Strengths+&+Needs

=__Strengths__=
 * Nearly all students feel safe in their classrooms
 * 97% of elementary students know the adults in the school care about them
 * There is staff, student, and parent awareness of the need for bully prevention in our schools and community
 * Counselors have many lessons, activities, videos, and resources to reduce bullying behavior
 * Many bully prevention strategies are utilized, although not in a systematic way
 * The Bully Prevention Task Force is in place and actively working on decreasing bullying behavior

=__Needs__=
 * Increase monitoring and staff visibility, actively watching for bullying behavior, especially in unstructured areas
 * Identify bully prevention curriculum and establish a systematic delivery system throughout the district
 * Ensure administrative support with counselor and teacher involvement in delivery of curriculum
 * Implement age appropriate curriculum that addresses appearance, racial, and sexual orientation bullying, as well as sexual harassment, and encourages discussions about bully prevention
 * Implement curriculum that addresses cyber-bullying
 * Provide lessons on the role of a bystander in bully prevention
 * Provide lessons and strategies that target teaching respectful behavior
 * Train all school staff, students, and parents in bully prevention curriculum, policies, and procedures
 * Enforce the district Freedom from Bullying policy and the Freedom from Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation policy, and develop clear, consistant district procedures for addressing bullying behavior
 * Establish consistent ways of parent notification and involvement when bullying is reported
 * Establish a way to document bullying incidences
 * Ensure effective communication is in place between counselors, administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and students.
 * Establish a consistent counseling follow-up plan for victims and bullies
 * Build student assurance and trust in the secondary schools so students know bullying behavior will be addressed when reported
 * Develop strategies to ensure students know adults care about them as students progress into higher grades
 * Identify ways students can be involved in addressing bullying issues

= The Strengths and Needs listed above were determined by data analysis. Below is a list of the major points found in studying the survey data: =

Elementary Observations
Most bullying happens on the playground and in restrooms Nearly two thirds of students have heard rumors, secrets and gossip about others 75% tell a teacher when they see bullying 43% report that students show respect to each other Verbal bullying and name-calling are the most common form of bullying Nearly 40% of students report they have been bullied and believe bullying is a problem at their school

**Middle/Intermediate Observations**
When bullying is observed, friends are told far more frequently than adults Students want to stop bully behavior but do not report it or know what to do Appearance-based bullying is the most common type of bullying with 29% witnessing it weekly Students report witnessing weekly racial bullying 15%, sexual orientation bullying 12%, sexual bullying 13% 11% of students report witnessing cyber-bullying at least once a week 51% of students report never witnessing cyber-bullying and 16% indicated no knowledge of cyber-bullying 65% of students report restrooms hardly ever have enough supervision Over half of students report bus areas do not have enough supervision When reported, students are not aware if the bullying is ever addressed Over half of those surveyed, report students show a lack of respect to each other Nearly half of those surveyed, report students show a lack of respect and to staff 84% of middle/intermediate students know the adults in the school care about them

60% of students indicate they hardly ever report bullying Students do not want to tell but want the adults to see it Name-calling, negative rumors, gossip, and secrets are the most frequent type of bullying Over half of those surveyed, report students show a lack of respect to each other and to staff Appearance-based bullying is the most common type of bullying, with 34% witnessing it weekly Students report witnessing weekly racial bullying 21%, sexual orientation bullying 21%, sexual bullying 20% 17% of students report witnessing cyber-bullying at least once a week 50% of students report never witnessing cyber-bullying and 12% indicated no knowledge of cyber-bullying Students report adults do not talk openly about bullying Students report there is not enough supervision in bus areas, restrooms, locker rooms, hallways, etc. Nearly 40% of students report bullying happens off school property 73% of students feel like the adults in the school care about them
 * High School Observations**

**Staff Observations**
Half of staff reports there is training in place to address bullying behavior Less than half of staff feel a bully prevention curriculum is in place at their campus Staff is unsure about how to handle bullying when they see it There is not a clear method used to document bullying behavior Policy for bullying needs to be clearly understood and treated seriously Over half of staff indicate student involvement in bully prevention is not in place

Parent Observations
Three quarters of parents believe adults in the schools don't notice bullying A quarter of parents feel the adults in the schools hardly ever try to stop bullying 38% of parents believe the adults in the schools ignore bullying 70% of parents feel the school does not contact them if their child is bullied 60% of parents feel the school does not contact them if their child bullies Nearly half of parents feel like they are not invited to participate in programs that prevent bullying Most parents get their information from Parent Connect, district/campus websites, and campus newsletters Many parents report bullying is a problem at the mall