The 13-Point Bullying Prevention Plan
The 13-Point Bullying Prevention Plan suggests a comprehensive program that can be implemented at a low cost into any school system. This plan targets every aspect of the issue of bullying, including the school environment, the staff, students, parents, and the administrative components that are involved. The 13-Point Plan is as follows:
- Involve the entire school community
- Establish a bullying prevention committee
- Create a caring school climate
- Implement a school climate survey
- Identify school “hot spots”
- Ensure teachers know how to deal with bullying
- Teach students bullying prevention strategies
- Establish clear, consistent consequences for bullying behaviour
- Don’t turn a blind eye to cyberbullying
- Establish a school bullying tracking system
- Establish a confidential reporting system
- School staff must provide support for victims of bullying
- Bring new staff members into the program
Despite years of implementing various bullying prevention programs and strategies into the school system, bullying remains prevalent in our school and society as a whole. The image below provides us with information regarding the types and prevalence of bullying. Simply put, the numbers are astounding. Looking at the chart, one would immediately picture the school ground as a battlefield! Children are being tormented at an alarming rate, and yet the majority of bullying goes unnoticed by the teachers, parents, and other adults in the child’s life. Why is this? I believe it’s because children are starting to accept that bullying is part of “growing up”; it’s something that everyone goes through. Due to this mindset, kids are starting to blur the lines between “friend” and “bully”, accepting them both into their friend groups.
In my opinion, the 13-Point Bullying Prevention Plan provides a holistic approach to a complex problem that exists in every school. It is not realistic to place pressure on the teaching staff to address bullying and teach students not to engage in that behaviour. Rather, the principal, administrative staff, teachers, parents, and students must all be involved in the implementation process. Everyone must have the tools to address bullying and work in a consistent and uniform fashion.