Putting an End to Bullying

The PACER Center, Champions for Children with Disabilities, has a well-equipped "PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center" which is rich with so many resources. We would like to highlight all of them. First, the Top Five Things for Parents, Educators, and Students to Know:

• "Bullying affects a student's ability to learn. Bullying is not a harmless rite of childhood that everyone experiences. Research shows that bullying can negatively impact a child's access to education and lead to:
• School avoidance and higher rates of absenteeism.
• Lower grades.
• Inability to concentrate.
• Loss of interest in academic achievement.
• Increase in dropout rates.
• Bullying based on a student's disability may be considered harassment.
• Advocating for yourself and others has a significant impact.
• There are legal protections and provisions for students with disabilities who are being harassed.
• Students have resources that are specifically designed for their situation."
• Individualized Education Plan (IEP) - This flyer has excellent preventions that can be built into the IEP! Individualized Education Program (IEP) and Bullying
• Letters to School Administrators - According to the Office of Civil Rights, Bullying could result in a violation of free and appropriate education (FAPE).

Researchers have found that children with disabilities are two to three times more likely to be bullied than their non-disabled peers. Disabilities: Insights from Across Fields Around the World; Marshall, Kendall, Banks & Gover (Eds.), (2009). Society may have become desensitized to the seriousness of bullying effects, but parents and educators must choose to protect children through awareness and support.

Resources

American Psychological Association Bullying 
This site defines bullying and describes actions that parents, teachers and students can take to prevent and stop bullying. It also has links to APA articles, books and resources such as a module for teachers that explains how to prevent bullying and intervene when it occurs.

Center for Safe Schools
The Center for Safe Schools has been committed to serving as a statewide clearinghouse for schools, law enforcement, parents and others on school safety and youth violence prevention and is committed to preventing and reducing the incidents of bullying in schools through technical assistance, training, evaluation and research.

PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center
This website from the PACER Center, founded by parents of children with disabilities, includes information on a number of resources that can support teachers, parents, and students to effectively respond to bullying.  

• Students with Disabilities and Bullying: Top five things for parents, educators, and students to know 
• Bullying Prevention for Children with Disabilities: Using the IEP, 504, or Creating Your Own Plan 
• Communication Tools 
• Common Views and Myths about Bullying 
• Use Positive Strategies to Protect Your Child with Disabilities from Bullying

stopbullying.gov
This site from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has information on bullying and related topics such as cyber-bullying, at-risk groups, prevention, where to find help, policies, laws, videos, resources and a blog.

Reference

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Bullying web page. Washington, DC: Author. Available at http://www.apa.org/topics/bullying/