Tip 4 Stop the Bullying
Provided by the Safe Schools Unit, San Diego County Office of Education

Students:

• If you're being bullied, don't fight back or encourage the bully
  
• Bullying hurts, ask an adult you trust for help , you're not tattling, you have the right to be safe
  
• Surround yourself with a group of supportive friends, especially when you are bullied
  
• If you witness bullying, don't take part…get help
  
• If you're bullying, understand the consequences of your actions-bullying can evoke violence
  at any time

• If your child is bullied, be supportive of feelings, tell them it's not their fault, but stress violence is not the way to solve the problem
  
• If your child is bullied, practice scenarios to help build his/her self esteem and assertiveness
  
• If bullying occurs on the way to & from school, accompany your child or arrange for alternate transportation until the problem is resolved
  
• Alert the school right away and ask what immediate steps can be taken to ensure your child's safety
  
• If your child is bullying, it could be a cry for attention, calmly find out why bullying occurred & get help
  
• If your child is bullying, discuss the negative impact bullying has on the victim and attach consequences to the bullying
  
• If your child is bullying, supervise your child's activities more closely-monitor their friends, TV and video games to reduce exposure to violence-reward positive behaviors
  
• If your child is bullying, cooperate with your child's school to resolve the problem and set the right example in your own relationships

• Create a school-wide "Code of Conduct" that specifically prohibits bullying and encourages positive behaviors
  
• Get students involved in creating their own "Code of Conduct"
  
• Create consistent and immediate consequences for aggressive behavior
  
• Better adult supervision during recess, lunch, before and after school, incident reports can help identify "hot spots"
  
• Develop programs to improve social skills, empathy and create activities to help "victims" make friends, increase self-confidence and learn how to be assertive
  
• Redirect bully's "power" with socially acceptable ways to get peer recognition
  
• Create peer counseling/tutor programs
  
• Parent-teacher-student seminars to discuss bullying and effective strategies