School Bullying and Our New Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® Refresher Option

A quick Internet search reveals dozens of articles about school bullying, on topics ranging from incidents of violence, cyberbullying, bullying prevention tips, and new programs and procedures that organizations have set in place in order to stop bullying. There's no question that this is a critical issue.

Take the recent story that appeared on NBC-17.com, the website for a news station in Raleigh, NC. Two students in one of the local high schools were arrested and charged with cyberbullying after creating a Facebook page dedicated solely to the purpose of bullying another classmate.

There was also a recent study published in Prevention Science that indicates that while both boys and girls who are victims of bullying are at increased risks for depression, adolescent girls in particular are more likely to engage in substance abuse resulting from bullying-related depression.

There is also a lot of information about schools that are taking measures to end school bullying through programs such as the one that was implemented in a Salinas, CA high school. Freshman students here participate in a "Unity Day" program, where they listen to stories about social acceptance and learn how to accept differences in others. The program has helped bring students closer together and has increased student participation in a variety of activities.

Other schools use creative measures to stop bullying. Students in Lake Fenton, MI recently watched a school play, The Bullycide Project, which addresses the seriousness of bullying. The play is based on a book written by mothers who lost children to suicide because of bullying.

These are only a handful of the many stories I found, and they demonstrate the magnitude of this issue in schools and communities across the country. CPI recognizes the need to address school bullying. That's why we're in the process of developing a new resource for Nonviolent Crisis Intervention^® Certified Instructors to support these efforts.

Our new refresher option, Bullying Behaviors: Applying CPI's Crisis Development Model^SM, incorporates Nonviolent Crisis Intervention^® concepts to address issues specific to bullying behavior, geared towards Instructors working with service users who are being bullied, service users who bully others, and service users who may be involved in bullying situations.

The refresher option will provide a perspective on bullying within the context of CPI's Crisis Development Model^SM, and supplement the policies and procedures an organization might already have in place. This information will be outlined in a Leader's Guide as well as Participant Workbooks.

We are excited to share this new refresher option with you as part of our mission to ensure Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security^SM for all. Check the CPI website in March for more information about when these new items will be available. 

Find out more about how you can boost your behavior management skills.