Bullying Prevention Being Taken More Seriously

According to bullying prevention experts working with the Hazelden Foundation, bullying is linked to drug and alcohol use both by the child who is bullied and the child who bullies.

CENTER CITY, MN, August 05, 2011-- As Federal investigators continue a thorough examination of Minnesota’s largest school district and their handling of bullying and harassment, school administrators in other districts are taking a critical look at the bullying prevention programs in their own districts to ensure the safety of individual students and the student body as a whole.

According to bullying prevention experts working with the Hazelden Foundation, one of the nation’s foremost drug and alcohol treatment centers, bullying is closely linked to drug and alcohol use – both by the child who is bullied and the child who bullies. A 2007 Minnesota Student Survey indicated that 29 percent of students reported they had been bullied once a week or more often, and 55 percent of sixth grade students reported having been teased or excluded by others within a 30-day time period. As Internet use rises among all age groups, cyberbullying has also become more prevalent, and in schools, bullying is becoming increasingly difficult to monitor in the halls and in after school activities.

So what is an educator to do? Experts with Hazelden suggest that administrators first review their schools’ policies around student conduct to ensure they cover bullying as well as cyberbullying. Next, administrators should review any existing curricula associated with bullying. Educating students, teachers and other staff members about bullying, cyberbullying, the associated dangers and what to do when bullying occurs can set the tone for zero tolerance and violence prevention.

Hazelden, headquartered outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the leading publisher of evidence-based programs for drug and alcohol use prevention as well as violence prevention, including the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). OBPP is the most researched and best-known peer-abuse prevention program of its kind.

With over 35 years of research and successful implementation all over the world, OBPP is a whole school program that has been proven to prevent or reduce bullying behaviors throughout an educational setting. Many schools that have used the program have experienced reductions in bullying behavior by 50% or more, seen significant reductions in student reports of general antisocial behavior such as vandalism, fighting, theft, and truancy, and have enjoyed significant improvements in the social climate of the classroom and student satisfaction with school life.

For more information about the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program or any of Hazelden’s violence prevention programs, visit http://www.violencepreventionworks.org.

Christine Anderson
Hazelden
651-213-4231