Would your students agree with these statements?
- Other students treat me respectfully.
- I treat other students respectfully.
- Adults treat me respectfully.
- I treat adults in my school respectfully.
These and six more questions make up a
student perception survey that can give you valuable insight into your students' feelings about your school's climate.
The survey is one of many tools available from the OSEP (Office of Special Education Programs) Technical Assistance Center. The center says that bullying prevention
is SWPBS, so it offers resources for schools that center on reducing bullying behavior with School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports, explicit instruction, and a redefinition of the bullying construct.
So how do PBS/PBIS and bullying prevention connect? “School-wide PBIS begins with the premise that all students should have access to supports to prevent the development and occurrence of problem behavior, including bullying behavior,” reports
Reducing the Effectiveness of Bullying Behavior in Schools [PDF]. So blending PBIS with bullying prevention into BP-PBIS involves teaching adults and students:
- What bullying looks like.
- What to do before and when bullying behavior is observed.
- How to teach others what to do.
- How to establish a positive and preventive environment that reduces the effectiveness of bullying.
For help reducing bullying and increasing respect in your school, download OSEP’s manual for
elementary schools [PDF] or
middle and high schools [PDF]. Icelandic, Spanish, and French versions are also available on
OSEP’s Bullying Prevention page, as well as BP-PBS assessments, checklists, and more.
If you're a
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® Certified Instructor, find out how
Bullying Behaviors and
Integrating Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) workbooks can help you support your school's bullying prevention policies and programs.
Also check out
31 for 31 for our School Bullying Prevention Difference Makers!