Bullying Prevention Lampasas Independent School District How does LISD address it? How can I help prevent it? WHY is it important to help? Lampasas Independent School District

Bullying Prevention Lampasas Independent School District Hanna Springs – 512-556-2152 Kline Whitis – 512-556-8291 Taylor Creek – 512-564-2585 Middle School – 512-556-3101 High School – 512-564-2310 Administration – 512-556-6224 Lampasas Independent School District

What our Lampasas schools are doing: Setting clear, realistic policies Teaching Digital Citizenship in our classrooms Giving students a trusted “Go-To” adult Encouraging students to “Stand Up - Not Stand By”

Types of Bullying 4 Main Types 1. Physical Bullying 2. Emotional Bullying 3. Social Bullying 4. Cyber-Bullying

Respect Showing respect for people means accepting their differences and treating them the way you’d like to be treated. Bullying is the exact opposite

Who is involved in Bullying? Triangle The Bystander is the most influential person! Victim Bystander

Put Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes If you were being bullied… How would you feel? What would you do?

Bullying: What Can You Do? Let someone know what is happening!!! It’s okay to ask for help Being bullied is not your fault!! Parents, Teachers, Advisors, Counselors, Principals

Parents: How can you help?

What parents and guardians can do: Know what kids are doing online Teach the basics of good behavior online Keep passwords private Encourage them to talk to a trusted adult Talk to kids about “friending” & “liking” strangers Establish consequences for bullying behavior Click 1: Know what they’re doing online. It may seem obvious now, but it will get harder as kids get older. Establish good lines of communication now so your kids know you care about their online activities -- and that you’re paying attention. Click 2: Limit online socializing for now. Because there is more risk for bullying on sites where kids can openly communicate, avoid open and free chat sites and look for those that offer prescripted or prescreened chat options, like Webkinz or Club Penguin. As kids get older, and demonstrate that they’re ready for more freedom and responsibility, this can open up to more sites. Click 3: Explain the basics of good behavior online. Remind your kids that being mean, lying, or telling secrets hurts — both online and offline. The golden rule still applies: Treat others as you would like to be treated. And remember to praise your child when you see good behavior. Click 4: Remind your kids not to share passwords with their friends. A common form of cyberbullying is when kids share passwords, log on to another child’s account, and pretend to be that person. Kids can protect themselves by learning that passwords are strictly private, and they should be shared only with their parents. Click 5: Make sure they talk to someone (even if it’s not you). A child should tell a parent, teacher, or trusted adult if he or she is being bullied online or sees bullying happening. Tell your child that this isn’t tattling, it’s standing up for him- or herself. Click 6: Establish consequences for bullying behavior. Let your child know that bullying behavior is never ok. If your child is mean to or humiliates another child, consider taking phone and computer privileges away and discuss what it means to be respectful to others. Click 7: Be prepared to deal with cyberbullying if it happens. Have a plan in place so you know what to do if your child comes to you and says they’ve been bullied. This should include understanding our school’s cyberbullying policy. Unfortunately, there’s no sure-fire solution since every situation is different. But here are some good ideas to start with (next slide)

Starting the Conversation Talk about what it means to be a good friend Talk about online vs. offline talk Practice writing good emails, texts, or messages Ask if they’ve seen kids being mean online Encouraging children to “stand up, not stand by” Starting conversations about cyberbullying can be challenging – but made a lot easier if it’s an ongoing conversation in your home, and your kids know that they can talk to you about these issues. Here are a few ways to start the conversation: Click 1: Making friends is key at this age. Talk about what it means to be a good friend with very young children and continue to check in about this as kids get older and go online. Click 2: Make a list together of how talking online is different than talking face to face. Get kids to think about how it might be easier to say things online you wouldn’t say in person, and how this may be good sometimes and a problem at other times. Click 3: Practice writing a text or chat message to a friend. Model for your child how to compliment people and how to avoid mean words or behaviors. Click 4: As if they’ve seen kids being mean online. Ask how it makes them feel to see that happening to other kids, and how it would feel to have it happen to them. Click 5: Point out that it’s important to stick up for others, online as well as in the real world. Discuss ways they can support friends who are bullied and report bad behavior they see online. Click 6: Let your children know that you know some kids can be mean online and they can always come to you if they see it happening or if it happens to them.

Helpful Online Resources: www.stopbullying.gov www.parenting.com/socialmedia www.commonsensemedia.org/socialmedia

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