What is bullying?
​Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.
 In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

• An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
• Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. 
(Retrieved from: www.stopbullying.gov)

Are there different types of bullying?
There are three types of bullying:

• Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes:
  • Teasing
  • Name-calling
  • Inappropriate sexual comments
  • Taunting
  • Threatening to cause harm
• Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:
  • Leaving someone out on purpose
  • Telling other children not to be friends with someone
  • Spreading rumors about someone
  • Embarrassing someone in public
• Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
  • Hitting/kicking/pinching
  • Spitting
  • Tripping/pushing
  • Taking or breaking someone’s things
  • Making mean or rude hand gestures

(Retrieved from: www.stopbullying.gov)

When and Where Does Bullying Happen?
Bullying can occur during or after school hours. While most reported bullying happens in the school building, a significant percentage also happens in places like on the playground or the bus. It can also happen travelling to or from school, in the youth’s neighborhood, or on the Internet.
(Retrieved from: www.stopbullying.gov)
What are the Risk Factors?
No single factor puts a child at risk of being bullied or bulling others. Bullying can happen anywhere—cities, suburbs, or rural towns. Depending on the environment, some groups—such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) youth, youth with disabilities, and socially isolated youth—may be at an increased risk of being bullied. 
(Retrieved from: www.stopbullying.gov)
How Should you Talk To Your Kids About Bullying?
​Parents, school staff, and other caring adults have a role to play in preventing bullying. They can: Clicking on the hyperlinks will take you to the www.stopbullying.gov website where each of these methods are discussed in more detail.

• Help kids understand bullying. Talk about what bullying is and how to stand up to it safely. Tell kids bullying is unacceptable. Make sure kids know how to get help. 
• Model how to treat others with kindness. 
• Keep the lines of communication open. Check in with kids often. Listen to them. Know their friends, ask about school, and understand their concerns.
• Encourage kids to do what they love. Special activities, interests, and hobbies can boost confidence, help kids make friends, and protect them from bullying behavior.

How Should You Respond to Bullying?
How you respond can make an impact on bullying over time. Find out what you can do to stop it on the spot and support the kids involved.

Stop Bullying on the Spot
When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior, they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time. There are simple steps adults can take to stop bullying on the spot and keep kids safe.

Find Out What Happened
Whether you’ve just stopped bullying on the spot or a child has reached out to you for help, learn how to determine the best way to proceed.

Support the Kids Involved
All kids involved in bullying—whether they are bullied, bully others, or see bullying—can be affected. It is important to support all kids involved to make sure the bullying doesn’t continue and effects can be minimized.

Be More Than a Bystander
Every day, kids see bullying. They want to help, but don’t know how. Here are a few simple and safe ways that your child can help someone who’s being bullied and be more than a bystander.
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If you would like to report inappropriate behavior or a bullying situation that you witnessed or experienced at North Nodaway schools,, you are encouraged to contact a teacher, counselor, or administrator. Your identity will remain confidential. The administration will follow up on all concerns immediately.  If the school isn't aware of a problem, they can't fix it, so please report the problem!!! 

You may also call the Bullying Prevention Hotline for Missouri at 1-866-748-7047.  This hotline provides students and parents with a place to anonymously report bullying, and also provides access to resources.

If you would like to leave an anonymous tip, please use the form below.