Each day it is estimated that 160,000 children will miss school due to fear of verbal or physical bullying.  In order to raise awareness and to combat bullying, Cumberland County Schools’ has created an Anti-Bullying Task Force.   The task force and the Board of Education designated October as Banish Bullying Month.  In support of this endeavor, the Cumberland County Schools Anti-Bullying Task Force created a virtual folder of lessons and student-focused activities to motivate others to report and stop bullying.  Anti-bullying lessons are reinforced throughout the year.

Parents and community members are invited to support anti-bullying in the following ways:

1. Encourage your child to report bullying incidents to you.

• Validate your child's feelings by letting him/her know that it is normal to feel hurt, sad, scared, angry, etc.
• Let your child know that s/he has made the right choice by reporting the incident(s) to you and assure your child that s/he is not to blame.
• Help your child be specific in describing bullying incidents: who, what, where, when. (Look for patterns or evidence of repeated bullying behaviors.)
  
  

2. Ask your child how s/he has tried to stop the bullying.

3. Coach your child in possible alternatives.

• Avoidance is often the best strategy.
• Play in a different place.
• Play a different game.
• Stay near a supervising adult when bullying is likely to occur.
• Look for ways to find new friends.
• Support your child by encouraging him/her to extend invitations for friends to play at your home or to attend activities.
• Involve your child in social activities outside of school.
  
  

4. Treat the school as your ally.

• Share your child's concerns and specific information about bullying incidents with appropriate school personnel.
• Work with school staff to protect your child from possible retaliation.
• Establish a plan with the school and your child for dealing with future bullying incidents.
  
  

5. Encourage your child to seek help and to report bullying incidents to someone s/he feels safe with at the school:

Adult in charge of a specific activity or area (such as the playground, lunchroom, field trips, bus lines, gym, classroom)

• Teacher
• Counselor
• Principal

6. Use school personnel and other parents as resources in finding positive ways to encourage respectful behaviors at school.

• Volunteer time to help supervise on field trips, on the playground, or in the lunchroom.
• Become an advocate for school-wide bullying prevention programs and policies.

7. Encourage your child to continue to talk with you about all bullying incidents.

• Do not ignore your child's report.
• Do not advise your child to physically fight back. (Bullying lasts longer and becomes more severe when children fight back. Physical injuries often result.)

8. Teen Bullying Guide - Bullying & Substance Abuse: Who It Affects & Why