DIGNITY FOR ALL STUDENTS

                   11 Facts about bullying

1. 56% of students have personally felt some sort of bullying at school. Between 4th and 8th grade in particular, 90% of students are victims of bullying.
2. The most common reason cited for being harassed is a student's appearance or body size. 2 out of 5 teens feel that they are bullied because of the way that they look.
3. 9 out of 10 LGBT youth reported being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
4. 1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% percent of the time.
5. A victim of bullying is twice as likely to take his or her own life compared to someone who is not a victim.
6. One out of 10 students drop out of school because they are bullied.
7. Physical bullying peak in middle school and declines in high school. Verbal abuse rates remain constant from elementary to high school.
8. Researchers feel that bullying should not be treated as part of growing up (with the attitude “kids will be kids").
9. 41% of principals say they have programs designed to create a safe environment for LGBT students, but only 1/3 of principals say that LGBT students would feel safe at their school.
10. 57% of students who experience harassment in school never report the incident to the school. 10% of those who do not report stay quiet because they do not believe that teachers or staff can do anything. As a result, more than a quarter of students feel that school is an unsafe place to be.
11. Schools with easily understood rules of conduct, smaller class sizes and fair discipline practices report less violence than those without such features.

Sources:  NASP   Make Beats, Not Beat Downs,  DoSomthing.org

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DIGNITY FOR ALL STUDENTS ACT (DASA)

Bullying is a problem that often goes undetected in most schools, it is therefore critical that school staff and parents be on the lookout for signs that a student has been bullied or harassed.  While an adult may not see the actual incident - you may see the results of the bulling in the behavior of the victim.  The following are warning signs that may suggest a student has been the target of bullying:
School Absences
Anxiety about school
Widhdrawal from peers
Unusual sadness
Frequent visits to the school nurse
                                                     Unexplained cuts and/or bruises
                                                     Fear of walking home/riding the school bus
                                                     Avoidance of certain school areas
                                                     A decline in academic performance or motivation

For more information, please visit the school district's DASA site at http://hcsd-antibullying.weebly.com/

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