# data[].attributes.headline
#13 Bulleted list of Recommendations / Best Practices for Compliance

# data[].attributes.subject
#13 Bulleted list of Recommendations / Best Practices for Compliance

# data[].attributes.body
--Ensure that adults understand the laws and policies regarding bullying so there are no discrepancies in handling situations.

--All stakeholders must know what the signs of bullying are, what they can and should do, who they can talk to, and how they can prevent bullying from continuing to happen.

--It is important to ensure there are meaningful and productive conversations amongst students, school staff, parents, and community members clarifying bullying, instances of bullying, and failures to address bullying so that there are clear expectations of how others should be treated.

--Implementation of quality caring and kindness school-wide programs is essential to fostering a positive and bully-free environment.

--Providing support to students who have been victims of bullying or perpetrators of bullying is necessary to stop the cycle of bullying.

--Consistency is key to battling issues of bullying.

# data[].attributes.body
This federally run site provides a plethora of information for all stakeholders who have a vested interest in student mental health and well-being at school. Stopbullying.gov shares valuable information about what bullying is, warning signs, and its effects on others.

It provides a section about cyberbullying and important information for students and teachers, as well as preventative measures that can be taken to ensure there is a safe school and community. An extensive list of resources from laws and policies, training centers, and interactive activities for students to explore for themselves.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). (2023, September 8). Stop bullying. StopBullying.gov. https://www.stopbullying.gov/

# data[].attributes.body
A.11. Bullying, Harassment, Discrimination, Bias, and Hate Incidents

--School counselors must learn to identify the signs of bullying so that they can report incidents immediately. They must be advocates for consistent, proactive, and effective responsiveness to bullying, and be supportive to all stakeholders in any bullying incidents.

American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/Ethics/EthicalStandards2016.pdf

# data[].attributes.headline
#10 Policy or Rule from a School or Institution - Administrative Law

# data[].attributes.subject
#10 Policy or Rule from a School or Institution - Administrative Law

# data[].attributes.body
Local Law
--Bullying is defined. All employees are required to report student complaints of bullying, including cyberbullying, to Campus Principal/Director/Supervisor or via the STOP IT App.

--Employee Handbook, Tex. Educ. Code § 37.0832
https://content.myconnectsuite.com/api/documents/cdfb8698fa7240c08502b7bbdaad4b40.pdf

--The district prohibits bullying, including cyberbullying, as defined by state law. Retaliation against anyone involved in the complaint process is a violation of District policy and is prohibited.

# data[].attributes.headline
#9 Original Sources of Law at the Federal or State Level

# data[].attributes.subject
#9 Original Sources of Law at the Federal or State Level

# data[].attributes.body
Administrative Law
--The school board must adopt a student code of conduct that must be posted and prominently displayed at each school campus or made available for review at the office of the campus principal. In addition to establishing standards for student conduct, the student code of conduct will explain how, why, and when it is appropriate to step in to protect a student.

--Student Code of Conduct, 2. Tex. Admin. Code § 37.001
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.37.htm

--This law requires that school districts do what they need to so they protect students and their well-being in school.

# data[].attributes.headline
#8 Original Sources of Law at the Federal or State Level

# data[].attributes.subject
#8 Original Sources of Law at the Federal or State Level

# data[].attributes.body
Statutory Law
--David’s Law - An act relating to harassment, bullying, and cyberbullying of a public-school student or minor and certain mental health programs for public school students; increasing a criminal penalty.

--Bullying Prevention Policies and Procedures, Tex. Educ. Code § 37.0832
--Senate
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.37.htm#37.0832

--This law is named after David Molak, who was a student who committed suicide because of the cyberbullying he endured. Senate Bill 179 gives school districts the power to discipline students who are being affected by cyberbullying that occurs outside of the classroom.

# data[].attributes.headline
#7 Original Sources of Law at the Federal or State Level

# data[].attributes.subject
#7 Original Sources of Law at the Federal or State Level

# data[].attributes.body
Judicial Law
--Tinker wisely permits schools to focus on their core mission—providing a safe and productive learning environment—by allowing them to respond to student speech that interferes with the ability of other students to learn.

--Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., 393 U.S. 503 (2021)
--Supreme Court
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/20255_g3bi.pdf

--The Court should decline to adopt an unwieldy and damaging geographic limitation on Tinker’s application and should instead ensure that schools may continue to respond when students use technology or step off campus to bully their classmates, infringing their classmates’ rights to be secure and learn in our schools.

# data[].attributes.headline
#6 Original Sources of Law at the Federal or State Level

# data[].attributes.subject
#6 Original Sources of Law at the Federal or State Level

# data[].attributes.body
Constitutional Law
--The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

--U.S. Const. amend. 10
--Bill of Rights
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rightstranscript

--This law proposes that each state has the power to decide what is suitable for the people in their own state.

# data[].attributes.headline
Slide #5 Current News Articles (continued)

# data[].attributes.subject
Slide #5 Current News Articles (continued)

# data[].attributes.body
Schoolwide Bullying Prevention

--Actionless education and activities leave students feeling as though they are going through the motions when it comes to bullying education and awareness.
--The effects of bullying are far-reaching and long-lasting for students mentally and academically.
--Students need an all-hands-on-deck approach to bullying for there to be real buy-in to school-wide initiatives.
--Teaching empathy, having honest conversations, involvement of all stakeholders, and utilizing quality teaching practices opens the doors for students to feel comfortable standing up and speaking out for themselves and others.

Powers, S. (2021, July 1). Schoolwide Bullying Prevention. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Magazines/July-August-2021/Schoolwide-Bullying-Prevention

# data[].attributes.body
The State of Bullying in Schools, in Charts

--Presents data and statistics on education stakeholders’ concerns regarding bullying in the school using different charts of information.

--Emphasizes the impact that bullying has on students academically and emotionally.

--While it appears that instances of bullying have been on a decline for several years, student and staff surveys show that that data may not be entirely accurate.

--Parents are more concerned than ever before about the bullying of their children.

Baker, L., & Prothero, A. (2023, September 18). The state of bullying in schools, in charts. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/the-state-of-bullying-in-schools-in-charts/2023/08

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When it comes to school safety, bullying is teachers' top concern, even more so than school shootings or drugs on campus, according to a recently released report from the RAND Corporation. That's despite the fact that federal data show that bullying in schools has declined a bit since 2009.

Taken together, the data illustrate how persistent a challenge bullying remains for schools, even as policymakers in most states have taken action to address the issue.

Students who are bullied often do worse in school-they are less engaged and their learning suffers, according to one study that tracked a group of kindergarteners through 12th grade. And contrary to popular belief, being bullied does not in and of itself make children more resilient.

Research has found that students who are bullied or left out are more likely to take future social rejections much more personally-believing that there is something wrong with them and taking longer to bounce back from rejection-than teens who felt accepted by their peers.

While schools have reported a decline in bullying incidents over the past decade or so, separate surveys of high school students found that bullying in school has remained mostly flat, only declining the first full year of the pandemic when many students were learning from home full- or part-time.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that around 20 percent of high school students reported being bullied at school in its biennial surveys between 2011 and 2020, dropping to 15 percent in 2021. The percentage of teens reporting that they had been cyberbullied remained mostly flat between 2011 and 2021.

Bullying is a major concern for parents as well educators. A Pew Research Center survey of parents conducted in the fall of 2022 found that nearly three-quarters of parents said they were either very or somewhat concerned about their child being bullied, up from 60 percent in 2015.

Following are four charts that depict the state of bullying in U.S. public schools-from its frequency, to where it happens in the school building, to what's being done about it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The State of Bullying in Schools, in Charts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bullying is a top safety concern for teachers. Four charts show how widespread it is in schools and what policymakers are doing about it.

# data[].attributes.body
As a middle school counselor, I have realized that cyberbullying is typically one of the most prevalent types of bullying that occurs at this level. In this blog, the author focuses on the identification and prevention of cyberbullying to create a kinder online community. By providing users with online Kindness Reminders of social media norms prior to posting content, there is more mindful consideration.

Admin. (2019, November 1). Defining, identifying, and preventing cyberbullying behaviors: What has been done and the path. International Bullying Prevention Association. https://ibpaworld.org/blog/defining-identifying-and-preventing-cyberbullying-behaviors-what-has-been-done-and-the-path-forward/

# data[].attributes.body
1.) This topic is important in the field of school counseling because there is not enough education on the legal aspects of bullying. Oftentimes, teachers, staff, and students are educated about the signs of bullying, who they should report to, and things they can do to stop bullying, which is important. However, explaining the more specific details of what bullying entails, in more user-friendly terms, could help to minimize the overuse of the term "bullying" so that it does not lose its importance.

2.) Some of the emerging issues that impact the role of a school counselor that are related to bullying include:

-Overuse of the term “bullying” which minimizes the true severity of the word as specified by state law.
-Indifference because of the overuse of the term “bullying” which leads to a lack of action when true “bullying” has occurred.
-Confusion in knowing what bullying is, what signs to look out for, and what someone should do should they find themselves in a bullying situation.
-Lack of support for victims and perpetrators of bullying.

# data[].attributes.body
Topic: Bullying
Audience: All educators, school staff, parents, community members

I am in my final semester of the Professional School Counseling Program at Angelo State University. As an educator in the district where I work, I have heard the phrase, “I am being bullied” or “My child is being bullied, and no one has ever done anything about it” more times than I can count. While those phrases are certainly something that should always be taken seriously, many times students, parents, and educators do not always know if actual bullying has occurred.

I chose this topic because more stakeholders must be aware of what laws specifically state regarding bullying and what it entails. The word "bullying" gets thrown around too easily and many times, incorrectly. The more awareness we bring to the topic, the better-informed people can become.