Creating Safe Schools Is Everyone’s Business

Bullying in schools is a long-standing, widespread problem, yet parents and school leaders often overlook the harassment occurring in their own communities. Many adults imaging bullying to be the noticeable intimidation of a child by a physically more powerful peer. While such harassment certainly occurs, the overwhelming majority of bullying involves a variety of behaviors that are not physical in nature, such as gossiping, spreading rumors, and name-calling. These antisocial behaviors are often dismissed as a normal part of growing up by many adults, but they have highly detrimental effects on students’ well-being and academic performance.

According to findings of the Safe School Initiative conducted by the U.S. Secret Service in 2002, three-quarters of all school shootings have resulted from repeated bullying and harassment. Recent acts of school violence have focused the nation’s attention on the need to create more respectful learning environments. Several state legislatures and boards of education have passed laws requiring all school districts to implement anti-bullying policies and programs, and many more are currently considering similar measures. Yet, creating safe and welcoming classrooms must be the responsibility of more than just lawmakers and school personnel; the entire community must be involved. The Respect For All Project and PTA are working actively with families and community organizations across the country to address the problem of bullying, name-calling, and prejudice among youth in a comprehensive way.

What bullying really is
To learn how to create a more respectful and healthy school culture, the adults in childrens’ lives must understand what contemporary student harassment looks like. The popular image of the physically more powerful child beating up a weaker peer makes identifying a “bully” and a “victim” seem easy. While some youth may be seen as more aggressive and hostile than others, both research and conversations with students show that nearly all students have had experiences bullying and being bullied. A child who is visibly teased, for example, also may be spreading rumors and hurting other students. Realizing this, schools are moving away from “zero-tolerance” policies of identifying “bullies” and removing them from the classroom. Instead, many school leaders have begun focusing on the way their school environment can encourage respectful behaviors among all students.

Even when an actual act of bullying is addressed, the underlying factors that lead to negative behavior are rarely acknowledged. Children in all grade levels use difference as a reason to discriminate, exclude, and make fun of their peers. Perceived distinctions based on race, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, body type, and physical or mental abilities are the main foundation for harassment, especially in middle school. A 2005 study conducted by Harris Interactive for Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network found that nearly two-thirds (65%) of teens in middle and high school report that they are verbally or physically harassed every year because of their perceived race, ethnicity, religion, appearance, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or gender expression.

The students featured in Let’s Get Real tell stories that indicate that prejudice and bias are more entrenched in school cultures than most adults realize. Tina, for example, is an Asian-American sixth grader who opened up on camera about the racially motivated name-calling she experiences. “I just, like, get this fire inside of me that I can’t put out,” she says, “and I just get really angry, but at school, nothing really happens. I can’t get anything to happen.” When some acts of bullying (for example, physical confrontations) are punished, but others (for example, racist or homophobic slurs) are not, students are taught that it is acceptable to disrespect their peers as long as the harassment is not overt. Realizing this, The Respect For All Project and PTA encourage teachers, school administrators, and families to be more proactive about addressing bias and prejudice in their homes and communities.

Building a welcoming environment
In the past several years, innovative programs have been implemented across the country to build safer and more welcoming schools. Many districts have created anti-bullying policies that are clearly written, visibly advertised, and consistently enforced. In addition, schools have developed bullying reporting mechanisms to identify who is involved in harassment, what type of harassment is taking place, and where it occurs. They have also worked with nonprofit organizations such as the Committee for Children to train teachers to identify and respond to bullying.

The best results have been seen in schools that have proactively addressed prejudice and bullying with their students. For example, curricula that teach tested skills have been tied to developing empathy, respect, and understanding of differences. Many schools have used engaging films and interactive activities successfully to encourage students to think about ways they can create a healthier and more welcoming school community.

Furthermore, by engaging youth in a dialogue about bullying, adults can better understand how students are experiencing their environment, as well as persuade those whose who usually watch or participate in teasing to become allies of those who are hurt by it. When students openly address and discuss harassment, they can to reflect on their own actions. Educational psychologists Dorothy Espelage and Susan Swearer wrote in a Fall 2003 article in School Psychology Review that:

Students need to be asked whether they feel like they belong and are respected at the school, how teachers and administrators view bullying, how reports of such behavior are handled, and how much the administration models and promotes respect for diversity in their school. These factors play an instrumental role in the manner in which students treat each other.

Engaging entire communities
While school staff play an instrumental role in the social development of youth, the lessons children learn outside of the classroom—especially from their parents—about how to treat others are perhaps the greatest influence on their behavior. Stephen, an eighth-grader featured in Let’s Get Real, says he picks on others because, “my brother does it to me, and I just feel free to do it to kids that are littler than me. It’s like an on-going cycle.” If that cycle is to be broken, families and community groups must work together with school leaders.

Several PTA local units have been at the forefront of bringing together school personnel, neighborhood leaders, and families for a discussion about bullying and harassment. For example, PTA leaders at the Redwood Heights Elementary School in Oakland, California, initiated a family and community forum to unite their community in a discussion about bullying. The two-hour workshop was facilitated by The Respect For All Project and helped parents and guardians explore their role in ensuring their children have safe and welcoming learning environments. Claudia Miller, the PTA’s lead organizer for the event, said that many of the 60 participants “felt like this was just the beginning of our discussions” and that the forum “was a fantastic way to get the entire school community involved around diversity issues, showing respect and care for all our kids and families.”

In addition to hosting a forum for members of their school community, PTA leaders also can help their school plan bullying awareness days, initiate assemblies about prejudice and respecting difference, spearhead an anti-bullying committee at their school, or provide resources for educators to purchase materials and take advantage of professional development opportunities aimed at helping them address name-calling and harassment effectively. Most importantly, all parents and guardians can monitor and guide their own children’s behavior, encouraging them to be more respectful and empathetic to their peers.

While it often takes shocking acts of school violence to remind adults how important safe and welcoming schools and communities are, many students recognize the need for change and adult intervention every time they are around their peers. An environment of insults and prejudice constrains the healthy development not only of those being picked on, but also of all the youth and adults who are exposed to it. It benefits us all to make anti-bullying efforts a top priority.

Ryan Schwartz is national organizer, The Respect For All Project, San Francisco, California. Debra Chasnoff is executive director, The Respect For All Project, San Francisco, California.