Bullying Awareness, Prevention and
Intervention: A “Rite of Passage “ Program
Linda Jackson
February 22, 2011

Mission Statement
We the parents, educators and members of a community recognize that
bullying and teasing in the school setting, creates a hostile learning
environment in which children cannot reap the full benefit of their education.
That the emotional and psychological damage inflicted as a result of teasing
and bullying impedes the healthy social, emotional, and psychological
development of children, which may have negative long-term affects for some
children. We are a multi-ethnic community comprised of parents, community
partners, students, school district administrators and staff who are committed
to ensuring that bullying and teasing in any form does not occur in the school
setting, and that each child and adult learns to identify discrete, and open and
intentional forms of bullying, know how to prevent it, and what to do when it
occurs. Through the development and implementation of a bully awareness,
prevention and intervention “Rite of Passage” program which incorporates
practices skills and an established curriculum in the school setting, we will
develop young men and women who are assets to the communities. Our
children and students and grades K-8, and the adults that support them will
learn to embrace their unique talents and abilities, demonstrate empathy, be
intellectually stimulated, develop pride in themselves, and treat others in a
humane, thoughtful and respectful manner at all times, thereby ending the
long-term, social, emotional, and psychological damage caused by bullying.

Few school go beyond establishing district policies to address student
discipline problems
Bully results in long-term psychological and psychological damage
The right to be treated fairly and free from fear while in the school
environment is a human right, access to a quality and equal education is a
civil right.
Students cannot learn or benefit from the education if they are fearful of
being teased or bullied
A bully awareness “Rite of Passage” program would ensure children are
both safe and educated while in the school environment.

U.S. Department of Education Bureau of Statistic reports
between the 83,000 schools they are responsible for, twenty-four percent of the student report being bullied one or more times
during the 2005-2006 academic year. Bullying can displayed as overt of covert behaviors, regardless of race, sex, age or economics.
The Department of Education reports that when free and reduced lunch eligibility are used to indirectly measure poverty, schools
which provide fifty-percent of more free lunches have increased bullying episodes and gang related activity.
Boys may bully using physical
Girls tend to bully by manipulating
behaviors:
others emotions
Hit Name calling
Kick Avoidance
Push Rumors
Punch
Verbal abuse
Name calling
Racial name calling

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH: A COMPARISON OF THREE
STRATEGIES
• Treatment as usual (TAU)
•Creating a Peaceful School Learning Environment (CAPSULE)
•School Psychiatric Consultation (SPC) to address mental health issues related to
aggression in students in grades 3rd through 4th.
The conclusion; Overt and covert forms of bullying are associated with
low empathy. The finding imply that when students are taught to show
empathy significant positive behavioral changes occurred as reported by
students and observed by teachers and training researchers.

The “Steps to Respect,” one year model (Hirschenstein, 2005) and
follow-up study (Hirschenstein, 2007)
Teachers play a critical role in implementing the “Step to Respect program components after receiving
instruction which helps them to operationally define bullying , engage students in role play scenarios,
supervise and guide students through conflicts with each other, discourage active and passive
bystander behavior, and use academic curriculum which has been proven effective in reducing
bullying behavior while teaching student’s pro-social skills and empathy.

The SGVNAACP as a Community Member
Equal Access to Education
Historically advocates for the civil rights of all person residing within the
United States
Seeks to reduce bullying in the school environment by implementing a
bully awareness, prevention and intervention programs on the local, state
and national level. Has a “Rite of Passage” program
and the ACT-SO program.
Each chapter adopting a poorly performing (R. Jones, & N. Miller,
personal communications, January 14, 2011).

• Donate time, money, and materials for the
“bullying awareness “Rite of Passage”
What can the community program
do to help? Dare to Care • Volunteer at your local school
• Write grants, lend expertise in grant writing,
and do fundraising
• Mentor a child
• Establish a committee and advocate for
Bullying awareness, prevention and
intervention programs in the school and
community centers
• Advocate for legislation that prohibits
bullying, and mandates schools document
each reported instance of bullying,
immediately address the situation in an
unbiased manner, and take steps to prevent
it from happening again.
• Teach children to understand what bully is,
not to be spectators, and encourage them
to report it safely.

A “Rite of Passage” program builds strong children and
communities.
Empathy can be taught and incorporated into the school curriculum as a
bullying awareness, “Rite of Passage” program which is supported by the
community.

References
Fonagy, P., Twemlow, S.W., Vernberg, E.M., Mize Nelson, J., Dill, E.J., & Little, T.D., & Sargent, J.A.
(2009). A cluster randomized controlled trial child-focused psychiatric consultation and a school systems-focused
intervention to reduce aggression. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(5), pp 607-616. doi:
101111/j.1469-7610.2008.02025.x.
Hirschstein, M.K., Van Schoiack Edstrom, L., Frey, K.S., Snell, J.L, MacKenzie, E.P., Committee for Children.
(2007). Walking the talk in bullying prevention: Teacher implementation variables related to initial impact of the Steps
to Respect program. School Psychology Review, 36(1), pp. 3-21. Retrieved from Academic Search Premiere.
Hirschstein, M.K., Van Schoiack Edstrom, L., Frey, K.S., Snell, J.L, MacKenzie, E.P.. & Committee for
Children. (2005). Reducing playground bullying and supporting beliefs: An experimental trial of the Steps to Success
program. American Psychological Association, Developmental Psychology, 41( 3), pp. 479-491. Retrieved from
Academic Search Premiere.
U.S .Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, & U.S. Department of Justice
Programs. (2008). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2007. 2005-06 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS),
2006: Institute for Education Sciences, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCES 2008-021, NCJ 219553. Retrieved on
February 6, 2011, from
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008021.pdf
MS Word Graphic on Cover page, downloaded January 18, 2011
MS Word Excel Graphics, I have to go back and figure out how to credit