you feel if another person stood up for you? How would you feel if no one stood up for you?

• Stand with the person being bullied
• Help the victim walk away
• Befriend the victim
• Ask if the person being bullied needs help
• Get help form a trusted adult
• Report through Sprigeo School Safety Tip Line
• Report through Canvas Shafter 101 Dean's Tab under Help icon

What is an Upstander?

• A person who stands up, speaks out, and/or takes action in defense of those who are targeted for harm or injustice
• When peers intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds, 57% of the time.

Upstander: Be the Change

Parents

Parents play a key role in preventing and responding to bullying. If you know or suspect that your child is involved in bullying, there are several resources that may help.

Recognize the warning signs that your child is involved in bullying. They could be being bullied, bullying others, or witnessing bullying. Although these signs could signal other issues, you should talk to your child if they display any sort of behavioral or emotional changes. Many times kids won’t ask for help, so it is important to know what to look for. If your child is at immediate risk of harming

Learn what bullying is and what it is not. Understanding what bullying is is the first step in forming a plan to prevent or respond to bullying with your child. Many behaviors that look like bullying may be just as serious, but may require different response strategies. You can also learn about:

• The frequency of bullying;
• Who is at risk for being bullied and bullying others; and
• The effects of bullying

If you know or suspect bullying has occurred, learn how to find out what has happened with your child. Understanding what has happened can also help in communicating with school or community officials about the situation.

If you have worked with your child and your school and need additional assistance, find resources to help address the situation.

Effects of bullying:

Those who are bullied may experience:

• Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy.
• They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.

Those who bully others may be more prone to:

• Abuse alcohol and other drugs.
• Getting into fights, vandalizing property, and dropping out of school.
• Have criminal convictions and traffic citations.
• Be abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses, or children as adults.

Bystanders who fail to engage:

• Have increased use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs
• Have increased mental health problems, including depression and anxiety.
• Miss or skip school.

Bystander Effect

A bystander is a person who sees bullying happening to someone else.

It can feel uncomfortable witnessing it, and maybe you don’t know how to prevent it.

Many bystanders are worried that they will be the next target of bullying if they speak out against it.

Take a stand against bullying

Reach out.

• Parents, friends, a professor, or authority figure or mentor. “Seeking help is not a sign of weakness”.

Know the signs and be supportive.

• Try not to be pushy, but open up and listen to those you are concerned about; let them know that you care about them, that what is happening is not their fault, and that you are there to help.

Get away from toxic situations.

• If you can remove yourself from a bad situation, do it. Best to avoid harm whenever possible. If you feel uncomfortable, leave.

Don't be a bystander.

• If you see someone being bullied, intervene in a way that is safe and non-escalating. If you can talk things down, do so. If you need to contact an authority figure such as campus security to handle the situation, do so. Just don't join in and become a bully.

Don't be a bully.

• People who are bullies are often so because of ingrained, learned behavior, because they were taught (directly or inadvertently) through experience and upbringing. For some, it may be a coping mechanism for anxieties and trauma.

“All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good people do nothing” – Adapted from Edmund Burke