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Professional Readings includes reviews of recent publications and highlights of reports on current issues that affect schools. Your contributions are welcome. Send them to principal@osu.edu. Please indicate if we may use your name in the “contributor” credits.
Collaboration in Schools:
Combating the Problem of Bullying with a Team Approach
by Beth Camp, M.S., National Certified Counselor, and Caroline Baker, M.S., National Certified Counselor
Students in all grade levels report experiences with bullies or bullying behaviors, either as a victim, bully, or bystander, and these experiences create and maintain a climate of fear at school. There are many techniques and strategies for addressing the bullying problem in your school, but research suggests that bullying prevention efforts work best when they are addressed by a team consisting not only of educators but also students, parents, and community members. Forming a bullying prevention committee not only addresses strategies to combat bullying but it also works on another level. The mere fact that there is a bullying prevention committee in existence communicates to the students how seriously your school views this issue.
This committee should be representative of the school and community. Teachers, administrators, counselors, nonteaching staff, students, parents, and community partners should be included on this committee. The more perspectives the committee solicits, the more creative the approach can be to finding solutions to this problem. When students feel they have contributed to the policy, they feel empowered to respect and implement it. Pepler and Craig (2000) emphasize the importance of involving students in the intervention in the early stages of developing a whole school antibullying policy. Inclusion of students in developing the policy can help foster a feeling of belonging and school pride.
Following the formation of a bullying prevention committee or team, you may proceed in any number and combination of ways. Designating specific and regular team meeting times and location is the first step and should reflect the level and types of bullying occurring in your school. Conducting a school-wide anonymous survey to assess the overall climate guides the direction and priorities of the group (Kaffenberger et al., 2006). The team should then identify short-term and long-term goals for the school community.
Creative and powerful prevention activities are plentiful and empower not only the victims, but also the faculty and staff to combat the bullying problem in the school. As mentioned above, simply having an inclusive committee meeting regularly signals to the students that bullying will not be tolerated. Reinforcing this with a celebration of “Antibullying Week” in November as well as awareness meetings for the community creates standards and expectations for the student population (Harrison, 2005). Add to these strategies colorful, informative hallway displays designed by students, and you have effective climate change.
At all grade levels, the counselor can assist with getting parent and grandparent volunteers to supply extra supervision in halls and bathrooms, on the playground, and on the bus. In addition, anonymous "complaint" boxes can be strategically located throughout the school and can be checked by the counselor and/or the principal (Harrison, 2005). At some schools, Problem-Based Learning has been introduced to help students typically seen as victims to gain assertiveness skills and recognize ways to solve problems such as being bullied (Hall, 2006). This kind of victim empowerment yields impressive results and teaches valuable life skills.
Embracing any of the above methods of combating bullying in schools takes a team of dedicated community members including school personnel, students, parents and businesses. Regular collaboration between the bullying prevention team and the rest of the school community signals a powerful antibullying stance and should show marked results when adopted by your school.
References
- Hall, K. (2006). Using problem-based learning with victims of bullying behavior. Professional School Counseling, 9(3): 231-237.
- Harrison, M. (2005). Bully on the bus. Teaching Tolerance, Fall(28):38-43.
- Kaffenberger, C., Murphy, S., & Bernak, F. (2006). School counseling leadership team: A statewide collaborative model to transform school counseling. Professional School Counseling, 9(4): 288-294.
- Pepler, D., Smith, P., & Rigby, K. (2004). Looking back and looking forward: implications for making interventions work effectively. In Peter Smith, Debra Pepler, and Ken Rigby (Eds.), Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be? London, UK: University Press, pp.307-324.
Related article: Combating the Problem of Bullying by “Fighting Back” in Different Ways >
