Modern Strategies

The Constructive Consequences mechanism is a way of resolving a bullying problem by leveraging the same drivers of aggression to get it to stop. Aggressors are often unaware that they are causing harm. Even when told that their behavior is causing harm, the desire for the social benefit may override any concern about the harm being caused or the knowledge of the effect of the behavior. The solution is to impose a consequence that not just eliminates the social benefit but results in a social cost. The consequence doesn’t actually have to be imposed to get the aggression to stop; the aggressor’s fear of losing social status will often be enough to stop the behavior. Updated: 12/7/23

Background

The challenges with traditional bullying prevention approaches are numerous and described in the Information Center in the “Problems with Traditional Approaches” section. However, they are worth briefly mentioning here since they help to frame why the Constructive Consequences mechanism is so effective.

In a traditional approach, a student is accused of bullying another. The word “bully” immediately puts the aggressor and his parents on the defensive since the word carries negative connotations about character. In addition, from the perspective of the aggressor, the accusation is false because he is not bullying; he is just treating the other student the way peers treat the student and no differently than he treats other students, including friends. Worried about being punished, the aggressor tries to justify his behavior by blaming the target for instigating it or for also using aggression. If the school has a traditional bullying reporting mechanism such as an online form, the aggressor (and sometimes his parents) blames the target for “tattling” or being the instigator.

The principal investigates and reaches a judgment that inevitably results in the dissatisfaction of all involved and likely makes the problem worse. If the principal finds for the target, that bullying is occurring, she then punishes the aggressor. The aggressor perceives the punishment as an injustice and retaliates against the target, and the aggressor’s parents are furious with the school. In addition, the punishment itself can serve to boost the status of the aggressor among peers, which then reinforces the bullying. The problem is now worse for the target.

If the principal judges that the target, who is suffering harm, is not really being bullied, or for whatever reason doesn’t want to impose the punitive consequence on the aggressor, the target suffers further injury in not being believed, and the principal has implicitly given the aggressor permission to continue the bullying, which infuriates the target’s parents. Not only will the bullying continue for the target, but he will feel trapped in an abusive relationship with no constructive way out. And the principal has just increased the school’s liability risk for any negative or tragic outcome of the bullying.

In short, the traditional approach makes the problem worse for the target, results in an antagonistic relationship with one or both sets of parents, is a wasted teaching opportunity not only to help the aggressor understand the harm of his behavior but also to empower the target, and sets the school up for liability if there is a bad outcome. After all the time and effort, the problem is generally either not solved or made worse. The target’s suffering continues but now carries an added risk that the target may feel desperation, and the aggressor is none the wiser about the harmful effects of his behavior.

How the Mechanism Works

Constructive Consequences solves the problems inherent in the traditional bullying prevention approach. When a bullying problem is identified, the principal learns from the target what the aggressor and any supporters are doing and where it is occurring. Because the principal will not be punishing the aggressor, she is able to take the target at his word about the aggressor and any supporters’ behaviors. For the purpose of the conversation with the aggressor, however, she gets confirmation from the educators who are with the aggressor and target during the day that these behaviors are occurring.

The principal then initiates a conversation with the aggressor where she emphasizes that he is a good person but his behavior is causing harm (focus is on behavior, not character). She notes that the behavior has been observed by adults in order to prevent the aggressor from blaming the target. She further explains how aggression can harm some people but not others, and in this case it is causing harm. She emphasizes that it is okay if the aggressor did not realize that he was causing harm; his goal was to entertain friends or to look good in front of peers, to gain peer approval, etc., and he wasn’t thinking about the effect of his behavior on the target. So he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Now, however, he has been informed that his behavior is causing harm and the behavior must stop. If the behavior continues, then he will be doing something wrong, namely, intentionally causing harm, for which there will be a consequence.

If the school has implemented the Student Education and Empowerment mechanism of the CirclePoint Method, then the conversation at this point serves as a refresher to the student. Otherwise, the student has just received an education on bullying. The student now understands that the conversation is about his behavior and not his character. He is relieved to know that he will not be punished for the behavior since the principal accepts that he may not have realized that his behavior is causing harm. And he does not feel antagonistic toward the target since he understands that adults observed the behavior and are calling him out for it.

The principal now presents the aggressor with an opportunity to stop his behavior in order to avoid a consequence. The consequence is determined by where the aggression occurs. If the aggression has been occurring in person, then a continuation of the aggression will result in the aggressor being removed from the specific environment in which the behavior occurred. For example, if the aggression occurs at lunch, the aggressor will not be permitted to eat with his peer group. The student does not lose the activity (such as lunch or recess) but rather loses the coveted peer engagement that occurs with the activity. If the aggression has been occurring virtually, the aggressor will not be allowed to use social media during the school day. Further, his parents will be informed of the problem and will be asked to support the social media restriction.

The principal can also tell the aggressor that any continued aggression means that bullying is occurring, which may trigger actions mandated by the school or district and that are beyond the principal’s control. She will be required to report on the incident and may be required to impose a punishment, both of which she would prefer to avoid. She can ask the aggressor to help her avoid having to carry out these steps, a use of the classic “good cop/bad cop” routine to help influence the behavioral change.

The aggressor is then informed that all adults in the school who are with the aggressor during the day will be notified about the problem and will be watching to ensure the behavior toward the target does not continue (this is the Chain of Custody Awareness mechanism; see related articles in the Modern Strategies section of the Information Center). This is a gentle warning that the adults will be watching and will report the behavior, and the consequence will be applied. The principal also says that she will be checking in with the target to see if the aggression has continued or shifted to social media. If the behavior has stopped, then no further action will be taken.

At the conclusion of the conversation, the principal reiterates that the student is a good person and that she believes he will do the right thing and stop the behavior toward the target. As soon as possible after the conversation ends, the principal initiates Chain of Custody Awareness and, after a day or so, checks in with the target to see if the aggression has stopped. If no further aggression toward the target is reported by an adult in the chain of custody or by the target after a few days, then the matter is essentially closed. If the aggression is reported, then the principal needs to apply the consequence.

Updated: 12/7/23

What makes the Constructive Consequences mechanism effective is that students perceive a separation or disconnection from peers during unrestricted social time as carrying a social cost. A student who is the leader of a peer group will have anxiety that his separation from the group could result in someone else taking his place. His separation from his peers won’t allow him to maintain or defend his status. Students separated from peers will feel like they are missing out and will fear that peer group changes during their absence will harm their own social standing. Those students who need constant peer approval and validation of status are often desperate to be with their peers and will do whatever they can to preserve that time with them. The strong desire of students to be with their peers will often provide the incentive to stop the behavior directed at one student in order to avoid separation. And if the aggressor’s peers are his supporters, he will show disapproval if they continue to direct aggression at the target, which should get the supporters’ behavior to change and avoid the need for engagement with the principal.

Other aspects of the mechanism help to drive effectiveness. The principal’s emphasis that the student is good but the behavior is the problem helps the student feel that the principal believes in him and cares, which may make the principal’s approval important to the student. Since aggressors are generally unaware that harm is occurring, the mechanism serves to educate the aggressor on how his behavior is affecting that one individual. The student is relieved at not being punished, and the lack of an immediate consequence means that the aggressor has no reason to blame the target, deny the behavior, try to justify the behavior, or retaliate against the target. The student may also feel a sense of heightened maturity in that he has not been given a punishment or an ultimatum but rather a choice. The principal mentioning that adults observed the behavior has made the student realize that his behavior was not going unnoticed or that the lack of intervention didn’t mean that his teachers and administrators implicitly condoned it. Any student who cares about what his teachers think of him will want to stop behavior of which they disapprove. The principal asking for his help in avoiding mandated actions such as district reporting also can make the student feel good about doing the principal a “favor.” And being told that all adults who are with the student and the target during the school day will be watching to ensure that the behavior has stopped provides an additional incentive for the student to comply with a pledge to change behavior and avoid the consequence.

Updated: 12/7/23

Constructive Consequences as a process for resolving a bullying issue tends to leave everyone involved satisfied:

• Targets benefit because the process usually stops the aggression immediately, eliminates the risk of retaliation from the aggressor for being punished, and prevents the target from being blamed for reporting the problem. Targets also feel safe knowing that adults are aware and watching, and they can take comfort that the aggressor will be removed from the environment if the aggression continues. Further, they take additional comfort when the principal checks in to see if the aggression has stopped.
• Targets’ parents, if they are engaged, are satisfied because the bullying often stops immediately. The principal can also help them to understand the perspective of the aggressor, specifically that the harm to their child was not intentional. Those parents who demand some form of justice for the bullying become satisfied once they understand that their child does not want the aggressor to be punished but simply wants the bullying to stop.
• Aggressors are satisfied since they are able to avoid a consequence by changing their behavior toward one individual. They also learn how their aggression can harm others. Further, they become aware that adults believe in them and are observing their behavior, which can become a driver of positive change in order to secure adult approval. They also learn that adults do not condone the behavior, which, in aggregate, results in a positive change to the overall school climate.
• Aggressors’ parents, if they are engaged, are satisfied since their child isn’t being “unfairly” punished and are satisfied that the process is simply a behavioral change exercise. Further, they understand that whether their child suffers a consequence is not due to adult judgment or the target’s word but depends entirely upon their child’s actions.
• Educators often see immediate and complete resolution of bullying problems without the need for a consequence and realize significant time savings in not having to conduct lengthy investigations, meet with parents in every case, or manage persisting bullying problems.

A final but quite significant benefit of a nonpunitive consequence to stop bullying is that it removes the barrier to student reporting of bullying problems. Constructive Consequences eliminates the social cost of reporting since telling adults about problems will not get peers in trouble.

Updated: 12/7/23

One aspect of bullying that makes resolution challenging is that the aggressors are often students who are not just popular with peers but are also popular with educators. The support and, at times, special or favored treatment that these popular students receive can actually make them more effective at using aggression among peers to boost their own social status.

It is perfectly normal for an administrator to give a “good kid” a pass when any other student might face a consequence. It is also normal for an administrator to give more weight to the justifications of a behavior provided by that good student than by any other student. However, what is critical to remember in bullying cases, even those involving a popular student, is that another student is suffering emotional harm. In other words, the popular student is perpetrating “invisible violence” against the target. No matter how “good” or “admirable” the student is, how easy the student makes things for administrators, or how much the student’s achievements in athletics, academics, music, or other activity reflect positively on the school, administrators must put these feelings aside and address the bullying problem objectively. Good students should not get a free pass for causing harm. Any subjectivity of this type that enters into the bullying resolution process will undermine the entire approach and credibility of administrators. If students become aware that some students, particularly the popular ones who set the tone for aggression and perpetrate it, are being treated differently and are actually receiving support from educators, the students will lose trust in the administration to effectively and fairly deal with bullying issues. Further, favoritism or unequal application of bullying prevention measures could increase a school’s liability risk.

Updated: 12/7/23

The Chain of Custody Awareness mechanism involves notifying school staff about a bullying problem so they can monitor the aggressor and target, stop aggression if they see it, and report any aggression. The “chain of custody” refers to all the staff members in a school—administrators, educators, and nonteaching support staff such as lunch and playground monitors—who are with an aggressor and a target during the school day. The mechanism provides an incentive for the aggressor to change behavior and provides the target with reassurance that staff are watching and will intervene if necessary. The Chain of Custody Awareness mechanism is generally used in tandem with the Constructive Consequences mechanism.

Updated: 12/7/23

Chain of Custody Awareness is the notification of all school staff who are with an aggressor and target during the school day about a bullying problem so staff can ensure that the aggression does not continue and, if it does, stop it, document it, and report it. This mechanism serves as a deterrent to the aggressor because he knows that adults are watching and that any reported aggression will result in a consequence. The mechanism helps the target by providing reassurance that adults are aware and will intervene if necessary. The target is also helped by knowing he can report an instance of aggression to staff who may not have witnessed it and they will understand the context and report it to administration. The mechanism makes the jobs of staff members easier since it alerts them to specific individuals who need to be monitored.

When a bullying problem is surfaced, the principal has a discussion with the aggressor about his behavior. The principal secures a commitment from the aggressor to stop the behavior that is causing harm to the target and informs him that the adults who are with him and the target during the school day will be watching to ensure that the aggression does not continue.

Following this conversation with the aggressor, the principal notifies appropriate staff so they can monitor the students involved. The notification indicates who is involved (including any supporters of the aggressor), the aggressive behavior(s) involved, and where the aggression has been occurring. Staff are asked to observe the students, intervene and stop any further instances of aggression if they see it, and report any aggression that occurs.

The time frame for heightened monitoring can vary depending upon the circumstances or can be set to a uniform time period, such as five consecutive school days or the remainder of the school week plus two days of the following week. A time period that covers the end of one school week and the beginning of the following week ensures any aggression that resumes after the weekend due to forgetfulness on the part of the aggressor is stopped. If the staff who are monitoring the students do not observe any aggression, no action is required and the monitoring can stop.

The means of communicating bullying problems to staff and reporting instances of aggression can leverage an existing method of daily communication such as a password-protected portal for staff, a daily staff briefing, or password-protected online documents. The principal may wish to directly contact staff immediately following the conversation with the aggressor to ensure that monitoring begins immediately. Whatever method is used, the information should be secure and confidential and not accessible by students. Ideally, the communication about a problem will be limited to those staff who will do the monitoring.

Updated: 12/7/23

Chain of Custody Awareness involves the monitoring of a target and aggressor during the school day to ensure the aggression has stopped. The visual monitoring of physical interactions, cannot, unfortunately, extend to social media. However, aggressors are warned not to use social media as a means of continuing the aggression, and targets are instructed to retain and show evidence of aggression delivered via social media to school staff. Further, the aggressor knows that any instances of reported cyberbullying will result not only in a consequence but also in parental notification. Chain of Custody Awareness ensures that staff who are presented with evidence of aggression via social media understand the context of the communication as a continuance of the aggression.

Updated: 12/7/23

The end of the school year may not mean the end of a bullying problem. An unresolved bullying problem may resume the following school year. Unresolved bullying problems should be documented at the end of a school year and the information passed on to the educators who will be teaching the students the following school year. The goal is not to prejudice the educators receiving the information about the students but rather to raise awareness of a past problem that may continue.

Updated: 12/7/23

Students need more from adults than just getting bullying to stop. They need a resource they can turn to when they need help, someone they can talk to about a problem and get advice from without the adult automatically taking action. While many schools have guidance personnel, a school psychologist, or other designated administrators such as the principal for students to talk to, targets sometimes won’t reach out to them for a number of reasons, including the following:

• Bullying is a very personal problem, and students want to talk to someone they know and trust.
• Students who just want someone to talk to fear that a designated administrator may be required to take action such as engaging the aggressor or calling parents.
• Most students who are bullied want to solve the problem themselves in order to regain lost social status but fear that if they tell an adult, they will lose control of the problem resolution process and incur a social cost.
• Students fear that the adult they tell won’t keep the conversation confidential and that, as a result, others will become aware of the problem.
• Some students may have already tried talking to an adult but did not receive effective support.
• Some students may feel that they would be stigmatized if they engaged the school counselor or psychologist.

Students would be best supported by having all staff members in the school be able to confidentially help them understand what bullying is and how it works, provide guidance on how to get bullying to stop, and help reverse the harm caused by the bullying.

Updated: 12/7/23

The Five-Step Framework consists of five steps used to guide a support discussion with a target. The discussion is designed to help the student heal, educate the student on bullying, and empower the student to take effective action to get the bullying to stop. A discussion that covers all five steps results in an action plan for resolving the bullying problem. Students choose whether they want to try to get the bullying to stop on their own or have an adult intervene. The plan provides the student with a sense of ownership of the outcome and a measure of control over the resolution process. Since each step of the discussion can be beneficial, discussions that do not cover all five steps can still be helpful to the student.

Target Support involves the creation of a support network for students by having all staff members learn the Five-Step Framework. The Five-Step Framework is simply an outline for a discussion with a target that achieves a set of key goals. Having all educators—teachers, administrators, and monitors and other support staff—learn the Five-Step Framework ensures that students can get help from the adult in school they most trust. In addition, having all educators familiar with an identical discussion outline allows a school to deliver a consistent response to targets no matter whom they choose for help and makes providing help efficient, easy to deliver, and repeatable. In short, the Five-Step Framework provides students with consistent support and control over next steps.

The Five-Step Framework to guide a support discussion consists of the following steps:

1. listen: the student talks about the problem while the adult listens carefully
2. empathize: the adult expresses understanding about how the student feels
3. educate: the adult explains what bullying is and how it works
4. empower: the adult and student discuss ways to respond to aggression to render it ineffective
5. take action: the adult and student develop a plan to get the bullying to stop

The key goals for the discussion are:

• healing: start the process of reversing the harm caused by bullying by helping the student understand that she is not flawed, the bullying is not personal, and that any perceived barriers to social/peer acceptance can be overcome (listen, empathize, and educate)
• empowerment: help the student understand how aggression works and how specific responses can eliminate the benefits to the aggressor so that the student learns effective responses to aggression (educate and empower)
• action plan: develop a plan for getting the bullying to stop, which involves either having the student try different responses to the aggression or having the adult engage administration to initiate Constructive Consequences (take action)

Although a support discussion involving five steps might seem to be a time-intensive effort, the reality is that most discussions will not proceed through all steps. Some students may just want someone to talk to (listen and empathize) so they feel valued and have their feelings validated. Some discussions may touch on responses to aggression (education). Some students may simply want an adult to immediately intervene (take action). But since each step by itself can help students, discussions that do not cover all five are still beneficial. Discussions should not strictly adhere to the framework but should feel informal and natural; the adult should follow the student’s lead. The framework simply helps the adult keep the discussion points and key goals in mind.

While healing, empowerment, and an action plan are key goals for the discussion, achieving them can take time. Reversing the harm requires that students see themselves and their relationship to their peers differently, which may take a few days, weeks, or even months. Following a discussion, students may need numerous rounds of social interactions with peers before they feel comfortable using newly learned responses to aggression. And it may take an aggressor time to recognize that a reliable “easy” target is now responding differently and that the aggression no longer provides social benefits. 

Detailed information on the Five-Step Framework is contained in The CirclePoint Method, which can found on the MATERIALS page.

Updated: 12/7/23

One challenge for educators in knowing when a target needs support is the inability of many students to effectively communicate the seriousness of a bullying problem. Students may have difficulty finding the right words to express how much they are being harmed by the aggression of another. They frequently try to explain the problem by describing the aggressor’s behavior, which, to adults, may not sound like a big deal. Adults frequently hear complaints about aggression that is not doing any actual harm, generally when one student is annoying or bothering another.

Adults must be careful not to dismiss or minimize a problem based on how the student describes the aggression. If the problem isn’t a big deal, the student wouldn’t be taking the risk of engaging an adult for help. And the student needs a sympathetic ear, not a dismissive one. A time-pressed adult who is asked by a student to talk privately about an interpersonal problem but then hears the student describe common aggression should not simply dismiss the student’s concerns. Instead, the adult should listen carefully and ask how the aggression makes the target feel. Redirecting the conversation from the actions of the aggressor to the feelings of the target can help differentiate between aggression that is annoying and aggression that is causing harm.

Updated: 12/7/23

Success at addressing bullying issues is dependent on creating an environment where targets are willing to report them. Since bullying issues cannot always be identified from student behavior, and targets are the only ones who can confirm that bullying is occurring, the school must create an environment where targets will proactively report bullying problems. To do this, schools must remove the common barriers to reporting. Targets do not report bullying issues for a variety of reasons, including:

• fear of wider awareness: targets do not want others to know about the problem.
• social cost: related to wider awareness, targets fear the social cost they may incur if they report a bullying problem and peers find out. Peers of the target who are aware of the bullying may not report the problem for the same reason.
• loss of control: targets fear that by reporting a bullying problem, they will lose control over how the problem is handled, whether by educators or parents, and the outcome, which can result in the bullying getting worse and a social cost.
• risk of retaliation: related to loss of control, targets know that if adults impose a punitive consequence on the aggressor, the bullying may get worse.
• erroneous belief that peer treatment is deserved: some targets believe the peer rejection they experience is deserved and due to a personal flaw and do not recognize their situation as a bullying issue.
• feeling of shame: some targets feel ashamed by their inability to get unwanted aggression to stop and the need for adult help.
• fear of dismissal: targets may fear that adults won’t understand, will dismiss their problem as unimportant or trivial, or won’t show any empathy.
• assumption that adults condone the behavior: when bullying that students are aware of takes place in front of an educator and the educator does not intervene, the students may erroneously believe that adults condone the bullying, which also reinforces to the target that the aggression is deserved.
• fear of parental notification: some targets come from cultural backgrounds in which being the target of bullying is considered a weakness and fear that parent notification will result in a negative consequence at home.
• reluctance to talk to the principal or designated administrator: due to the personal nature of a bullying problem, some students may want to talk to a favorite teacher or other adult who may not be a member of the administration or guidance department.
• fear that educators favor or will side with an aggressor who is popular: students who are popular with peers may be popular with educators as well; some targets may believe that educators won’t be objective in addressing their bullying problem and, like peers, will side the aggressor.

Updated: 12/7/23

The following are actions that educators can take to encourage reporting of bullying issues:

• explain school policy: explain the Constructive Consequences mechanism to let all students know how bullying problems will be handled, specifically that punitive consequences are not initially applied, and any consequence that is applied is a result of aggressor action, not a target’s report. In addition, mention that parents won’t always be notified in bullying cases.
• pledge confidentiality: let students know that all conversations about a bullying problem are kept confidential.
• pledge to work in partnership: let students know that administrators will listen to target concerns and will not take action, such as initiating the Constructive Consequences mechanism, unless requested or approved by the target.
• educate students: provide comprehensive bullying education to students so they understand what it is and why it happens, and actions they can take on their own to get it to stop.
• create a support network of adults: let students know that they can talk to any adult in the school about the problem and adults will take the problem seriously.
• periodically remind students of school policy and support options: implement the Antibullying Announcement (see the related articles)) to periodically remind students how bullying issues will be handled and how adults will provide support.

Updated: 12/7/23

Targets fear losing control over the actions that adults might take in trying to resolve a bullying problem. In addition, the ideal way for students to resolve a bullying problem is on their own. A target who learns how to respond to aggression to get it to stop and successfully does so gains confidence and self-esteem, earns back lost social status, and knows how to handle future aggression.

 When a target reports a bullying problem, the educator engaged by the target should ask if the target would like to try to get the bullying to stop on her own or have the educator initiate Constructive Consequences. The educator can discuss the type of aggression involved and talk about the specific ways of responding to it that can render it ineffective. With educator encouragement (but not a directive!), the target may want to try stopping it herself. If a target tries and is not successful, or insists on adult intervention, then educators can intervene. Every bullying issue is an opportunity for target education and empowerment.

In some cases where a target does not want adult intervention, educators may view a bullying problem as serious enough to warrant immediate intervention. In these cases, educators should explain to the targets the concerns they have and why they believe they need to take immediate action. They should reassure the targets that they will maintain confidentiality and first use Constructive Consequences to get the bullying to stop.

Updated: 12/7/23

Educators need to make their own judgments about whether to adhere to the commitment to not immediately notify parents about a bullying issue. A student who is suffering significant harm could benefit from parental support. However, it may not be in the target’s best interest to notify parents if they do not have an accurate understanding of bullying. Parents may blame their child for the bullying problem, may view the bullying as indicative of a weakness in their child, may push their child to take action that the child may not want to take, may minimize or dismiss the seriousness of the issue, may initiate an antagonistic engagement with administration, or may push for punishment of the aggressor, all actions that can make the problem worse. It is recommended that educators always notify parents in cases of significant harm or where there is fear of the target committing self-harm. In cases where targets want to try to get the bullying to stop on their own or where targets would like the Constructive Consequences mechanism to be initiated, educators should consider waiting before notifying the target’s parents. If educators feel that parental notification is necessary, they should explain why and commit to helping the parents understand how the targets want to be helped and actions that can make the problem worse.

Updated: 12/7/23

One tool to remove barriers to student reporting of bullying issues is the periodic Antibullying Announcement. This communication lets students know that educators do not condone bullying but need student help in identifying it and describes exactly how educators will deal with a bullying problem. Reminding students periodically of this ensures that students who may be newly involved in a bullying issue and may have ignored or “tuned out” a prior communication know how to get help.

Updated: 12/7/23

The Antibullying Announcement is delivered by an educator and includes the following:

• a statement that adults do not condone behaviors that cause others to feel hurt, scared, rejected, flawed, or excluded (i.e., bullying)
• an admission that adults cannot always identify behaviors that cause harm from all the student interactions that they observe
• a request for help from the students in identifying bullying problems
• an offer on behalf of all adults in the school to provide help with a bullying problem; students can ask any adult they choose, not just the principal or the adult making the Antibullying Announcement, and the conversation will be confidential
• an explanation of what adults will do to help a student who comes forward, including that the adult and student will discuss the problem and talk about a variety of solutions, the adult will not take action unless the student agrees, and an explanation of what that action would be, specifically the Constructive Consequences and Chain of Custody Awareness mechanisms
• a pledge that adults will try not to make the problem worse or take action that the student asking for help does not want, such as unilaterally engaging the aggressor or notifying parents

As a result of the Antibullying Announcement, students will know that they can report bullying problems—their own and their peers’—without fear of retaliation, paying a social price, or losing control of the resolution process. They know that adults will maintain their confidence and work with them in partnership on solutions, and they have a clear understanding of the constructive actions that adults will take when they become aware of a bullying problem. Students will view adults in their school as trusted and reliable resources who can help with bullying problems.

Please note: the Antibullying Announcement will only be effective if the school is using modern strategies such as those that comprise the CirclePoint Method. Using this mechanism with in a school where traditional approaches are also used may actually have a negative effect in that students will lose trust in the ability of educators to solve their bullying issues.

Updated: 12/7/23

Delivery

The Antibullying Announcement should be delivered by the educator who is closest to the students. Classroom teachers are ideal, particularly homeroom teachers or those who are with a particular group of students most often during the day. The educator must emphasize that any adult in the school can help in case a target does not feel comfortable engaging with the educator making the Announcement.

Frequency

The Antibullying Announcement should be made regularly, such as once every month or two, since bullying issues arise periodically. The students who will pay the most attention are those who are targets at the time the Announcement is made. Those not involved in a bullying issue may simply ignore the Announcement. Periodic delivery ensures that students who need the information most get it.

Preconditions

Schools should ensure that all other mechanisms that they use for addressing bullying issues are effective (i.e., modern strategies and not traditional approaches). The Antibullying Announcement essentially asks students to take a leap of faith that adults know how to help the right way and will not let them down. Starting the Antibullying Announcement before traditional mechanisms have been phased out and replaced with modern strategies could potentially do more harm than good by breaking student trust and damaging educator credibility.

Updated: 12/7/23

Classroom Strategies describe actions that teachers can take to influence positive changes in behavior at the individual, peer group, and whole-class levels. The actions are grouped into two categories, “Positive Cultural Changes” and “Individual Intervention.” Cultural changes can be implemented at any time and indirectly help to prevent and reduce bullying. Direct interventions are proactive in terms of preventing bullying and reactive to bullying issues.

Classroom teachers occupy a unique position in bullying prevention efforts in that they best know their students’ social structures and dynamics. This knowledge provides teachers with an opportunity to influence student behavior and resolve specific bullying problems through a variety of actions that can change the cultural environment and exert influence over the behavior of individuals and peer groups. Most importantly, teachers can identify the chronically targeted students who occupy the lowest positions on the social hierarchy and support them by helping to expand their social networks and directly stopping bullying.

Updated: 12/7/23

The following are classroom strategies designed to influence positive cultural changes:

Make the Antibullying Announcement monthly or bimonthly. Teachers should periodically reiterate that adults do not condone bullying, ask for help in identifying bullying, and review how bullying problems will be addressed. Not only does this help to surface bullying problems, but it lets all students know that the teacher is aware of their behavior and not ignoring it. Please see related articles on the Antibullying Announcement Mechanism for more information.

Make social changes to reduce bullying. Although teachers may have limited direct influence over student friendships and an individual’s popularity among peers, they can influence the social environment. Teachers can determine where students sit and who they work with on projects. They can also encourage individuals to take part in certain social activities. Teachers can indirectly foster friendships among students, especially between students who belong to different social groups. Such opportunities can include the following:

• conducting team-building exercises where popular and less popular individuals are paired on a team, which may help blur group boundaries and provide less popular individuals with a status boost
• asking a popular student to show a new student around, which may give the new student an enhanced level of acceptance
• encouraging a target or less popular student to participate in activities, e.g., extracurricular, that may help increase the target’s social network
• asking a former student who has moved to a higher grade to be a “buddy” to a current student who may have a minimal social network; the buddy actions can be as simple as saying hello to the student in the hallways, on the playground, and in the cafeteria
• separating group members, particularly where a group’s leader may use aggression to maintain her role, or where the group maintains its identity primarily through the use of aggression directed at lower-status students
• arranging seating in configurations that separate peer group leaders from members and from targets to reduce aggression

Any creative actions that modify social structures to reduce aggression, “flatten” the social hierarchy, and help the least popular students broaden their social network can benefit the overall goal of bullying prevention.

Please note that teachers should not try to address or fix a bullying issue by pairing an aggressor and a target. In cases where a target has been harmed by the aggressor, the target often just wants the aggression to stop and a separation from the aggressor, not to be forced to spend more time with the aggressor. Any repair of a relationship between an aggressor and target needs to occur organically and through a sincere effort on the part of the aggressor in order for the repair to provide a benefit to the target.

 Self-assess and model respect. Students in a class, particularly where they have a good relationship with the teacher and are eager for the teacher’s approval, will take cues on how to treat peers from how the teacher treats peers. If a teacher treats a student differently from others for whatever reason, even through the use of subtle body language or tone of voice, the students may also treat that student differently in order to gain the teacher’s approval. Teachers must be aware of how they treat each student and ensure they don’t express personal negative feelings through words or actions toward individual students. 

Avoid teaching contempt. Contempt for a characteristic, whether of the body, race, religion, disability, gender identity, sports team affiliation, political leaning, socioeconomic status, etc., is taught. Children don’t naturally develop feelings of contempt. Contempt is a reflection of the feelings and attitudes of one or more adults in the child’s life. Contempt is dehumanizing. A student who feels contempt for a characteristic is more likely to direct aggression toward a person with that characteristic and will consider the behavior justified, no matter how much harm is being caused. Teachers should be careful to avoid expressions of contempt, even innocuous-seeming examples such as toward fans of a rival sports team.

Updated: 12/7/23

The following are classroom strategies that involve direct intervention:

Identify and help chronically targeted students. Perhaps the single most important action a teacher can take is to identify and help any chronically targeted students in the class. These are the students who occupy the lowest social position and are frequently the targets of aggression by the rest of the class. These individuals are “safe” for everyone to target since they generally have little peer support and there is no risk of becoming their target. In groups of students that have been together for a long period of time, e.g., multiple grades, these students may have been targets for an extended period (i.e., years) and the treatment by the class has become normalized. The students in the class won’t view their treatment of that peer as anything out of the ordinary.

Teachers should proactively identify these chronically targeted students, discreetly determine if they are being harmed by the aggression, and, if so, provide help. Teachers can provide support using the Five-Step Framework. Helping these students also requires helping peers to recognize the harm they are causing. Persistent intervention by the teacher in terms of stopping aggression can help make students recognize their aggression as inappropriate and reverse the normalization of the behavior that has occurred over time.

Monitor students with obvious differences. Students who have physical or behavioral characteristics that are markedly different from their peers, such as a disability or a difference in average height and/or weight, manner of speech, dress, skin color, ethnicity, etc., are more likely to be targets of aggression. Teachers who have students with a markedly different characteristic should watch for aggression directed at these students and intervene when the aggression involves an implicit reference to the characteristic.

Influence peer groups. Since friends within a peer group usually share similar views on bullying, educators, particularly those viewed as mentors by one or more members of the group, can influence the entire peer group by getting one student to change behavior. Mentors can be particularly helpful when educators identify an aggressor who is bullying a target. The mentor can use the student’s desire for the mentor’s approval to help get the aggression to stop by expressing disapproval of the behavior and faith in the student’s ability to change the behavior.

Influence popular students. Since popular students determine the level of acceptance of aggression within a class, teachers who have good relationships with these students, particularly where the students value the teacher’s approval, can influence these students to reject aggression in order to make it less accepted by the class. As aggression tends to “flow down” the social hierarchy, getting those at the top to change behavior and frown upon those who use certain aggressions, such as aggressions that use a personal characteristic, can reduce harmful aggression in the entire peer group.

Activate bystanders. Bystanders have the power to stop bullying incidents and make aggression less accepted by peers. Activating bystanders can deliver significant positive change. Activating bystanders means that the teacher talks directly (discreetly and privately) with individual students or small groups of students to encourage action.

Those bystanders who simply observe often do not like what they see but they do not know if they should intervene or how to intervene. Higher-status students should be encouraged to defend targets using indirect intervention techniques. These techniques are described in detail in the student guide What YOU Can Do About Bullying By Max and Zoey and the educator guide The CirclePoint Method. Popular students have a greater chance of success than less popular students in getting bullying to stop without risk to status or of becoming a target.

Teachers can also encourage students to support those who intervene. Students are reluctant to intervene due to the risk of incurring a social cost. Students who support or express approval for those who do intervene provide a social benefit and reinforce the behavior. Students can support defenders of targets either verbally or through positive body language and either while the intervention is occurring or after the fact.

Teachers should acknowledge to students in all cases that taking action is difficult and emphasize that students should only take action if they are comfortable doing so. Teachers should never ask students to directly intervene given the risks to social status and of becoming a bullying target. And given the risks that intervention carries, teachers should never judge or express displeasure with students who are encouraged to act but do not.

Discourage supporters. Some students may show support for aggressors. The supporters may be friends of the aggressor or may be students who wish to curry favor with the aggressor and her friends in order to get a boost in social status. Teachers can talk with supporters individually to let them know that supporting aggression also causes harm to the target and makes a person subject to the discipline process. If the supporter is merely showing approval for the aggression but not directly joining in, suggest that he turn away from the bullying so as not to provide implicit encouragement or approval.

Create a social map. Social structures transfer from one school year to the next where class compositions are maintained. Teachers can help both their colleagues and the students by sharing information on these social structures, particularly by identifying individuals who are chronic targets of aggression. The idea is not to prejudice the new teacher against any of the students but to start the new school year with an immediate awareness of social structures and any historically problematic peer-to-peer interactions that may continue.

Updated: 12/7/23

Teaching students how aggression works to positively affect social status and how to respond to it to reduce or eliminate the benefits can allow them to address issues on their own and avoid harm. Further, this education can help boost student self-esteem and enable students to successfully navigate challenging relationships, a skill that provides a lifetime of benefits. Student understanding of bullying can also help lead to cultural change where aggression as a means of boosting social status becomes less accepted. The more effective students are at resolving bullying issues on their own, the less time adults will have to spend addressing them.

Student Education and Empowerment results in all students understanding what bullying is, how it works, why it occurs, and ways that they can respond to it, both as a target and a bystander, to get it to stop. Students learn how to avoid reacting to aggression in ways that can make it more effective and instead to thoughtfully respond to it in a way that makes it ineffective or less effective at providing social benefits (target empowerment). They also learn how to help bullied peers using methods that reduce or eliminate risk of becoming targets (bystander intervention). Students who are not able to resolve a bullying problem on their own learn how to work with an adult to get the bullying to stop without risk of retaliation or of the problem becoming worse.

Updated: 12/7/23

The three different types of aggression deliver social benefits through different behaviors. Targets can reduce or eliminate the social benefit gained by the aggressor through specific responses to the aggression.

• In dominance aggression, aggressors use threats and intimidation to instill fear in a target. When a target shows fear, it communicates to observing peers that the aggressor is someone to be feared. This can allow the aggressor to earn the respect of bystanders. Conversely, if an aggressor attempts to intimidate a person who is unaffected or amused, the aggressor fails to gain respect from those watching and may even lose respect and social status.
• In rejective aggression, aggressors use insults, mocking, or antagonism to appear clever and entertaining to observing peers, to reinforce the identity of a peer group, or to associate with and gain the approval of a group of higher-status peers. The way the target reacts to the aggression can enhance the social benefit. For example, when an insult makes everyone laugh, the aggressor may gain peer approval and social status. If the target gets upset, the aggression may be even more entertaining to observing peers, increasing the social benefit enjoyed by the aggressor. But if the target joins in and laughs or responds in a way that makes what the aggressor said seem not funny, the aggressor may not gain and can even lose status.
• In relational aggression, aggressors attempt to damage the target’s friendships. The aggressor starts a campaign to rally others to her side and to socially isolate the target. If successful, the aggressor maintains a circle of friends while the target winds up alone. A target who takes no action when faced with a relational aggression campaign frequently winds up isolated. A target who talks to the aggressor or a participant and tries to stop the campaign may succeed in retaining friends, preventing the loss of status. A failed campaign may even reduce the aggressor’s status.

The student guide, What YOU Can Do About Bullying By Max and Zoey, and the educator guide, The CirclePoint Method, describe detailed ways to respond to each type of aggression. See MATERIALS for more information on these guides.

Updated: 12/7/23

Peers who observe aggression (bystanders) can directly intervene to stop it. In dominance and rejective aggression, the bystander can disrupt the interaction between the aggressor and target or, more strongly, take the side of the target against the aggressor. In relational aggression, a bystander can refuse to participate in the campaign and can work to disrupt the campaign by alerting other members of the peer group about it and asking them not to participate.

Due to the risks that direct intervention carry, all students should be aware of ways that they can intervene indirectly. Indirect intervention allows the bystander to help the target without explicitly taking a stand against the aggressor. Indirect intervention includes disrupting interactions involving dominance and rejective aggression without taking a side, privately asking the aggressor to stop, and remaining neutral in relational aggression campaigns. Indirect intervention also includes providing support to the target through friendship and inclusion.

The student guide, What YOU Can Do About Bullying By Max and Zoey, and the educator guide, The CirclePoint Method, describe detailed ways to respond to each type of aggression. See MATERIALS for more information on these guides.

Updated: 12/7/23

Some bullying issues may require the support of parents for resolution. In order for parents to be effective partners, they need to have an accurate understanding of the problem. Parents who have been educated on bullying are going to be better able to provide support for their children whether they are targets or aggressors. These parents will also be stronger partners in working with educators to resolve the problem. The language used when parents are engaged by educators for support can have an effect on the quality of the partnership. Educators should be mindful of the terms used and should ensure parents have a clear understanding of the mechanisms the school is using to address bullying issues.

This website has information specifically for parents about bullying, supporting a child involved in bullying, and working with educators in partnership to resolve a bullying problem. This information is found on the PARENTS page. Educators can direct parents to the website either individually as the need arises or with a general communication.

Parents can be critical partners in resolving a bullying problem, particularly where social media is involved. Educators may be challenged, however, by parents who do not accurately understand bullying. These parents may have preconceived notions or may have had bullying experiences or come from a cultural background that affects their perspective.

The language used in a discussion can also have an effect on how well parents partner with educators. Objective and concrete terms can reduce feelings of anger, a misplaced desire for justice, and defensiveness and can help forge a partnership and cooperation in resolving the problem. Educators need to keep in mind that bullying problems become easier to resolve when they are positioned as “behavioral change processes” and not judgments about individuals and their behaviors.

Updated: 12/7/23

When discussing bullying with a parent, an educator should consider these guidelines around language:

• Where possible, avoid using the terms “bully” and “bullying” due to their negative connotations. Parents who are told their child is “bullying another” may become defensive and antagonistic toward educators and want to shield their child from these “accusations.” Some parents may become angry with their child, mistakenly understanding “bullying” to mean intentional harm. Parents who are told that their child is “being bullied” will want to protect their child. They may blame the school for the problem and may demand justice. In addition, these terms have different meanings in various cultures. To some parents of certain ethnicities or nationalities, the terms can be a significant indictment of the child, whether the child is the aggressor or the target.
• The term “bully” should never be used to describe an individual. “Bully” is a dehumanizing label that implies that an individual only uses harmful aggression in social interactions. Being labeled a bully for behavior that is not intended to cause harm may be perceived as unfair and a slight.
• Avoid using the term “aggressor.” Although “aggressor” is the term used to describe the student whose behavior is causing harm to the target, this term should be avoided when engaging with an aggressor and his or her parents. Instead, educators should refer to the specific behaviors used by the student.
• Avoid using the term “target.” Although “target” is the term used to describe the student being harmed, it is not necessary to use it when dealing with a target and his or her parents. Instead, educators should refer to the reactions, responses, and feelings of the student.
• Help parents to use objective terminology. If parents use terms such as “bully” and “victim,” suggest that the parents use the terms advocated by this Method or simply talk about the behaviors involved and the effect of the behaviors.

When engaging with parents, educators should consider these suggestions:

• If the school has adopted it, explain the Constructive Consequences mechanism. Understanding how the mechanism works, particularly that there is no immediate consequence for the aggressor, can help a parent understand why punitive consequences are not used and are ineffective. Further, a parent knowing that the consequence is only applied after the aggressor is given a chance to stop but doesn’t may help the parent see that the consequence is not arbitrary but a direct result of their child’s behavior.
• Have the student and parents acknowledge the behavior. Reach consensus with the student and parents on just the behavior that the student is using. For example, state that adults have observed the student frequently mocking the target. Do not allow the effect of the behavior on the target to become a point of argument.
• Explain how the behavior is causing harm. Once the behavior is acknowledged, explain the harm that the behavior is causing to the target. Emphasize that the aggressor may not have recognized the harm the behavior caused. If the parent or student protests that the behavior was innocuous and could not have caused harm, explain how harm cannot be judged based on behavior but is determined by how the behavior makes the target feel. Explain that harm caused by aggression can only be determined by the target.
• Explain the need for parent support. Educators should help parents of an aggressor understand that the process to resolve a bullying problem is essentially a process to get their child to stop directing specific behaviors at an individual. Parents should be encouraged to support the school in getting the harmful behavior to stop. This support can include enforcement of a consequence, such as a social media restriction, when the student is not in school.

Updated: 12/7/23