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Bullying
Bullying in schools is a major issue that hurts millions of students each year. Here at Carrington we are dedicated to providing a safe place for ALL students, and stopping acts of bullying.
Say Something - Do Something
If you or someone you know is being bullied, then let an adult know. It is not right for one student to bully another student, and unless an adult steps in the student may continue. Bullying is characterized by intentional tormenting in physical, verbal, or psychological ways. It can range from hitting, shoving, name-calling, threats, and mocking to taking money or treasured possessions. Some kids bully by excluding others and spreading rumors about them. Others use email, chat rooms, instant messages, social networking websites, and text messages to taunt others or hurt their feelings.
Say Something - Do Something
If you or someone you know is being bullied, then let an adult know. It is not right for one student to bully another student, and unless an adult steps in the student may continue. Bullying is characterized by intentional tormenting in physical, verbal, or psychological ways. It can range from hitting, shoving, name-calling, threats, and mocking to taking money or treasured possessions. Some kids bully by excluding others and spreading rumors about them. Others use email, chat rooms, instant messages, social networking websites, and text messages to taunt others or hurt their feelings.
What is Bullying?
Physical bullying means:
· Hitting, kicking, or pushing someone – or even just threateneing to do it
· Stealing, hiding, or ruining someone’s personal belonginigs
· Making someone do things he or she does not want to do
Verbal bullying means:
· Name calling
· Teasing
· Insulting
Other types of bullying includes:
· Refusing to talk to someone
· Spreading lies or rumors about someone
· Making someone do things he or she does not want to do
· Hitting, kicking, or pushing someone – or even just threateneing to do it
· Stealing, hiding, or ruining someone’s personal belonginigs
· Making someone do things he or she does not want to do
Verbal bullying means:
· Name calling
· Teasing
· Insulting
Other types of bullying includes:
· Refusing to talk to someone
· Spreading lies or rumors about someone
· Making someone do things he or she does not want to do
What Can You Do If You Witness Bullying?
1. Tell an adult! This could be your teacher, the counselor, an administrator, or your parents. Let someone know so the incidents can be addressed and stopped. Durham Public Schools also has an anonymous 'Text-a-Tip' program (more information is at the bottom), where you can text what happened and to whom to 274637 with the keyword DPSTIP.
2. Refuse to join in. Most times bullies continue what they do because other people "laugh along" or "go along" with the hurtful behavior. This only encourages the bully to continue tormenting people. So don't get involved and stay out of any situations of bullying. Your decision to "stay out of it" means that one less person - you - is hurting the bully's target.
3. Walk away when bullies are acting up. Bullies often love attention, so any onlookers just makes the situation worse. By removing yourself from the situation you reduce the amount of attention the bully is getting. This also sends the message that you do not approve of what is happening.
4. Speak out. This may take some courage, but using simple phrases like "Leave her alone" or "Stop picking on him" can really take away the control of the bully. If you have a friend or other people to help speak out, the bully may become uncomfortable and is likely to stop.
5. Stand up. This is a brave and highly effective way to deal with bullies. When someone is being teased or intimidated, walk over and stand with that person. Or simply invite him/her to join your group of friends. Your action will send a message that bullying will not be tolerated. Keep in mind, this is not a situation to hurt the bully, it is instead to prevent or stop another incident.
6. Work with others to reduce bullying. To make this happen here at Carrington, you and your classmates must work with other students and teachers to increase the strength of the school's community. Try to come up with specific actions which can be taken to reduce bullying. For example, you and your peers can discuss ways to resolve conflicts and to better treat isolated or new students. Or maybe you know an area of the school where bullying is happening that needs more adult attention. You could also start a club that works on ways to reduce bullying here at Carrington.
2. Refuse to join in. Most times bullies continue what they do because other people "laugh along" or "go along" with the hurtful behavior. This only encourages the bully to continue tormenting people. So don't get involved and stay out of any situations of bullying. Your decision to "stay out of it" means that one less person - you - is hurting the bully's target.
3. Walk away when bullies are acting up. Bullies often love attention, so any onlookers just makes the situation worse. By removing yourself from the situation you reduce the amount of attention the bully is getting. This also sends the message that you do not approve of what is happening.
4. Speak out. This may take some courage, but using simple phrases like "Leave her alone" or "Stop picking on him" can really take away the control of the bully. If you have a friend or other people to help speak out, the bully may become uncomfortable and is likely to stop.
5. Stand up. This is a brave and highly effective way to deal with bullies. When someone is being teased or intimidated, walk over and stand with that person. Or simply invite him/her to join your group of friends. Your action will send a message that bullying will not be tolerated. Keep in mind, this is not a situation to hurt the bully, it is instead to prevent or stop another incident.
6. Work with others to reduce bullying. To make this happen here at Carrington, you and your classmates must work with other students and teachers to increase the strength of the school's community. Try to come up with specific actions which can be taken to reduce bullying. For example, you and your peers can discuss ways to resolve conflicts and to better treat isolated or new students. Or maybe you know an area of the school where bullying is happening that needs more adult attention. You could also start a club that works on ways to reduce bullying here at Carrington.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is similar to other types of bullying, except it takes place online or through text messages sent to cell phones. Cyberbullies can be classmates, online acquaintances, and even anonymous users, but most often they do know their victims. In school, an insult may circulate among a group of students over the course of a day; but online it can spread to hundreds in a matter of seconds. Victims of cyberbullying may experience many of the same effects as students who are bullied in person, such as a drop in grades, low self-esteem, a change in interests, or depression. However cyberbullying can seem more extreme to its victims because of several factors:
- It occurs in the your own home. Being bullied at home can take away the place students feel most safe.
- It can be harsher. Often students say things online that they wouldn't say in person, mainly because they can't see the other person's reaction.
- It can be far reaching. Kids can send emails making fun of someone to their entire class or school with a few clicks, or post them on a website for the whole world to see.
- It can be anonymous. Cyberbullies often hide behind screen names and email addresses that don't identify who they are. Not knowing who is responsible for bullying messages can add to a victim's insecurity.
- It may seem inescapable. It may seem easy to get away from a cyberbully by just getting offline, but for some kids not going online takes away one of the major places they socialize.
What Does Cyberbullying Look Like?
Some examples of ways kids bully online are:
- Sending someone mean or threatening emails, instant messages, or text messages
- Excluding someone from an instant messenger buddy list or blocking their email for no reason
- Tricking someone into revealing personal or embarrassing information and sending it to others
- Breaking into someone's email or instant message account to send cruel or untrue messages while posing as that person
- Creating websites to make fun of another person such as a classmate or teacher
- Using websites to rate peers as prettiest, ugliest, etc.
What Can You Do To Stop It?
1. Protect yourself
- Know you "friends". Be smart, only "friend" people you know and trust in real life to view information about you. Although it may be tempting to have hundreds of 'friends', in reality few people know that many people well enough to call them a true friend.
- Protect your accounts. Never share log-in information or passwords for your electronic accounts. In the wrong hands, these details can be used to access your private conversations, steal your identity, commit crimes, and cause harm.
- Keep private information private. Avoid posting revealing personal information, photographs, inner thoughts, or intimate details about yourself on the internet. If posted on the internet, this information is available for anyone to see. To protect yourself, imagine that everything you put online will be seen by your worst enemy - if you wouldn't want them to see/read it then don't put it on the internet!
- Don't respond online. Bullies want to upset you, whether it is in person or online. If you respond to the attack, that shows the bully they have succeeded. By refusing to respond online, you deny the bully the satisfaction of know he/she upset you. Also, that will make sure you do not get in trouble for responding inappropriately.
- Block the attacks. Cell phones, twitter accounts, facebook, email, and other social media sources can be set to block numbers or accounts. Set each device and account to block those people you want to avoid.
- Record the attack. Unlike face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying always leaves evidence. Save all emails, posts, or texts that you feel are evidence of a bullying situation. You can even take screenshots if it occurs on a chat room. Take notes on the date and time so if you choose to report the incident you have all the facts.
- Report the attack. Cyberbullying is a crime. No one has the right to threaten, harass, or intimidate another person online and laws exist to protect you. By sharing the details of an attack with a counselor, principal, or teacher, you give them what they need to help you.
- Check yourself. Many people dismiss cyberbullying as a joke. Do not accept cruel behavior online that is intended to hurt, humiliate, threaten, or harass someone else. When you witness cyberbullying, understand that you are seeing a serious problem - one that should be stopped.
- Don't participate. If someone forwards you a text, image, or link that will hurt someone else, delete it. If you know there is a posting or page where someone is attacking someone than avoid posting and don't share it with others. By removing your own participation, you can help limit the problem.
- Share what you see with school officials. If you are concerned about a cyberbullying situation in school, record what is happening. Save texts, comments, messages and even screenshots of the incidents. You can share what is being done with a school official, or print them and hand them in anonymously (as long as real names of victim/attacker are given).
Text a Tip
You can now make a difference to stop bullying by simply texting a number from your mobile phone or using the computer. Using 'Text-a-Tip' lets you or another student anonymously inform school officials about unsafe situations or cases of bullying. Students should use Text-A-Tip to report any safety-related information, including bullying, suicide prevention, sexting, drug use or information about crimes that are being planned in the community or in schools.
To Use Text-a-Tip
1. Text your message to “CRIMES” (274637).
2. Use the keyword DPSTIP from any mobile phone.
3. Include your school's name in the message.4. Make sure to include WHAT is happening, WHERE it is happening, WHEN, and to WHO.
Text STOP to 274637 to cancel. Text HELP to 274637 for help. Msg&Data Rates May Apply.
Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use (Goes to Text-aTip website)
Or
1. Click on this website and fill out all the information.
2. Make sure to click 'Submit Tip' at the very bottom.