1. Bullying in America’s Schools & Effects at AAHS
By: Kirk J. Dodson

2. America’s Schools: Then
Forty years ago, public school teachers reported that the most serious behavioral problems that they dealt with on a daily basis were tardiness, talkative students and gum chewing.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

3. America’s Schools: Now
Today, teachers identify their classroom problems as drugs, gangs, weapons, theft, assault, rape, murder and bullying.
Bullying stands out as the common form of victimization and is often the springboard toward other types of violence.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and
Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

4. America’s Schools: Now
Statistics show that in over two – thirds of school shootings, the student attackers experienced some form of bullying prior to the incident.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

5. Effects of Bullying
Children who are bullied in school have little energy left for learning as most of their thoughts are filled with figuring out ways to avoid the bully in their life.
Many fear attending school, while others feign illness or make themselves sick in order to avoid school altogether.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

6. Effects of Bullying Low self – esteem Depression
Impaired social relationships
Decrease in academic performance
Increased absenteeism
Drop out
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

7. Three Categories: All Equally Effected
The Bullies
The Victims
The Bystanders
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

8. The Bullies: Who Are They?
Bullies cannot always be identified by what they look like, yet certainly through their actions.
Inborn temperament may be a factor, as is the environment that surrounds the bully.
A child’s home and school life, as well as community culture, all aid in creating or discouraging bullying tendencies.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

9. The Bullies: At Home
Numerous factors characterize the family lives of children who become school bullies.
The home is often emotionally charged; heavy with anger or cold and disconnected.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

10. The Bullies: At Home
Typically, four factors relate to childhood aggression:
Maternal negativity
Neglect and rejection by the caretaker
Harsh child – rearing practices
Aggression which is treated as permissible
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

11. The Bullies: At Home
Some parents do not even realize when they promote bullying when they encourage their child to stand up for themselves or follow the “kids will be kids” way of thinking.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

12. The Bullies: Common Traits
Bullies enjoy dominating others in order to get what they want. They are only concerned with their own wants and pleasures.
Bullies tend to hurt other children when adults are not present. They view siblings and peers as weaker “prey.”
Bullies use blame and false allegations in order to project their own inadequacies onto their targets.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

13. The Bullies: Common Traits
Bullies refuse to accept any responsibility for their own actions as they are unable to see a situation from another’s point of view.
Many bullies do not consider the consequences of their actions.
A bully is motivated by one thing: demeaning another child.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

14. The Bullies: Gender Roles
Male bullies most often select their victims based on physical weakness, short tempers or clothing.
The targets of female bullies are often emotional or based on looks, weight and grades.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

15. The Bullies: Go Modern
Modern bullies have discovered yet another new way to torment their victims with the advent of the Internet and cell phone technology.
Harm caused by cyberbullying may be even greater than that caused by other types as on – line communications can be extremely vicious and there is no escape as the victimization is able to occur twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

16. The Bullies: Go Modern
Cyberbullies often remain anonymous and solicit involvement of others.
Materials is often irretrievable and is capable of being distributed worldwide.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

17. The Bullies: Hurting Themselves?
Effects of bullying are not limited to the victims alone.
As adults, bullies typically
Are void of empathy
Develop unhealthy relationships
Develop unacceptable social skills
Grow up with a poor sense of self
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

18. The Bullies: Hurting Themselves?
Bullying can lead to dropping out of school, participation in delinquent acts and drunk driving during the teen years.
This negative behavior escalates even further into adulthood, as many bullies grow up to treat their own spouses and children with aggression, move on to criminal activities and eventually end up in jail.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

19. The Victims: Who are they?
Victims of bullies are mostly the kids who find themselves at the bottom rungs of the social ladder.
Bullies target those whom they can unload anger, aggression and manipulation that is pent up inside of them.
Children who exhibit behaviors that annoy or amuse their peers are also easy targets for bullies.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

20. The Victims: Passive Most victims are described as passive.
Passive victims tend to see themselves as failures, less attractive and stupid.
They become an easy mark for those who choose to prey upon them.
Once the bullying begins, passive victims become so miserable that their feelings become somewhat of a self – fulfilling prophecy.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

21. The Victims: Provocative
Provocative victims are more assertive, active and at times, to the chagrin of the bully, somewhat more confident than their passive counterparts.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

22. The Victims: Adult Vigilance
Parents particularly, and adults in general, need to be vigilant and tuned in to the depth and instances of any discernible behavioral changes .
Parents should not simply ignore or dismiss any changes they may notice in their children’s behavior as simply a phase they are going through.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

23. The Victims: Warning Signs
A child who is being bullied may keep this fact to himself and is likely to not to share this information with an adult.
A child might tend to keep their plight to themselves; mostly because they fear retaliation or they are not convinced that those in authority at school are interested in putting a stop to the bullying.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

24. The Victims: Warning Signs
Parents should be sensitive to clues as to what’s going on in their child’s life.
Kids speak in ways other than words: tone of voice, body language, facial expression and perhaps most importantly, with their eyes, after all, they are, the windows to our soul.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

25. The Victims: Warning Signs
If a child is spending a lot of time alone it could signal that something is amiss and bullying could be the reason.
If a child walks to school and takes a circuitous route rather than a logical one, they could be attempting to avoid a bully.
A sudden lost interest in school and an unexplained downward spiral in grades can be a red flag.
Loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, frequent complaints of physical ailments such as headaches and stomachaches are other symptoms and signs that bullied victims exhibit.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

26. The Victims: The Importance of Talk
The best way for a parent to find out what is going on in their child’s world is to talk with him or her.
Parents need to ask questions of their children, not in an intrusive inquisition-like manner, but rather in a way that lets the child know they are concerned and want to help them deal with any issues they may be facing at the time.
Direct and open-ended questions are best for getting a child to open up and talk about what, if anything, is troubling them.

27. The Victims: Effects
Bullied children are often absent from school and miss out on valuable instruction time as well as any positive social experiences the school may offer.
The constant stress of being bullied serves to lower self esteem, leads to melancholy and depression, and in extreme cases, suicide.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

28. The Bystanders: A Harmed Witness
In schools, when a bullying situation occurs, administrators and teachers inevitably deal with the situation by punishing the bully, offering aid, comfort and help to the victim all the while ignoring the bystanders.
It is important to understand that witnesses to bullying activity, so- called bystanders, oftentimes suffer with and experience similar psychological reactions to those of the victim.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

29. The Bystanders: Paralyzing Fear
Bystanders suffer from a paralyzing fear of retribution by the bully, should they interfere or intervene in any way.
They don’t want to become the next target for the bully nor do they wish to be seen as a ‘nark’ or tattletale.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

30. The Bystanders: Becoming an Enabler
By not taking action the bystander becomes yet another enabler of the bully’s behavior.
The bully is no longer acting alone; by their silence the bystander too, has become a bully and together they further demean the victim.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

31. The Bystanders: Inaction
Kids who are bystanders do not intervene in bullying incidents for a number of reasons including:
Fear of physical injury
Fear of exacerbating an already volatile situation
They simply have no idea what to do
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

32. The Bystanders: Responsibility
Bystanders must recognize that they have a responsibility to help create a safe, respectful, caring, and bully-free environment and this cannot happen if they stand idly by and allow bullying behavior to flourish unchecked.
It is not that bystanders do not see what is happening, they do; it is just that they do not understand how to deal with their own emotional reactions to it.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

33. The Bystanders: School Personnel
Students are not the only bystanders.
There is a perception that teachers and administrators fall into this category as well.
Bullying victims feel that school administrators generally respond poorly to bullying problems.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

34. The Bystanders: School Personnel
It is important, and indeed necessary, that school administration, teachers and staff develop a climate of tolerance as part of the district culture.
Since bullying behavior often extends traditional boundaries and is rooted in and focused on racial, ethnic, religious and difference in sexual preference, a climate of tolerance would be most helpful in avoiding some of the bullying triggers.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

35. The Bystanders: School Personnel
Clearly communicating the policies and expectations of a school district and building is crucial.
Not only do they foster an environment where discipline is paramount but most importantly, it enhances a student’s understanding of what is right and what is wrong.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

36. Prevention
Due to the prevalence of bullying and the increasing intrusiveness and violent nature of its acts, it is more necessary now more than ever before that schools adopt, implement and embrace bullying prevention programs as part of their culture.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

37. Prevention
A successful prevention program will have relationship building as its’ cornerstone.
Teachers, administrators and staff must be prepared to address individual student needs and the best way to do so is through the building of relationships.
Such relationships must not only be built in the classroom but throughout the entire building.
One way to decrease the negative effect of bullying is to develop a program in which teachers, principals, counselors and staff are available for all bullying victims, the bully, the bullied and the bystander.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

38. Prevention
Bullying is best prevented in an environment where students feel that they are cared about, secure, and able to form relationships.
These are the characteristics that so- called ‘safe schools’ have in common.
Safe schools are led by principal’s that foster these characteristics among three key groups: students, teachers and parents.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

39. Prevention
By involving as many constituencies as possible in an anti-bullying program, the chances that it will succeed increase dramatically.
When the entire community takes ownership, stands up and says no to tyrannical behavior of bullies, it can break the cycle of violence in our schools.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

40. Prevention
School district’s that deny they have bullying issues are either naive or untruthful; and because they tend to stand idly by and let these willful acts of aggression occur, they are part of the problem.
Students are not in a position to put a stop to the bullying they experience and witness.
As with most issues involving students, committed adults are needed at home, in school and in the community to help break the cycle of violence.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.

41. Prevention
Adults must always be aware that like it or not, they serve as role models for any and all children with whom they come in contact; and being a good role model is crucial in helping children learn positive interpersonal skills which will aid in the defeat of bullying activity.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.

42. Student & Teacher Surveys at AAHS
In order to assess the subject of bullying at the Altoona Area High School, two surveys were conducted.
The first survey was distributed to six classes of varying academic and grade levels.
The second survey was distributed to professional personnel.

43. Student Survey Results What grade are you in school?

44. Student Survey Results What is your gender?

45. Student Survey Results I would describe myself as…

46. Student Survey Results Have you ever been bullied at this school?

47. Student Survey Results If so, briefly describe the experience.
Student responses ranged from the following:
Name calling
The bully made fun of my weight so I slammed him into a locker
Mostly emotional abuse.
A teacher likes to make fun of me because I have long hair.
Everyday for a month, a bully stole my lunch money.
I was ostracized from my English study group or “cluster.”
I was made fun of because of the way I dress.
I’ve had soda bottles/cans thrown at me been called names and mocked for my culture.
There was a girl who didn’t like me because I dated her brother.
I was being made fun of for different reasons.
Kids threw gum in my hair and shot rubber bands at me.

48. Student Survey Results If so, briefly describe the experience.
Student responses ranged from the following:
Just verbal bullying – kids saying rude things.
People made fun of my appearance.
Sexual harassment; Someone made a sexual move in the hall.
I’ve been put down, made fun of, etc.
A year ago I was made fun of/verbally harassed, I stopped it.
I got smacked in the back of the head.
A girl I thought was my friend talked about me behind my back.
Mean looks and hurtful things were said.
My cell number was given out to a girl in which at the time was my boyfriend’s ex-girl friend and she left a threatening voic .
The girl who bullied me brought a bar of soap and threw it at me and told me to take a Shower. I retaliated and whipped it at her.

49. Student Survey Results Explain how being bullied makes you feel.
Student responses ranged from the following:
It makes me feel sad; Bad; Crappy.; Terrible; Unloved.
Upset; Angry.
Makes me feel lower than any other person.
Never sad, but angry.
Angry and mad. Especially with a teacher, you can’t really stand up for yourself
I dropped 20 pounds due to lack of food consumption
In general, it just annoys me, but if anyone tells another person to kill himself, then the offender will be destroyed to the best of my ability.
I don’t agree with it at all. People have committed suicide over it.
Sometimes it’s funny to watch but can be hurtful to others and can sometimes get out of control and then not be funny.

50. Student Survey Results Explain how being bullied makes you feel.
Student responses ranged from the following:
You see it happen, but the school never does anything so that they can pretend the school never has a bullying incident.
It made me self-conscious and mad because I am my own person with a boyfriend.
Insecure about yourself.
Makes you feel like dirt.
Lowers self-esteem and makes you feel bad about yourself.
Bullying makes me upset because there is no need to make someone feel bad about themselves.
It has made me rather sad. It affected my school work.
I don’t like to see it, it’s not fair and it is uncomfortable to see or hear about.
It made me really upset and sad. It felt like no one liked me.

51. Student Survey Results Did you tell anyone about the incident?

52. Student Survey Results If yes, whom did you tell?

53. Student Survey Results After you told, did your situation change for the better?

54. Student Survey Results Have you ever been absent because you were afraid to be bullied?

55. Student Survey Results Have you ever bullied another student?

56. Student Survey Results If so, please describe the situation.
Student responses ranged from the following:
If somebody would say something I thought was rude or could’ve been taken rude I would say some really mean things back.
Name calling.
I was little when I did and I did get into trouble but since then I’ve apologized and we’re friends, I’ve never done it again.
I was saying mean things about somebody that was standing in front of me.
I made fun of people.
I slammed some kid into a locker and told him I would beat him up.
It happened about three years ago, some kid was talking to me and I was getting annoyed so I started to pick on him. I almost got into trouble and didn’t do it again.

57. Student Survey Results If so, please describe the situation.
Student responses ranged from the following:
I tease facetiously, but I know that can still hurt feelings.
Threw book at them.
Making fun of someone at the lunch table; I made fun of someone.
When I was in elementary school, I was a really insecure person due to my race, and in turn, I bullied others to hide it.
We hassled a student because of a bad grade on a test.
Just generally picked on a kid.
I called another boy “balls” as a nickname.
I used to say morally shocking things to people I didn’t know for fun.
I needed lunch money, so I took it from another kid.

58. Student Survey Results Have you ever been a witness to a bullying incident?

59. Student Survey Results If so, please describe the situation
Student Survey Results If so, please describe the situation. Did you take action?
Student responses ranged from the following:
A boy at my lunch table got mad at this girl because she wouldn’t do his homework. He called her a bitch and I said to stop, he did.
Some girl was bullying this other girl because she was larger than normal and stunk and I didn’t do anything.
People were being called names. I asked them to stop.
Groups of people teaming up on one person.
It was just he said she said and I didn’t want anything to do with it so I stayed out of it.
My best friend got into a fight his mouth started to bleed so I jumped in to beat this other kid badly.
Name calling, I didn’t do anything.
I saw kids making fun of other kids and I didn’t do anything about it.
The kid was talking smack on my friend and I stepped in and told him to stop.

60. Student Survey Results If so, please describe the situation
Student Survey Results If so, please describe the situation. Did you take action?
Student responses ranged from the following:
Two kids got in a fight and one got a soda can thrown at him.
Another student taunting a student on how they looked; I didn’t do anything.
I’ve occasionally seen people be bullied but I’ve personally never did anything about it because I wasn’t involved.
At lunch almost every day these boys bully a kid that sits with us because he is very religious and believes no sex before marriage.
Kids pushing each other, fights, girls making fun of girls for looks.
A girl pushed a kid in mud. I laughed.
Someone was picking on a girl because she was pregnant. I got in her face an put her in her place.

61. Student Survey Results If so, please describe the situation
Student Survey Results If so, please describe the situation. Did you take action?
Student responses ranged from the following:
You always see kids on the bridge shoving each other. My own sister was bullied last year to no end. The administration had the boy apologize to her. He stopped her after class and said, “sorry for being a dick.” It carried over the next year, but nothing further was done for her.
Some kids were harassing a special needs student on my bus, but nobody, not even the bus driver did anything.
I helped a kid pick up his books. He’s very intrusive and bothers some others. so he is an easy target.
It happens every day, if it is severe enough I step up if it is meaningless I ignore it. There are levels to this sort of thing.

62. Student Survey Results Do you feel that bullying is a problem at this school?

63. Student Survey Results Do you feel that those in authority at this school are concerned enough with bullying to try to put a stop to it?

64. Teacher Survey Results What is your position (title) at this school?

65. Teacher Survey Results How often do you notice bullying at school?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
Actual bullying occurs very infrequently at the high school.
Rarely; Occasionally.
One or two times per week.
It could be weekly (hearing students talk) or about once a month (actual altercations).
Different levels of bullying occur a few times a week but not always severe.
Three times per month, one might encounter covert/physical bullying in the hall, however, this is difficult to categorize as bullying because kids touch each other all the time. Friends shove, trip, and “mess” with each other because they think it’s funny.
Daily; Frequently.

66. Teacher Survey Results Are you consciously aware of the various types of bullying (other than physical) that exist?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
Yes.
Many times it is happening through the various electronic mediums of communication, texting, , IM (Instant Messaging), FaceBook, MySpace, etc.
When I hear students talking, I immediately put a stop to it and tell them it’s unacceptable.
There is “relational aggression” between girls and “put-downs” in general (both girls and boys).
I usually see non-physical bullying.
Cyber-bullying is probably the most frequent type after actual physical.

67. Teacher Survey Results What types of bullying have you most often seen?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
Name calling.
Non-physical, verbal, teasing, mocking-emotional.
Mostly relational/verbal types – not so much physical because of the strong stance that our school takes on physical aggression.
Non-physical types: intimidation.
Verbal abuse between students.
Shoves and verbal put-downs.
Electronic communications. Finding and ridiculing differences. Race, socioeconomic, status, sexual identity.
Cyber i.e.: texting, FaceBook, Verbal i.e.: rumors and threats
Girls and students name calling, or getting friends not to talk to certain students.

68. Teacher Survey Results At what locations in school have you most often seen bullying occur?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
In the hall during the morning “walk.”
In the halls, the bridge, the cafeteria.
Outside the building, sometimes in class
Every once in a great while in my own classroom
I have not witnessed it, but students tell me the halls, bathrooms, and texts, (FaceBook apparently is one of the worst places).
Classrooms, before teachers enter room, and while students leave a room.

69. Teacher Survey Results What is the Altoona Area High School policy on bullying?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
Zero tolerance.
See 5034R4 – Student unlawful harassment – Board Policy and Complaint Form
If it is physical, it is 10 days out. There are other consequences depending on the severity of the situation.
The policy is that we, as a whole, don’t tolerate bullying and it’s to be reported when seen and we should encourage a non-discriminatory environment.
Proactive. Absolutely opposed to it.
To be honest I do not know the policy, word-for-word – I would assume initial stage is with the teacher then up the chain of command.

70. Teacher Survey Results Is administration proactive on the subject of bullying?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
I think we/they have done a good job this year with MLTV (Mountain Lion Television) and posters.
They investigate incidents.
Somewhat – we had the signs made and there was talk about how we are to promote that we don’t tolerate bullying – but that was a while ago and I haven’t heard anything since
We do try to establish a safe environment and consistent rules, but kids don’t always recognize the effort
We have signs all over the school stating zero tolerance we are instituting a tolerance initiative for students next school year
Keeping teachers in hallways in between classes. Encouraging students to report bullying behavior.

71. Teacher Survey Results Is administration proactive on the subject of bullying?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
Example of “pro-activity”: the whole camouflage scandal earlier this year.
Example of not being proactive: students don’t know what bullying “looks like,” the administration could maybe have an assembly regarding bullying every two or three years to remind/re-teach the students what bullying is or can be and how to respond if they are being bullied and/or if they witness bullying. I
don’t even know where to start with cyber-bullying and school’s responsibilities in that realm!
AAHS is attempting to make staff aware of different types of bullying.
Any time we are made awe of potential student conflicts, we intervene personally or involve our guidance counselors.

72. Teacher Survey Results How often do you discuss bullying with students?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
Rarely, other than the beginning of the school year.
We cover it every year at our beginning of the year class assemblies
I discuss at the beginning of the year and also with students who seem to be bullying others. We also talk about it in general from time-to- time as a class somewhat often.
I don’t discuss bullying outright, but each year, at the beginning of the year, I discuss proper decorum with my students and appropriate interpersonal relations in my classroom. I model politeness, kindness, and the social skills that I expect to see. I also make a concerted effort (especially at the beginning of the year) to emphasize and verbally praise students who treat their peers with respect and equity. Similarly, I also point out when they are not being kind and demand appropriate reparations.

73. Teacher Survey Results How often do you discuss bullying with students?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
As necessary or when a situation takes place.
During the Holocaust unit, I tie it in everyday. During the year, I remind them as I hear or see anything.
We discuss acceptable, polite behavior and say “we don’t act that way in this class.”
A few times each week
During daily counseling sessions with victims and bullies.
At least once per week
3-4 times a month. Telling students we in this school don’t talk or act like that.
Very often. I teach it as a part of my sociology curriculum.

74. Teacher Survey Results Have you ever had to intervene in a bullying incident?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
No.
For name-calling in my classroom.
Yes, one student was teasing a girl but he also was just talking to her a lot and she felt uncomfortable. It escalated quickly from “joking around” to saying rude things. I spoke to each of them and guidance. The problem was that she would retaliate and say rude things back to him in defense – so in the end, they both felt picked on. I separated seats in the end.
Not yet, thankfully! Usually pointing out rudeness or general thoughtlessness gets the job done

75. Teacher Survey Results Have you ever had to intervene in a bullying incident?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
Yes, I have a student in class who is picked on frequently and I had to make it clear that no inappropriate remarks would be tolerated
Yes, there was a physical fight about racial issues between two girls in my class.
Yes, last month a large student (tall, big) knocked a pile of books out of a petite girls hand. Her friend wanted it reported as bullying, so I wrote it up for his Asst. Principal, but I also talked to him personally and made him apologize to the girl and promise never to do it again.
Yes, I do frequent peer mediations.
Yes, it dealt with sexual orientation of a student.

76. Teacher Survey Results Do you feel that students at Altoona Area High School are comfortable approaching school personnel (teachers, counselors, administrators) when faced with a bullying situation?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
I think it depends on the situation of the student. It depends on the student’s background.
Some yes. Some no.
I think it depends on the student and the teacher. Some students will probably never come forward and say they are being bullied. Some will if they feel comfortable enough with the teacher. I think they’re more likely to tell a teacher or counselor rather than a principal – most students I turn to don’t even know our principal’s names. It all depends
I feel that most students have at least one member of the school personnel to whom they go if they were faced with a bullying situation. However, there are also great pressures to “suck it up” and not to be a “nark…”

77. Teacher Survey Results Do you feel that students at Altoona Area High School are comfortable approaching school personnel (teachers, counselors, administrators) when faced with a bullying situation?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
Some are, but most think it’s tattletale behavior so they won’t. After one incident of getting 10 days out they usually change their ways and see personnel
Yes, I think most students have at least one principal, teacher or counselor with whom he could talk.
Some are – many come to the counseling office though some do not want to report it to administration.

78. Teacher Survey Results Do you feel that students at Altoona Area High School are comfortable approaching school personnel (teachers, counselors, administrators) when faced with a bullying situation?
Teacher responses ranged from the following:
Yes, they sometimes do, but are often afraid to confront the problem for fear of retaliation.
I would like to say yes, but sometimes there is a perception (false) that reporting these types of situations makes one a tattletale.
I would say yes, however, since I am not in a classroom or see students interact collectively, my opinion may be skewed.
Some teachers are easier to approach than others. Students feel that there is not enough follow-up after, (examples after discipline have been served and bully returns to class).
Not totally as there is still the perception that if you tell, that you are somehow afraid, timid, or something other than a ‘regular’ student.

79. Conclusions..
In analyzing the data from the student and professional staff surveys at Altoona Area High School, some interesting trends are evident compared to those seen in schools across the country.
For example, of the students surveyed at AAHS, nearly three- quarters said they have never been bullied – certainly a good sign.
This is curious however, as seventy-one percent of the students surveyed said they have been a witness to a bullying incident and another sixty-three percent answered that bullying is a problem at AAHS.

80. Conclusions..
Students do feel that the administration is concerned enough with bullying to put a stop to it; sixty-two percent responded affirmatively to this query.
Students admit to being reluctant to talk about incidents in which they have been victimized by a bully; as only one-third of those who have been bullied told anyone about the situation.
Disappointingly, those who did tell someone overwhelmingly chose to discuss the situation with a friend or parent (43 and 29% respectively) rather than share information with those who can intervene in a more timely manner - school personnel.
Only sixteen percent confided in a teacher while the remaining twelve percent were split evenly talking with either a counselor or principal.

81. Conclusions..
Because there is a difference between bullying and teasing, the latter could be misconstrued by students while adults, in this case AAHS professional staff, looking through a lens of experience and expertise can better distinguish between the two.
Teachers, for example, know bullying when they see it.
Some of the comments made by professional staff on their survey indicate that while they have and do see ‘actual’ bullying, it is rare.

82. Conclusions..
Almost all respondents feel that the Altoona Area School District is on top of the bullying situation through a strong ‘zero tolerance’ policy.
They also feel that AASD is proactive and intolerant of any and all types of bullying.
When given the opportunity to respond as to the ways that they deal with bullying, this too yielded positive proactive answers which would indicate that the education professionals at AAHS are on top of the situation and deal with it promptly and appropriately.

83. Conclusions..
Overall, the AASD can be proud of its stance on bullying and the steps it takes through its building administrators and teachers to protect students but most importantly to teach via example that bullying is not an appropriate behavior.

84. Comments & Questions

85. Thank You Mr. Larry Betar Mr. David Bufalini Mrs. Paula Dibert, RN
Mr. Don Dull
Mr. Joe Falger
Mrs. Julie Fleck
Mrs. Andrea Larson
Mr. James Lowe
Mrs. Carolyn Lutz
Ms. Laura Nulf
Mrs. Marie Suter
Mrs. Breanne Venios
Mr. Mark Westrick
Ms. Erin Wisor
Mr. Drew Yingling
Mr. Eric Zolnak

86. Works Cited
Coloroso, B. (2008). The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander: From Pre School to High School – How Parents and Teachers Can Break the Cycle of Violence. New York: Collins Living.
Harris, S., & Petrie, G. (2003). Bullying: The Bullies, The Victims, The Bystanders. Lanham: Scarecrow Education.