October is "National Bullying Awareness Month," and one KOTA Territory middle school is teaming up with a local celebrity to tackle the trend of cyber bullying.
Counselors at Bluffs Middle School hear countless bullying stories stemming from Facebook.
"They are using it to attack each other, post disrespectful things on their walls, and it's created some controversy," explains B.M.S. counselor Colleen Hoff.
With a growing online-presence, it's becoming a growing problem... one without a simple solution.
"Kids don't have a place to get away from it," adds counselor Glenda Ehler. "It follows them home, it's in the bedroom, it's on their phones. It's immediate, and I think we see the effects of depression, anxiety, those types of things at school when kids are first learning to deal with it."
That's where the aid of larger groups is helping.
Bluffs Middle School is teaming up with the National Anti-defamation League.
And with the help of a well-known Nebraskan role model, the school is becoming "no place for hate."
"Eric Crouch- a former Nebraska football player and Heisman trophy winner- is Nebraska's spokesperson for this," explains counselor Sharon Walker, "And we have posters up with Eric Crouch."
Staff members at the school are also taking a more proactive approach...teaching students to be assertive.
"We identify it, they know what it looks like, but hoping we can get them the coping skills to be more assertive and standup to the bully," says Hoff.
Last week, nearly all of Bluffs Middle School students signed a banner, uniting the students to take a stand against bullying.
"They were wanting to be a student who stood up for justice, and fair treatment for all," says Walker.
Nationally, roughly one-in-five students is a victim of bullying at school.
Not all children who are bullied ask for help, so parents and teachers should be alert for signs of bullying, according to Scot L. Adams, director of the Division of Behavioral Health at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
"Being bullied can cause depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and even thoughts of suicide, so it's important to try to prevent and eliminate it," Adams said.
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves an imbalance of power. Most often, it is repeated over time. School bullying takes on many forms, and it is done by both girls and boys. The abuse can include:
- Use of derogatory comments and bad names;
- Threats of social exclusion;
- Use of physical force, such as hitting or shoving;
- Spread of lies and false rumors;
- Having money or property taken or damaged; or
- Being made to do things.
Bullying may also include racial, sexual or cyber bullying.
"Recognizing the warning signs is an important first step in taking action against bullying," Adams said.
Warning signs include behaviors like a change in eating habits, acting out of character, avoiding certain places or not wanting to play outside alone, trouble sleeping, having few friends, and making excuses not to go to school.
Tips for parents:
- Encourage your child to share problems with you.
- Praise and encourage your child - a confident child is less likely to be bullied.
- Help your child develop new friendships - new peers can provide a new chance.
- Maintain contact with your child's school. Keep a detailed record of bullying episodes and communication with the school.
- Encourage your child to participate in sports or physical activity to improve esteem.
Tips for schools:
- Establish a bullying prevention committee.
- Create a long-term anti-bullying plan and raise school and community awareness and involvement.
- Use anonymous student surveys to assess bullying-related behaviors.
- Include parents in planning, discussions and action plans.
- Establish classroom rules against bullying.
- Create consequences regarding bullying.
- Initiate serious talks with bullies and victims of bullying individually.
