October is National Bullying Prevention Month

October 11, 2013

Zero Tolerance for Bullying is a campaign spearheaded by Debbi Richardson, Education Administrator and the staff at Grafton’s Leesburg Day School.  National Bullying Prevention Month provides a great opportunity for communities to unite nationwide to raise awareness of bullying prevention through events, outreach and education.
The information below appeared in a webinar broadcasted to providers across the country on the importance of an anti-bullying campaign.

The staff at the Leesburg Day School worked creatively and collaboratively on a Zero Tolerance Policy for Bullying that accomplished the following:

  • Reduced the number of negative interactions students had with one another
  • Alerted teacher of potential bullying actions before they occurred
  • Provided cultural diversity training to all employees
  • Clarified expectations of bullying with staff and students

The zero tolerance approach addressed all forms of bullying including differences in sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, body image, intellectual disability/superiority, and speech or mannerisms.

Since the implementation of the zero tolerance policy, bullying behavior has decreased from 30 incidents a year to only one in the past year!

Getting started on an anti-bullying campaign involves 5 simple steps:

  1. Set clear expectations about a zero tolerance for bullying actions
  2. Provide training to employees on handling conflicts between students as well as training on cultural diversity
  3. Involve students in the campaign so that there is buy-in from them
  4. Document implementation of strategies and take good data
  5. Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and adjust as needed.

The behavior of bullying won’t end until we all adopt a zero tolerance.  National Bullying Prevention Month is a great opportunity to raise awareness, educate others and relay to our kids that they are not alone.  Bullying can be prevented if we work together to change the culture, clarify expectations and teach alternatives,” shared Debbi Richardson, Education Administrator.

For more information on this campaign, please contact us at communications@grafton.org.