Injury Prevention 101 Training
Scenario 1: Bullying in Middle Schools
The recent press attention on bullying among school age children has heightened awareness of the risks of tolerating bullying in school settings.
The PTA president of a local middle school requested information from the school administration about the number of documented bullying incidents during the current and previous school year, as well as the disciplinary response to these incidents. The number was surprisingly low, and did not include episodes of cyberbullying or bullying outside of school hours. The PTA president then asked Association members to speak with their own children and their children’s friends to get a better sense of their experiences and to report back at the next meeting.
Although completely unscientific, the feedback revealed an alarming prevalence of “low level” bullying, along with a sense that incidents of this nature are normal and just “part of the turf” in a middle school setting. All kids responded that they knew at least one person who is bullied to a point where they had withdrawn from social activities or missed days at school. Most agreed that serious bullying could be dangerous.
In an attempt to better understand the school climate, the PTA president has talked with the school nurse to ask her opinion about how to respond. The school nurse was extremely supportive and commented that several of her school nursing colleagues had mentioned their concerns with underreporting of bullying in their own schools. The school nurse also mentioned that children who were being bullied often presented to the health suite with non-specific complaints.
A follow-up meeting with the PTA president, the school nurse and the principal was not promising as the principal felt she could not initiate a new school-wide program without a clearer understanding of the problem. She also mentioned that she had heard that the police and health departments offered bullying prevention assemblies. The PTA president contacted the health officer to request that staff person present a bullying prevention assembly.
The health officer has asked you for your recommendation.