Prevent Bullying

What the Anti-Bullying Program Will Accomplish

Reduce Bullying Victimization of Students With Disabilities

Establish Administrative Leadership and Clear Accountability

Establish Administrative Leadership and Clear Accountability

Decrease incidents of bullying involving students with disabilities, who research shows are at significantly higher risk of being victimized.
Address both direct bullying (physical, verbal) and indirect bullying (social exclusion, manipulation), which is often experienced by students with disabilities.
Ensure protection across all school environments, including classrooms, hallways, playgrounds, buses, and online settings.

Establish Administrative Leadership and Clear Accountability

Establish Administrative Leadership and Clear Accountability

Establish Administrative Leadership and Clear Accountability

Administrators will take an active leadership role, as emphasized in Chapter 7, by clearly communicating that bullying—especially toward students with disabilities—is unacceptable.
Designate administrative responsibility for overseeing implementation, monitoring progress, and ensuring consistent enforcement of policies.
Hold staff accountable for supervision, reporting, and response through clear expectations and evaluation processes.

Implement Inclusive and Explicit Anti-Bullying Policies

Establish Administrative Leadership and Clear Accountability

Increase Staff Awareness and Capacity Through Professional Development

Develop and enforce schoolwide anti-bullying policies that explicitly reference students with disabilities as a protected population.
Clearly define bullying behaviors identified in the literature, including:
Social manipulation
Repeated teasing related to disability
Targeting communication or social skill deficits
Ensure policies are accessible and understood by staff, students, and families.

Increase Staff Awareness and Capacity Through Professional Development

Increase Staff Awareness and Capacity Through Professional Development

Increase Staff Awareness and Capacity Through Professional Development

Provide ongoing professional development for teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff on:
Recognizing subtle forms of bullying common among students with disabilities
Understanding how disability-related characteristics increase vulnerability
Responding immediately and appropriately to bullying incidents
Emphasize prevention and early intervention rather than reactive discipline alone.

Strengthen Supervision and Environmental Supports

Increase Staff Awareness and Capacity Through Professional Development

Promote Student Education, Inclusion, and Peer Support

Use administrative practices outlined in Chapter 7 to improve systems-level supervision, particularly in high-risk areas identified in the literature (e.g., unstructured settings).
Adjust schedules, staffing, and routines to reduce opportunities for bullying to occur.
Ensure students with disabilities are not isolated during transitions or unstructured times.

Promote Student Education, Inclusion, and Peer Support

Increase Staff Awareness and Capacity Through Professional Development

Promote Student Education, Inclusion, and Peer Support

Implement schoolwide instruction focused on:
Empathy and understanding of disabilities
Respect for differences
Bystander responsibility
Incorporate peer-mediated supports and inclusive practices to reduce social isolation, which research identifies as a major risk factor for bullying victimization.