Category Archives: Anti-Bullying

Anti-Bullying, Child Health, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Back-to-School Safety and Health Tips

Parents today need to keep a closer eye on their children than ever before. It seems like the news reports on missing children and sexual predators nearly every day, and many parents find themselves frequently worrying about what their kids are doing throughout the day. Though parents cannot keep an eye on their kids every hour of the day, they can work with their kids on these back-to-school safety and health tips.

 

Traveling Safely

Kids can walk to school, take a bus, ride their bikes or go with their parents or the parents of their friends. Those who take the bus should know that horseplay is dangerous and that they should wait carefully for the bus to come to a complete stop before moving towards the vehicle.

Bike riders should always wear a helmet and other protective gear, have lights and reflectors on their bikes and obey the rules of the road. Anyone who drives one or more students to school must ensure that those 13 or under sit in the backseat and that everyone wears a seatbelt or sits in a booster or car seat.

While walking to school, it’s helpful to outfit children in bright colors and make sure they understand when and where to cross the street.

 

Healthy Eating Habits

Most schools plan menus well in advance and inform parents of what it plans to serve every day. This lets parents decide if they want to give their children money to buy a school lunch or send them to school with a bagged lunch.

If the school has vending machines available for students, parents should look closely at the items inside and encourage their kids to choose healthier snacks and drinks such as bottled water, milk, wheat crackers or fruit.

 

The Dangers of Bullying

Students all across the country face bullying from their peers. Something as simple as a child wearing a certain type of shoes can lead to bullying. Parents need to talk with their children about the dangers of bullying and what to do when they feel harassed by another student.

Talking to a teacher or the principal is the best option, but kids should also feel comfortable enough to open up to their parents and talk with them about the problem. Kids deserve the right to feel safe in school without worrying about bullying or other issues.

With some help from parents and teachers, kids can increase their school safety and health, letting them focus on learning.

 

Anti-Bullying, Bullying, SYN Digital Enrollment Director, SYN The Bully Expert

Bullying: When to involve the police

Hearing that your child is being bullied can be heartbreaking – especially when it’s severe. If the bullying your child is experiencing escalates to being threatened or physically assaulted,  you should involve the police to help resolve the situation.

 

Taking threats seriously

If a bully threatens your child, it should not be taken lightly. The bully may have said something threatening just to intimidate your child but it might also be a warning that they plan on carrying out that threat.

Not only could it lead to physical harm, the act of making a threat is against the law.

 

Act immediately to a physical attack

No one ever has the right to attack your child. When bullying becomes physical, it is time to act quickly and decisively before it happens again. Contacting the police will allow them to handle the situation and can be a strong deterrent  for bullies to continue harming your child.

 

Damaging property

Vandalism, theft and destruction of property are all crimes, so don’t let it go unaddressed just because it was done by a bully. If your child is mysteriously losing or breaking personal belongings, ask them if it was caused by a bully.

 

Next steps

If you’ve determined that a bully has crossed the line and is committing crimes against your child, you should contact the school and make them aware of the situation. They may wish to contact the police on their own, or you may have to report the incident to the police yourself.

You can simply call your local police department and explain that you wish to sign a complaint against a juvenile who has been bullying your child and has broken the law in doing so.

It is important to act quickly so the bully does not get another chance to target your child. But most of all, your child will be looking to you for reassurance that everything is going to be okay. Let them know that the bully has been brought to the attention of the school and the police and that it will be taken care of.

Anti-Bullying, Bullying, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Bullying – What Can You Do?

Recently I saw another story on the local news about a teenager committing suicide because of bullying.

Unbelievable! Isn’t the school supposed to be watching what’s going on with these kids?

And just last week there was another story about a Dad who had enough of kids bullying his crippled daughter. He actually got on the bus and threatened the bullies.  Kids bullying a cripple, can you believe that?

I mean, how low can you sink when you feel the need to pick on someone that’s sitting in a wheelchair?

As a parent I’m not sure what to think of that.  Didn’t the other kids see what was going on and say something? The sad fact is that nowadays kids are too afraid of what the others kids will think of them to even get involved. After all they don’t to become the next victim.

My first reaction to hearing about the Dad who confronted the bullies on the bus was that of support. Then as I thought about it more I said to myself he should have went to the principal of the school and the bus company first before taking matters into his own hands.  The problem was that he did. He contacted the principal not once, but several times in an effort to get help for his daughter. Nothing was done and the problem continued.

It would be easy for us to just blame the school officials but I’m sure that would not solve the problem. The truth of the matter is that we need to educate our kids about bullying. Yes, even the bullies need to be taught more about the damage that they are doing to others and how really wrong it is.  Most times the damage goes much deeper than what we see on the news. Children are actually afraid to go to school because of what happens to them while they are there. Instead of a fun learning experience many of our children are subject to verbal abuse and intimidation to the point that it starts to affect their grades and emotional stability.

The atmosphere in our schools needs to be changed. When a child is exposed to bullying in school their ability to learn and trust in their teachers’ is dramatically reduced. Solid evidence from national research has shown that students will learn more, and be physically and emotionally healthier, when nurtured in positive a social environment.

Now when I refer to “The School atmosphere” I’m talking about the unique social character of school as perceived by students. After all if the students do not feel they are in a safe environment they can’t concentrate on their studies and achieve their potential.

So what can we do? As parents we need to make sure the lines of communication are open and that our children feel that they can talk to us about anything. Teach your kids that if anyone is bothering them at school that they can and should immediately let you know.

Secondly, as a parent you need to learn everything that you can about bullying. The better Kids Institute is here to provide you with valuable insight that you can use to help protect your kids. Learn to recognize the telltale signs of bullying and talk to them about it.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You say that to your kids and sometimes as parents we need help too.