School bullying is a type of bullying, that occurs in any educational setting.

For an act to be considered bullying, it must meet certain criteria. This includes hostile intent,
imbalance of power, repetition, distress, and provocation. Bullying can have a wide spectrum of
effects on a student, including anger, depression, stress, and suicide. Additionally, the bully can
develop different social disorders, or have a higher chance of engaging in criminal activity.
If there is suspicion that a child is being bullied or is a bully, there are warning signs in their behavior.
There are many programs and organizations worldwide which provide bullying prevention services
and information on how children can cope if they have been bullied.

Contents

 1Criteria
 2Prevention
 3Effects
o 3.1Negative impact on educational quality and outcomes
o 3.2Social and economic costs
 4Statistics
o 4.1Victims
o 4.2Bullies
 5Types of bullying
o 5.1Physical
o 5.2Emotional
o 5.3Verbal
o 5.4Cyberbullying
 5.4.1Prevention
o 5.5Sexual
o 5.6Higher education
 6Power imbalance
 7Locations
 8Warning signs
 9Roles
 10Complex cultural dynamics
 11Common misconceptions
 12Prevention
o 12.1Effective national responses
o 12.2Legislation and court rulings
 12.2.1United Kingdom
 12.2.2United States
 12.2.3Canada
o 12.3Taiwan
o 12.4School shootings
 13History
 14Events and organizations
 15See also
 16Sources
 17References
 18Further reading
 19External links

Criteria[edit]
It is widely agreed that bullying is a subcategory of aggressive behavior characterized by the
following three minimum criteria:[2]

 hostile intent (i.e., the harm caused by bullying is deliberate, not accidental),[3]
 imbalance of power (i.e., bullying includes a real or perceived power inequity between the
bully and the victim),[3] and
 repetition over a period of time (i.e., more than once with the potential to occur multiple
times).[3]
The following two additional criteria have been proposed to complement the above-mentioned
criteria:

 victim distress (victim suffers mild to severe psychological, social or physical trauma)[3] and
 provocation (bullying is motivated by perceived benefits of their aggressive behaviors).[3]
Some of these characteristics have been disputed (e.g., for power imbalance: bullies and victims
often report that conflicts occur between two equals); nevertheless, they remain widely established
in the scientific literature.[2]

Prevention[edit]
Bullying can threaten students' physical and emotional safety at school and can negatively impact
their ability to learn. The best way to address bullying is to stop it before it starts. There are many
different groups that can intervene to address bullying (and cyberbullying) in schools: parents,
teachers, and school leadership.[4] The most commonly used strategies by teachers to prevent it are
to communicate, mediate and seek help.[5] Training school staff and students to prevent and address
bullying can help sustain bullying prevention efforts over time. There are no federal mandates for
bullying curricula or staff training. In addition to addressing bullying before it occurs, a great
prevention strategy is to educate the students on bullying.[6]
Examples of activities to teach about bullying include:

 Internet or library research, such as looking up types of bullying, how to prevent it, and how
kids should respond
 Presentations, such as a speech or role-play on stopping bullying
 Discussions about topics like reporting bullying
 Creative writing, such as a poem speaking out against bullying or a story or skit teaching
bystanders how to help
 Artistic works, such as a collage about respect or the effects of bullying
 Classroom meetings to talk about peer relations[6]
Multicomponent programs which have multiple practices to address the various internal and external
factors of bullying and which involve all students and parents in each class are effective to prevent
bullying. It is required that such programs are implemented at all schools in each country.[7][8][9]

Effects[edit]
A victim, in the short term, may feel depressed, anxious, angry, have excessive stress, learned
helplessness, feel as though their life has fallen apart, have a significant drop in school performance,
or may commit suicide (bullycide). In the long term, they may feel insecure, lack trust, exhibit
extreme sensitivity (hypervigilant), develop a mental illness such as psychopathy, avoidant
personality disorder or PTSD, or develop further health challenges[10]. They may also
desire vengeance, sometimes leading them to torment others in return.[11]
Anxiety, depression and psychosomatic symptoms are common among both bullies and their
victims. Among these participants alcohol and substance abuse are commonly seen later in life.[12] It
is known that people suffering from depression feel much better when they talk to others about it, but
victims of bullying fear may not talk to others about their feelings in fear of being bullied, which can
worsen their depression.[13]
In the short term, being a bystander "can produce feelings of anger, fear, guilt, and sadness....
Bystanders who witness repeated victimizations of peers can experience negative effects similar to
the victimized children themselves."[14]
While most bullies, in the long term, grow up to be emotionally functional adults, many have an
increased risk of developing antisocial personality disorder, which is linked to an increased risk of
committing criminal acts (including domestic violence).[15]

Negative impact on educational quality and outcomes[edit]

The educational effects on victims of school violence and bullying are significant. Violence and
bullying at the hands of teachers or other students may make children and adolescents afraid to go
to school and interfere with their ability to concentrate in class or participate in school activities. It
can also have similar effects on bystanders.[16]
The consequences include missing classes, avoiding school activities, playing truant or dropping out
of school altogether. This in turn has an adverse impact on academic achievement and attainment
and on future education and employment prospects. Children and adolescents who are victims of
violence may achieve lower grades and may be less likely to anticipate going on to higher education.
Analyses of international learning assessments highlight the impact of bullying on learning
outcomes. These analyses clearly show that bullying reduces students' achievement in key subjects,
such as mathematics, and other studies have documented the negative impact of school violence
and bullying on educational performance.[17][16]
Bystanders and the school climate as a whole are also affected by school violence and bullying.
Unsafe learning environments create a climate of fear and insecurity and a perception that teachers
do not have control or do not care about the students, and this reduces the quality of education for
all.[16]
Being bullied is associated with greater academic difficulties.[18]
A systematic review of longitudinal studies found that, compared to non-bullies, the likelihood school
bullies will commit future offenses was much higher. In fact, bullying perpetration is a risk factor for
later offending, regardless of other major childhood risk factors. These findings suggest anti-bullying
programmes may be viewed as a form of early crime prevention.[19]

Social and economic costs[edit]

The 2006 UN World Report on Violence against Children shows that victims of corporal punishment,
both at school and at home, may develop into adults who are passive and over-cautious or
aggressive. Involvement in school bullying can be a predictor of future antisocial and criminal
behaviour. Being bullied is also linked to a heightened risk of eating disorders and social and
relationship difficulties.[20][16]
Other studies have shown the longer-term effects of bullying at school. One study of all children born
in England, Scotland and Wales during one week in 1958 analyzes data on 7,771 children who had
been bullied at ages 7 and 11. At age 50, those who had been bullied as children were less likely to
have obtained school qualifications and less likely to live with a spouse or partner or to have
adequate social support. They also had lower scores on word memory tests designed to measure
cognitive IQ even when their childhood intelligence levels were taken into account and, more often
reported, that they had poor health. The effects of bullying were visible nearly four decades later,
with health, social and economic consequences lasting well into adulthood. For children, "peers are
a much more important influence than has been realised. It is a terrible thing to be excluded by your
peers".[21][16]
The economic impact of violence against children and adolescents is substantial.[22] Youth violence in
Brazil alone is estimated to cost nearly US$19 billion every year, of which US$943 million can be
linked to violence in schools. The estimated cost to the economy in the USA of violence associated
with schools is US$7.9 billion a year.[23][16]
Analytic work supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) shows
that school-related gender-based violence alone can be associated with the loss of one primary
grade of schooling, which translates to an annual cost of around US$17 billion to low- and middle-
income countries.[24][16]
In the East Asia and Pacific region, it is estimated that the economic costs of just some of the health
consequences of child maltreatment were equivalent to between 1.4% and 2.5% of the region's
annual GDP.[16]
In Argentina, the forgone benefit to society from overall early school dropout is 11.4% of GDP, and in
Egypt, nearly 7% of potential earnings is lost as a result of the number of children dropping out of
school.[16]
A study has shown that each year Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria lose
US$974 million, US$301 million and US$1,662 million respectively for failing to educate girls to the
same standard as boys, and violence in school is one of the key factors contributing to the under-
representation of girls in education.[25][16]

Statistics[edit]

Percentage of boys and girls who experienced bullying in the past 12 months
According to the American Psychological Association, "40% to 80% of school-age children
experience bullying at some point during their school careers."[26] Various studies show that students
from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and students with disabilities experience bullying more often
than other students.[27][28] The following statistics help illustrate the severity of bullying within
classrooms:[26]

Victims[edit]
 Statistics show that 1 in 3 children are affected by bullying in their lifetime in the U.S. school
system, and 30% report being involved in some manner.[29]
 A nationwide survey of bullying in first and second level schools conducted by Trinity College
Dublin estimates that some 31% of primary and 16% of secondary students have been bullied at
some time.[30]
 In a 1997 study of five Seattle high schools, students recorded their peers' hallway and
classroom conversations. It was discovered that the average high school student hears about 25
anti-gay remarks a day.[31]
 In a study conducted across 32 Dutch elementary schools, 16.2% of the 2,766 participating
children reported being bullied regularly (at least several times a month).[32]
 At least 1 in 3 adolescent students in Canada has reported being bullied.[33]
 47% of Canadian parents report having a child who is a victim of bullying.[33]
 Students who are homosexual, bisexual, or transgender are five times as likely to miss
school because they feel unsafe after being bullied due to their sexual orientation.[34]
 According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of gay,
lesbian, and bisexual students who did not go to school at least one day during the 30 days
preceding the survey due to safety concerns ranged from 11% to 30% for gay and lesbian
students and 12% to 25% for bisexual students.[35]
 61.1% of LGBT middle- or high-school students were more likely than their non-LGBT peers
to feel unsafe or uncomfortable as a result of their sexual orientation.[35]
 In a Canadian study that surveyed 2,186 students across 33 middle and high schools, 49.5%
reported being bullied online in the previous three months. 33.7% of the sample reported being
the perpetrator of cyberbullying.[36]
 The most common form of cyberbullying involved receiving threatening or aggressive emails
or instant messages, reported by 73% of victims.[33]
 In the United States, a 2013 nationwide survey indicated that 20% of high school students
were bullied on school property in the past year, 15% of the students were bullied electronically,
and 8% of students ages 12–18 reported ongoing bullying on a weekly basis.[37]
 According to the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science, victims of bullying are more
likely to be sexually inactive compared to bullies.[38]
Statistics referencing the prevalence of bullying in schools may be inaccurate and tend to fluctuate.
In a U.S. study of 5,621 students ages 12–18, 64% of the students had experienced bullying and did
not report it.[39]

Bullies[edit]
Proactive aggression is a behavior that expects a reward. With bullying each individual has a role to
defend. Some children act proactively but will show aggression to defend themselves if provoked.
These children will react aggressively but tend to never be the ones to attack first.
There have been two subtypes created in bully classification; popular aggressive and unpopular
aggressive. Popular aggressive bullies are social and do not encounter a great deal of social stigma
from their aggression. Unpopular aggressive bullies, however, are most often rejected by other
students and use aggression to seek attention.[29]
 In a recent national survey 3,708,284 students reported being a perpetrator of bullying in the
U.S. school system.[29]
 Studies have shown bullies actually report having more friends than other children who are
victims.[citation needed][40]
 Bullying behavior in perpatrators is shown to decrease with age.[41]
 Developmental research suggests bullies are often morally disengaged and
use egocentric reasoning strategies.[42]
 Adolescents who experience violence or aggression in the home, or are influenced by
negative peer relationships, are more likely to bully. This suggests that positive social
relationships reduce the likelihood of bullying.[43]
 The diagnosis of a mental health disorder is strongly associated with being a bully. This
trend is most evident in adolescents diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or ADHD.[44]
 Poor theory of mind is associated with bullying.[45]
 25% of students encourage bullying if not given proper education and information about the
consequences of bullying.[46]
 A study by Lisa Garby shows that 60% of bullies in middle school will have at least one
criminal conviction by the age of 24.[47]
In a survey by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development (NICHD), students were asked to complete a questionnaire.
A total of 10.6% of the children replied that they had sometimes bullied other children, a response
category defined as moderate bullying. An additional 8.8% said they had bullied others once a week
or more, defined as frequent bullying. Similarly, 8.5% said they had been targets of moderate
bullying, and 8.4% said they were bullied frequently. Out of all the students, 13% said they had
engaged in moderate or frequent bullying of others, while 10.6% said they had been bullied either
moderately or frequently. Some students — 6.3% — had both bullied others and been bullied
themselves. In all, 29% of the students who responded to the survey had been involved in some
aspect of bullying, either as a bully, as the target of bullying or both.[48]
According to Tara Kuther, an associate professor of psychology at Western Connecticut State
University, "...bullying gets so much more sophisticated and subtle in high school. It's
more relational. It becomes more difficult for teens to know when to intervene; whereas with younger
kids, bullying is more physical and, therefore, more clear-cut."[46]

Types of bullying[edit]
There are four basic types of bullying: verbal, physical, psychological, and cyber. Cyberbullying is
becoming one of the most common types. While victims can experience bullying at any age, it is
witnessed most by school-aged children.
Direct bullying is a relatively open attack on a victim that is physical and/or verbal in nature.
[14]
 Indirect bullying is more subtle and harder to detect, but involves one or more forms of relational
aggression, including social isolation via intentional exclusion, spreading rumors to defame one's
character or reputation, making faces or obscene gestures behind someone's back, and
manipulating friendships or other relationships.[14]
Pack bullying is bullying undertaken by a group. The 2009 Wesley Report on bullying found that
pack bullying was more prominent in high schools and lasted longer than bullying undertaken by
individuals.[49]

Physical[edit]
See also: Physical abuse
A female bully, portrayed in the 1917 silent film Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Physical bullying is any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the victim. This is one of
the most easily identifiable forms of bullying. Examples include:[50][51]

 Fighting
 Hazing
 Headlocks
 Inappropriate touching
 Kicking
 Pinching
 Poking
 Pulling hair
 Punching
 Pushing
 Shoving
 Slapping
 Teasing
 Threatening
 Tickling
 Using weapons, including improvised ones
 Theft
Emotional[edit]
See also: Psychological abuse
Emotional bullying is any form of bullying that causes damage to a victim's psyche and/or emotional
well-being. Examples include:[50][51]

 Spreading malicious rumors about people

 Getting certain people to "gang up" on others (this could also be considered physical
bullying)
 Ignoring people on purpose (via the silent treatment or pretending the victim is non-existent)
 Provoking others
 Belittling, making fun of people, or saying hurtful things (which are also forms of verbal
bullying)[52]
Verbal[edit]
See also: Verbal abuse
Verbal bullying is any slanderous statements or accusations that cause the victim undue emotional
distress. Examples include:[51]

 Directing foul language (profanity) at the target

 Using derogatory terms or deriding the person's name
 Commenting negatively on someone's looks, clothes, body, etc. (personal abuse)
 Tormenting
 Harassing
 Mocking and belittling[52]
 Threatening to cause harm[53]
 Taunting[53]
 Teasing[53]
 Inappropriate sexual comments[53]
Cyberbullying[edit]
See also: Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is the quickest growing form of harassment of school campuses in the U.S. and 40%
of adolescents report being a victim.[54] Most definitions of cyberbullying come from definitions of
school bullying. Thus, this conduct is often described as an intentional aggressive behavior that
takes place via new technologies, during which groups or individuals hurt classmates who cannot
easily defend themselves. Cyberbullying events can occur via cellphones or computers, by means of
text messages, e-mails, online social networks, chatrooms or blogs.[55] This form of bullying can
easily go undetected because of the lack of parental or authoritative supervision. Because bullies
can pose as someone else, it is the most anonymous form of bullying. Like the bullying that occurs in
school, the following four profiles have been identified: cyberneutral, cyberbully, cybervictim and
cyberbully-victim.[55] Many who are bullied in school are likely to be bullied over the Internet and vice
versa.[51] Since students have become more reliant on internet, the advancement in social media and
technology has altered the fear of in-person bullying away from schoolyards but has rather increase
cyberbullying.[56] Studies have shown almost half of cyberbullies are repeat offenders and harass
others as few at three times.[57] Males are more likely to be active cyberbullies than females.
Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day and seven days a week and reach a child even when they
are alone. Deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts or pictures is extremely difficult after
being posted or sent.[58]
Prevention[edit]
According to the website Stop Cyberbullying, "When schools try and get involved by disciplining the
student for cyberbullying actions that took place off campus and outside of school hours, they are
often sued for exceeding their authority and violating the student's free speech right." [59] They
suggest for schools to make revisions to their policies that would allow for disciplinary actions to take
place even if off campus or after hours. They say if the act is likely to affect a student mentally or
physically while in school then the revision of the policy would allow for the staff to intervene without
violating the student's constitutional rights. Many principals are hesitant to act because school
discipline codes and states laws do not define cyberbullying. According to professor Bernard James,
"educators are empowered to maintain safe schools, the timidity of educators in this context of
emerging technology is working in advantage of the bullies."[60]
Cyberbullying has become extremely prevalent; 95% of teens who use social media reported having
witnessed malicious behavior on social media from 2009 to 2013.[61] As sites
like Facebook or Twitter offer no routine monitoring, children from a young age must learn proper
internet behavior, say Abraham Foxman and Cyndi Silverman. "This is a call for parents and
educators to teach these modern skills... through awareness and advocacy."[62] Per Scott Eidler,
"Parents and educators need to make children aware at a young age of the life-changing effects
cyberbullying can have on the victim. The next step for prevention is advocacy. For example, three
high school students from Melville, New York organized a Bullying Awareness Walk, where several
hundred people turned out to show their support."[63]
Clara Wajngurt writes, "Other than organizing events, calling for social media sites to take charge
could make the difference between life and death. Cyberbullying is making it increasingly difficult to
enforce any form of prevention."[64] Joanna Wojcik concludes, "The rapid growth of social media is
aiding the spread of cyberbullying, and prevention policies are struggling to keep up. In order for
prevention policies to be put in place, the definition of cyberbullying must be stated, others must be
educated on how to recognize and prevent bullying, and policies that have already attempted to be
enacted need to be reviewed and learned from."[65]
Researcher Charisse Nixon found that students do not reach out for help with cyberbullying for four
main reasons: they do not feel connected to the adults around them; the students do not see the
cyberbullying as an issue that is worth bringing forward; they do not feel the surrounding adults have
the ability to properly deal with the cyberbullying; and the teenagers have increased feelings of
shame and humiliation regarding the cyberbullying.[66] Nixon also found that when bystanders took
action in helping end the cyberbullying in adolescents, the results were more positive than when the
adolescents attempted to resolve the situation without outside help.[66]
A systematic review found that individuals who defend victimized peers either from offline or online
bullying tend to be girls, have high empathy, low moral disengagement, are popular and well-liked by
their peers, are supported by their parents, teachers and schools.[67]

Sexual[edit]
Main article: Sexual bullying
Sexual bullying is "any bullying behavior, whether physical or non-physical, that is based on a
person's sexuality or gender. It is when sexuality or gender is used as a weapon by boys or girls
towards other boys or girls—although it is more commonly directed at girls. It can be carried out to a
person's face, behind their back or through the use of technology."[68]
As part of its research into sexual bullying in schools, the BBC TV series Panorama commissioned a
questionnaire aimed at people aged 11 to 19 in schools and youth clubs across five regions
of England.[69] The survey revealed that of the 273 respondents, 28 had been forced to do something
sexual, and 31 had seen it happen to someone else. Of the 273 respondents, 40 had experienced
unwanted touching.[70] U.K. government figures show that in the 2007–2008 school year, there were
3,450 fixed-period exclusions and 120 expulsions from schools in England due to sexual
misconduct.[71] This included incidents such as groping and using sexually insulting language. From
April 2008 to March 2009, ChildLine counselled a total of 156,729 children, 26,134 of whom spoke
about bullying as a main concern and 300 of whom spoke specifically about sexual bullying.[72]
The U.K. charity Beatbullying has claimed that as gang culture enters, children are being bullied into
providing sexual favours in exchange for protection.[73] However, other anti-bullying groups and
teachers' unions, including the National Union of Teachers, challenged the charity to provide
evidence of this.[73]
Sexting cases are also on the rise and have become a major source of bullying. The circulation of
explicit photos of those involved either around school or the internet put the originators in a position
to be scorned and bullied.[74] There have been reports of some cases in which the bullying has been
so extensive that the victim has taken their life.[75]

Higher education[edit]
According to HealthDay News, 15 percent of college students claim to have been victims of bullying
while at college.[76] In the article, "Bullying not a thing of the past for college students," Kaitlyn
Krasselt writes, "Bullying comes in all forms but is usually thought of as a K-12 issue that ceases to
exist once students head off to college."[77] The misconception that bullying does not occur in higher
education began to receive attention after the death of college student Tyler Clementi. According to
an experiment conducted by Dr. Gary R. Walz, "21.47% of participants reported rarely being victims
of cyberbullying; 93.29% reported rarely cyberbullying others. Overall, there was a low prevalence
rate for cyberbullying."[78]

Power imbalance[edit]
Bullying is usually associated with an imbalance of power.[79] A bully has a perceived authority over
another due to factors such as size, gender, or age.[80] Boys tend to bully peers based on the peer's
physical weakness, short temper, friend group, and clothing. Bullying among girls, on the other hand,
results from factors such as facial appearance, emotional factors, being overweight, and academic
status.[81]
Bullies also tend to target people with speech impediments of some sort (such as stuttering). The
majority of stutterers experience or have experienced bullying, harassment, or ridicule to some
degree during their school years from both peers and teachers who do not understand the condition.
[82]

Bullies often come from families that use physical forms of discipline.[83]

Locations[edit]
Bullying locations vary by context. Most bullying in elementary school happens in the playground. In
middle school and high school, it occurs most in the hallways, which have little supervision.
According to the U.S Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, more than
47% of kids reported getting bullied in hallways and stairway.[84] Bus stops and bus rides to and from
school tend to be hostile environments as well; children tend to view the driver as someone with no
disciplinary authority.[85]
Bullying may also follows people into adult life and university. Bullying can take over the lives of both
lecturers and students, and can lead to supervisors putting pressure on students.[86] Bullying can
happen in any place at any time.

Warning signs[edit]
Victims of bullying typically are physically smaller, more sensitive, unhappy, cautious, anxious, quiet,
and withdrawn. They are often described as passive or submissive. Possessing these qualities make
these individuals vulnerable, as they are seen as being less likely to retaliate.[83]
Signs that a child is being bullied include:[87][88]

 Unexplainable injuries
 Showing anxiety and post-traumatic stress
 Lost or destroyed clothing
 Changes in eating habits
 Declining grades
 Continual school absences
 Self-injury
 Suicidal tendencies
 Becoming overly apologetic
Signs that a child is bullying others include:[87][88]
 Getting into physical or verbal fights
 Getting sent to the principal's office frequently
 Having friends who bully others
 Becoming increasingly aggressive in normal activities
Signs that a child has witnessed bullying include:[87][88]

 Poor school behavior

 Emotional disturbance
 Depression
 Post-traumatic stress
 Drug and alcohol abuse
 Suicidal tendencies

Roles[edit]

Cartoon representation of a bully and a victim used to depict Western European powers and the United States
bullying Serbia in the aftermath of the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence during the 2008 Serbian
protests

McNamee and Mercurio state that there is a "bullying triangle", consisting of the person doing the
bullying, the person getting bullied, and the bystander.[89]
The US Department of Health and Human Services divides the people involved in bullying into
several roles:[87]

 Bully: student with social and/or physical power who repeatedly picks on another student or
group of students with the intent to inflict harm or discomfort
 Victim: the target of the bullying
 Bystander: student who observes bullying; they may ignore it, encourage it, or defend the
victim
 Student who assists: does not start the bullying, but helps and is encouraged by
surrounding peers to do so. They may feel that their social status will be damaged if they are not
involved.
 Student who reinforces: play a minor role in bullying, such as laughing at the bully's insults
 Outsider: not involved in the bullying but witnesses it
 Defendant: defends the victim or consoles them afterwards
In her book, The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander, Barbara Coloroso divides bullies into several
types:[90]

 The confident bully has a very high opinion of themselves and feels a sense of superiority
over other students.
 The social bully uses rumors, gossip, and verbal taunts to insult others. Social bullies are
typically female and possess low self-esteem, and therefore try to bring others down.
 The fully armored bully shows very little emotion and often bullies when no one will see or
stop them.
 The hyperactive bully typically has problems with academics and social skills. This student
will often bully someone, then place the blame on someone else.
 A bullied bully is usually someone who has been bullied in the past or is bullied by an older
sibling.
 A "bunch of bullies" (more often referred to as a "gang of bullies") is a group of friends
who gang up on others for fun or due to their desire for power.

Complex cultural dynamics[edit]

Parsons identifies school bullying cultures as typically having a web of dynamics which are much
more complex than just considering bullying amongst students. These dynamics include:[91]

 Some students bully other students; some of these student bullies are themselves bullied
by other student bullies; some of these student bullies bully teachers.
 Some teachers bully students; some teacher bullies bully other teachers; some teacher
bullies bully parents.
 Some office staff bully teachers, students and parents.
 Some principals bully teachers, office staff, students and parents.
 Some parents bully teachers, office staff, principals, and even their own children.[92]

Common misconceptions[edit]
Researchers have identified many misconceptions regarding bullying:[93][94]

 Bullying is a consequence of large class or school size.

 Bullying is a consequence of competition for grades and failure in school.
 Bullying is a consequence of poor self-esteem and insecurity.
 Bullying is just teasing.
 Only boys are bullies.
 Bullying is a normal part of growing up.
 Bullies will go away if ignored.
 The best way to deal with a bully is by fighting or trying to get even.
 People who are bullied will only hurt for a while before recovering.
 Bullying is thought of as a K-12 issue that ceases to exist once students enter college.[77]

Prevention[edit]
Studies have shown that bullying programs set up in schools with the help and engagements of staff
and faculty have been shown to reduce peer victimization and bullying.[95] Incidences of bullying are
noticeably reduced when the students themselves disapprove of bullying.[96]
Measures such as increasing awareness,[contradictory] instituting zero tolerance for fighting, or placing
troubled students in the same group or classroom are actually ineffective in reducing bullying;
methods that are effective include increasing empathy for victims; adopting a program that includes
teachers, students, and parents; and having students lead anti-bullying efforts.[97][pages  needed] Success is
most associated with beginning interventions at an early age, constantly evaluating programs for
effectiveness, and having some students simply take online classes to avoid bullies at school.[98]

Effective national responses[edit]

Based on UNESCO case studies of six countries that have succeeded in reducing school
violence and bullying (Eswatini, Italy, Jamaica, Lebanon, Republic of Korea and Uruguay) as well as
two countries that have maintained low levels over time (the Netherlands and Sweden), there are a
number of factors that contribute to effective national responses.[99]
Factors that contribute to effective national responses include:[99]

 Political leadership and high-level commitment, together with a robust legal

and policy framework that addresses violence against children and school violence and bullying.
Many successful countries also have an emphasis in national policies on promoting a safe
learning environment and a positive school and classroom climate and a strong commitment
to child rights and empowerment.[99]

 Collaboration and partnerships. At national level, this includes partnerships between the

education sector and other sector ministries, civil society organizations, academic institutions,
professional associations and the media. At school level, it includes partnerships involving all
stakeholders in the school community, including head teachers, teachers, other staff, parents
and students, local authorities and professionals in other sectors. More specifically, the
involvement of all students, including bystanders, and the use of peer approaches, have been a
key factor in countries that have made the most progress.[99]

 Evidence-based approaches, informed by accurate and comprehensive data and systematic

evaluation of the effectiveness of existing programmes. Effective systems for routine reporting
and monitoring of school violence and bullying, and rigorous evaluation of the impact of
programmes and interventions are critical.[99]

 Training and support for teachers and care and support for affected students.Training in

successful countries has focused on developing skills to prevent and respond to school violence
and bullying and to use positive approaches to classroom management.[99]
The case studies also identified a number of factors that can limit the effectiveness and impact of
national responses. These include lack of data on specific aspects of school violence and bullying
and on the sub-groups of students who are most vulnerable, low coverage of interventions, and lack
of systematic monitoring of school violence and bullying and of robust evaluation of the impact of
programmes.[99]

Legislation and court rulings[edit]

Main article: Anti-bullying legislation

This section needs
expansion. You can help
by adding to it. (September 2016)
Some U.S. states have implemented laws to address school bullying.
  Law that prohibits discrimination against students based on sexual orientation and gender identity
  Law that prohibits discrimination against students based on sexual orientation only
  Law that prohibits bullying of students based on sexual orientation and gender identity
  School regulation or ethical code for teachers that address discrimination and/or bullying of students based
on sexual orientation and gender identity
  School regulation or ethical code for teachers that address discrimination and/or bullying of students based
on sexual orientation only
  Law that forbids school-based instruction of LGBT issues in a positive manner
  Law that prohibits bullying in school but lists no categories of protection
  No statewide law that specifically prohibits bullying in schools

United Kingdom[edit]
Section 89 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 provides for an anti-bullying policy for all state
schools to be made available to parents.
United States[edit]
The victims of some school shootings have sued both the shooters' families and the schools.[100] At
one point only 23 states had Anti-Bullying laws. In 2015 Montana became the last state to have an
anti-bullying law and at that point all 50 states had an anti-bullying law. These laws are not going to
abolish bullying but it does bring attention to the behavior and it lets the aggressors know it will not
be tolerated.[101]
Canada[edit]
In 2016, a legal precedent was set by a mother and her son, after the son was bullied at his public
school. The mother and son won a court case against the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board,
making this the first case in North America where a school board has been found negligent in a
bullying case for failing to meet the standard of care (the "duty of care" that the school board owes to
its students). A similar bullying case was won in Australia in 2013 (Oyston v. St. Patricks College).[102]

Taiwan[edit]
The Ministry of Education launched a serial of project. In 2006, they started the 'anti-bully plan'. In
2008, they launched the 'prevent bully video from public project', and also building multiple
informants route, monitoring the school, in hope that it could improve the education quality.[103]

School shootings[edit]
Main article: School shootings
School bullying is associated with school shootings; the vast majority of students (87%) believe that
shootings occur in direct retaliation to bullying.[104] School shooters who left behind evidence that they
were bullied include Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (perpetrators of the Columbine High School
massacre), Charles Andrew Williams, Eric Hainstock, Seung-Hui Cho, Wellington Menezes
Oliveira, Kimveer Gill, Karl Pierson, Nikolas Cruz, and Jeff Weise.[105][unreliable source?]

History[edit]
This section needs
expansion with: exploiting
further the provided
reference. You can help by adding
to it. (November 2019)

Research in school bullying dramatically expanded worldwide over time, from 62 citations from 1900
to 1990, to 289 in the 1990s and to 562 from 2000 to 2004.[106]

Events and organizations[edit]

Events and organizations which address bullying in schools include:

 Act Against Bullying

 BeatBullying
 Bully-Free ABA!
 The Bully Police Squad
 Bullying UK
 Bystander Revolution
 Ditch the Label
 GRIN Campaign
 Jer's Vision
 Kidpower
 Kidscape

See also[edit]
 Amanda Todd
 Sack tapping
 School violence
 School violence prevention through education
 Sexual harassment in education
 School-related gender-based violence (SRGBV)
 Violent extremism

Sources[edit]
 This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO
3.0 License statement: School Violence and Bullying: Global Status Report, 17, 29–31, UNESCO,
UNESCO. UNESCO. To learn how to add open license text to Wikipedia articles, please see this
how-to page. For information on reusing text from Wikipedia, please see the terms of use.
  This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO Behind
the numbers: ending school violence and bullying, 70, UNESCO, UNESCO. UNESCO. To learn how
to add open license text to Wikipedia articles, please see this how-to page. For information
on reusing text from Wikipedia, please see the terms of use.

References