What kind of school programs should I advocate for to stop bullying at my child’s school?

Programs that educate children. Research shows that “zero-tolerance” policies aren’t effective unless they’re paired with ongoing educational programs that help create a healthy social climate in the school. This means teaching kids at every grade level how to be inclusive leaders and teaching victims effective resistance techniques.
Programs that focus on the social environment of the school. To reduce bullying, it is important to change the climate of the school so that students understand bullying is not a normal part of school life.
Programs where bullying prevention is not the sole responsibility of an administrator, counselor, teacher—or any single individual at a school. To be most effective, bullying prevention efforts require a buy-in from the majority of the staff and from parents.
Programs that name clear rules and policies related to bullying. Although many school behavior codes imply that bullying is not allowed, it is much stronger to explicitly use the term bullying. Rules and codes about expectations for kindness should also be clear.
Programs to increase adult supervision in hot spots where bullying occurs. Bullying tends to thrive in locations where adults are not present or are not vigilant.¹

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