Aside from impacting learning and academic success of the school, bullying also creates an environment where stress and anxiety are higher. As a result, it is in every school district’s best interest to address bullying issues in an effective manner. For instance, this might include identifying risk factors associated with bullying, intervening quickly and efficiently when bullying occurs, assessing current bullying prevention programs, and developing prevention programs that work. But, one of the first steps in accomplishing these tasks is establishing a list of bullying prevention goals. Here is a list of the ten most important bullying prevention goals schools should adopt.
Goal #1: Make Bullying Prevention a Priority
Be sure every student understands from day one what bullying is and that it is unacceptable. Remember, every student has a right to feel emotionally and physically safe while at school. Establish classroom rules with specific examples of what is acceptable and unacceptable. Post these guidelines in every classroom and refer to them when a student gets out of line.
Goal #2: Establish Intervention Programs for Socially-Vulnerable Students
Identify the most socially-vulnerable students at the school and determine what makes them feel successful. Help them develop friendships and make connections at the school. Find leaders within the school that can connect with these students and mentor them. For instance, empower athletes to prevent bullying as well as students who excel academically or those who are service oriented. There also are a number of ways teachers can empower these students.
Goal #3: Empower the School’s Bystanders
Teach kids how to identify bullying situations and give them tools for responding. Sometimes they will be able to intervene without adult intervention and other times they will need to get the help of an adult. Provide safe ways for them to report bullying anonymously or confidentially. The key is to break the silence surrounding bullying by making it safe for bystanders to report the things they are witnessing. One way to ensure this happens is to take all reports of bullying seriously.
Goal #4: Create Discipline Procedures and Consequences for Bullying
Discipline and consequences for bullying should always match the severity of the issue. They also should be designed so that the behavior will not be repeated. Lastly, discipline programs should be created so that kids will be less likely to repeat the behavior again or risk more severe consequences the next time around.
Goal #5: Replace the School’s Bystanders With an “Upstander Community”
Creating an upstander community involves taking students who often only witness bullying and developing a group of responders. In other words, foster leadership in these students that will encourage them to do something about bullying rather than just standing by and watching. One way to do that is to empower them to change the school’s climate.
Goal #6: Ensure Teachers and Administrators Are Committed to Addressing Bullying
Remember students pay close attention to how teachers and administrators respond. And if they observe you not taking bullying seriously or not responding immediately, they will assume bullying is an issue you don’t want to be bothered with. This can be detrimental to your school’s bullying prevention programs because bullies will feel empowered and victims will feel like no one cares. As a result, they will often keep silent about the bullying they are experiencing.
Goal #7: Incorporate Anti-Bullying Messages Into Curriculum
At the beginning of the year, challenge teachers to review their curriculum and look for ways to incorporate an anti-bullying message into their regular lesson plans. Reward teachers for being creative and for thinking outside the box. There are a number ways to incorporate anti-bullying messages including skits, papers, design projects, and classroom discussions.
Goal #8: Ensure Teacher Behavior Matches Core School Values
To prevent bullying, build respect, and develop inclusiveness, the staff must be willing to commit to matching their words and actions. This helps students learn to trust what is being said. Consequently, if staff members have cliques, bully one another, or worse yet teachers bully students, this does not build trust among students and creates a hostile environment. Remember, students observe and model the adults around them. Be sure your school is modeling appropriate behavior.
Goal #9: Develop Partnerships with Parents
It is important to let parents know about your school’s anti-bullying efforts. This not only gives a sense of comfort to parents of potential victims, but it also clearly communicates to parents of potential bullies that bullying is not tolerated. Be sure they know what their roles are as partners in the anti-bullying program. When you have parent support behind a program, the hope is that it will be supported at home and will help deter some of the school bullying.
Goal #10: Challenge Students to Rise to New Levels of Behavior
School programs and character education can challenge students to rise above their comfort zones and reduce negativity. Be sure to foster empathy and good citizenship. And find ways to challenge students to mingle with others outside their circle of friends. For instance, some schools have found that “mix it up” days are useful because they encourage students to sit with others at lunch. The key is to identify your leaders and empower them to set new standards for behavior in the school.
A Word from Verywell Family
Remember, no school is immune to bullying. As a result, administrators and teachers should be proactive in developing bullying prevention programs. Often, the best place to start is to establish a set of goals for your program and then build your program from there.
