Seminole County Public Schools Description Of A Bully
"A student is being bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more students."
Bullying Prevention Tools And Resources
Visit the Florida Department of Education/Safe Schools to locate great information regarding bullying prevention that helps to keep parents, students and interested staff in the loop of awareness.
What Is Cyberbullying?
The CyberBullying Research Center defines cyberbullying as a "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices."
Access additional resources from the CyberBullying Research Center.
Why is Bullying Harmful?
Some people think bullying is just part of growing up and a way for young people to learn to stick up for themselves. But bullying can make young people feel lonely, unhappy and frightened. It makes them feel unsafe and think there must be something wrong with them. They lose confidence and may not want to go to school any more. It make make them sick.
10 Things You Need To Know About Bullies
(excerpt from About.com Teen Advice Column)
- Bullies come in all ages, sizes, races, religions, and in both genders.
- Bullies use many tactics to threaten and harass people including, but not limited to, words and physical violence.
- People who behave in openly hostile behavior, who threaten others to make themselves feel powerful, or who build themselves up by tearing others down are bullies.
- Girls are more likely to bully with words while boys most often resort to physical attacks.
- Words can be just as harmful as physical violence and can cause lasting psychological damage to victims.
- Never try to handle a bully alone. Always go to a person with authority over the bully such as; a teacher, a principal, a school liaison officer or a parent.
- No matter what a bully threatens to do, you must tell somebody in a position of authority and your parents. NEVER SUFFER IN SILENCE!
- Bullies often model what they see at home. Sometimes a bully is really crying out for help. Bullies often act out because they feel they have no control over their lives; they bully in an attempt to take control.
- Ignoring bullies does not make them stop. Only adult intervention and awareness can end the harassment.
- As children grow into teens bullying behaviors often escalate.
Make Cyberbullying Stop!
(excerpt from StopBullying.gov article "What Kids, Teens and Young Adults Can Do")
You can prevent cyberbullying by being careful of what you do:
- Always think about what you post or say.
- Set privacy settings on your accounts.
There are things you can do to help you and your friends if you become a victim of cyberbullying:
- Talk with someone you trust.
- Do not respond to cyberbullying.
- Keep evidence of cyberbullying.
- Block the person who is cyberbullying you.
- Report the incident to your school.
- Ask for help.