Running Head: BULLYING

Bullying Management Plan

Nicole Murley

Madonna University
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In high school, the term “bullying” is synonymous with social cruelty and can take a

variety of forms, including harassment, disrespect, intentional exclusion, hazing, and cyber

bullying (Willard 2015). The most effective way to reduce bullying at this age is to encourage

respect for all people at all times, empower victims to deal with bullying effectively, and to stop

disrespectful behavior at the source.

Bullying Prevention Plan

Bullying prevention should ideally start as soon as children become of school age, and

schools should develop a consistent approach that continues through high school. According to a

comprehensive review of research done by Ttofi and Farrington (2010), the most significant

ways to reduce or prevent bullying are “parent training/meetings, improved playground

supervision, disciplinary methods, classroom management, teacher training, classroom rules, a

whole- school anti-bullying policy, school conferences, information for parents, and cooperative

group work.” An effective preventative approach includes a combination of as many of these

efforts as possible.

Additionally, high school students should be engaged in discussion within their

curriculum with the ideas of respect and bullying. For example, a Journalism class could

interview students and create a video about bullying, and an American History class could

research how gun violence in schools is related to bullying. One popular lesson plan for grades

3-12 includes reading The Bully by Paul Langan, discussing the issues it presents, writing

reflective journals, and performing role play activities (Quinn, Barone, Kearns, Stackhouse, &

Zimmerman 2003).
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Teacher’s Roles

1. The teacher will cultivate a classroom environment that is welcoming and encourages

students to express their individuality.

2. The teacher will stand in hallways during passing time to monitor student behavior in

the hallway near their classroom.

3. The teacher will establish and enforce clear procedures for behaving civilly and

respectfully in all group-learning activities.

4. The teacher will infuse the curriculum with discussions about human rights, human

dignity, prejudice, and discrimination as they relate to the content area (For example,

a high school chemistry teacher could discuss how women’s contributions in science

in the past were attributed to their male colleagues).

5. The teacher will model conflict resolution and communication skills when interacting

with students and other adults.

6. The teacher will display visual aids that communicate facts and statistics about

bullying and cyber bullying to serve as a reminder of its damaging effects.

Students’ Roles

1. Students will learn how to cooperate with others while working in a group.

2. Students will practice communicating disagreement in a cordial manner with their

teachers, parents, and others.

3. Students will (with the assistance of the teacher) create a club dedicated to raising

bullying awareness, both in their school and in local elementary schools.

4. Students will learn about people who have different cultural, ethnic, and religious

backgrounds in order to remove the tendency to discriminate.

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Administrators’ Roles

1. Administrators will create a school environment that is safe and promotes student

collaboration.

2. Administrators will monitor hallways and other public places in the school at all

times.

3. Administrators will coordinate a multidisciplinary unit plan about bullying.

4. Administrators will adopt a school-wide policy that identifies the multiple dimensions

of bullying and addresses how the school will respond.

5. Administrators will develop a newsletter to send to parents informing them of current

bullying issues and providing them with guidelines for addressing the issues with

their student(s).

Parents’ Roles

1. Parents will create a loving home environment where their student(s) can feel

comforted when needed.

2. Parents will set an example for how they expect their student(s) to treat others.

3. Parents will read and follow the guidelines in the bullying newsletter the school

provides.

Bully Victim Education and Support Plan

Developmental changes in teenagers can explain why bullying is so prevalent among

them. Bullying takes on more indirect forms that adults do not often recognize. Additionally, as

students age they begin to learn autonomy, which means they are less likely to actively seek

adult help with their social problems (Willard 2015). These changes mean it is necessary to
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develop tools that students can use independently to deflect bullies and take away the power

bullies hold over their victims.

One successful program, called “Bully Proofing Your School”, teaches the acronym,

“HA, HA, SO” (CBS News 1999). This acronym is a list of strategies that, when used in

combination consistently, are successful in reducing bullying. “H” stands for “Help,” meaning to

ask for help from friends or an adult. “A” stands for “Assert,” encouraging victims to stand up

for themselves and tell the bully how their words make them feel. “H” stands for “Humor,”

which can help to de-escalate a heated situation. “A” stands for “Avoid,” because victims should

do what they can do avoid a potentially dangerous physical situation. “S” stands for “Self talk,”

which is important to help a student remain positive and maintain a healthy self-image. “O”

stands for “Own it,” or acknowledging what the bully says, essentially agreeing with them in a

way to shift control from bully to victim (CBS News 1999). The teacher can help students learn

and practice “HA, HA, SO” in class scenarios and in student clubs that can function as support

groups.

Teacher’s Roles

1. The teacher will implement an “open door policy” and invite students to use their

classroom to avoid circumstances that lead to their victimization.

2. The teacher will show compassion and kindness toward all students.

3. The teacher will teach the “HA, HA, SO” acronym and post a visual aid in the

classroom.

4. The teacher will facilitate group discussions about how victims can cope with

bullying.
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5. The teacher will direct victimized students to school counseling and other resources

available when needed.

Students’ Roles

1. Students will practice the “HA, HA, SO” approach to deal with bullying.

2. Students will unite with victims as their allies.

3. Students will share strategies they use to deal with bullying with younger students in

a teacher-facilitated support group or club.

4. Victimizing students will reach out for help from a teacher, counselor, parent, or other

person they trust.

Administrators’ Roles

1. Administrators will make confidential counseling resources available to students who

need it.

2. Adminstrators will promote the “HA, HA, SO” method throughout the school using

visual aids and awareness programs.

Parents’ Roles

1. Parents will comfort, support, and encourage their child.

2. Parents will learn the “HA, HA, SO” method and help their child decide how to use it

effectively.

Bully Discipline and Redirection Plan

According to Farmer and others (2010), bullies are typically of two camps: either the

socially marginalized or the socially connected. Socially marginalized bullies act aggressively

toward others because they were victims themselves and are resentful toward the classmates who
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exclude them. In contrast, socially connected bullies use more indirect methods of aggression in

order to climb the social ladder and exert power over others. These two types of bullies have two

very different motivations that drive their actions, and therefore need to be addressed in different

ways to mitigate their behavior. One strategy that works well for socially connected bullies is to

educate them about what their peers actually think about bullying, because these students often

do not realize they are not actually favored among their classmates (Willard 2015). Other

strategies can help bullies realize the negative impact their behavior has on others and on their

image and ultimately teach them more respectful ways of communicating.

Teacher’s Roles

1. The teacher will require a 15-minute after school detention for any students, including

those not in their class, caught bullying or treating another person with disrespect.

During this detention, the teacher will help the student understand the consequences

of their behavior, write an apology letter, and discuss ways to handle future

conversations more respectfully.

2. The teacher will help socially isolated students find social groups, clubs, or sports

teams that match their personal interests and encourage them to treat their new friends

kindly.

3. The teacher will educate socially connected bullies about how their actions are really

viewed and help them find other ways to improve their social image.

4. The teacher will communicate with parents to identify problems outside of school that

may be contributing to a bullying student’s behavior and to consistently enforce

discipline.
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Students’ Roles

1. Students who witness a bullying incident will take action either by confronting the

bully or alerting a teacher or administrator.

2. Students will voice their opinion of bullying publically using student publications and

club-sponsored activities.

Administrators’ Roles

1. Administrators will promote a school-wide culture of inclusion to prevent students

from becoming marginalized.

2. Administrators will support the teacher in mutually-agreed upon disciplinary actions

that take place within their classroom.

3. Administrators will facilitate a teacher network to consistently monitor students

identified as bullies throughout the school day.

4. Administrators will advise the teacher in severe circumstances or repeat offenses

based on the nature of the situation and of the student.

Parents’ Roles

1. Parents will discipline their child for disrespecting another person while under their

supervision.

2. Parents will cooperate with the teacher to enforce discipline consistently.

3. Parents will teach their child how to communicate with others respectfully.
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References

CBSNews.Com Staff (1999). Bully-proof your child. CBS Worldwide Corporation. Retrieved from

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bully-proof-your-child/

Farmer, T. W., Petrin, R. A., Robertson, D. L., Fraser, M. W., Hall, C. M., Day. S. H., & Dadisman, K.

(2010). Peer relations of bullies, bully-victims, and victims: The two social worlds of bullying in

second-grade classrooms. Elementary School Journal, 110, 364−392.

Quinn, K.B., Barone, B., Kearns, J., Stackhouse, S. A., & Zimmerman, M.E. (2003). Using a novel unit

to help understand and prevent bullying in schools. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,

46(7), 582−591.

Ttofi, M. M., & Farrington, D. P. (2010). Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: a

systematic and meta-analytic review. J. Exp. Criminol, 7, 27−56.

Willard, N. (2015). Bullying prevention: Time to rethink and redirect. A Special Report from Embrace

Civility in the Digital Age. Retrieved from

http://www.district287.org/uploaded/A_Better_Way/BullyingPreventionRethinkRedirect.pdf