National Bullying Prevention Month and the Transition Classroom

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. In 2019, the National Center of Educational Statistics reported that 22 percent of students aged 12–18 experienced bullying. If you're a transition educator, here's how you can support and empower your students to deal with bullying.

Strategies benefiting students with special needs, like team-focused tactics, promoting friendships, and building empathy, are effective against all forms of bullying. Not only will anti-bullying programs inform students, they will also enhance their communication and boost confidence. By involving parents, teachers, and peers in these strategies, schools become welcoming and secure environments instead of fearful spaces.

Practice scenarios are one great way to prepare students how to deal with bullying. Consider this example from the PACER Center:

Scenario: "The Hallway Incident"

  • Setting: Between classes in a school hallway.
  • Situation: Alex, a child with Down syndrome, faces teasing and blocking from peers while moving between classes.
  • Objective: Enable Alex to voice his feelings, seek assistance, and highlight bystander intervention.
  • Discussion: How did Alex feel? How could peers have helped? How should Alex communicate his needs in the future?

Teaching students to recognize and address bullying equips them with vital communication tools for future challenges.

Resources


Bonus Tip

To learn more about the dangers of bullying, become equipped to identify bullying behavior, and gain tools to help support the child who is being bullied, join Sherri Cripe, director of School Bullying Prevention at Purdue University on Thursday, October 5, 1:30 pm ET.

Follow this Zoom link or call (646) 876-9923 to join the session.