What You Can Do About Bullying

The most important part of this article is to report the bullying!  Do not keep it to yourself and hope it goes away.  We have seen great success in the school when the bullying is brought to our attention as soon as it begins. 

What NOT to do if you are bullied:
• Don’t think it's your fault and don’t believe the insults about you. Nobody deserves to be bullied!
• Don’t fight back or bully a person back. This probably won't make things any better and it might get
you into big trouble. Besides, you should try to act better than the person who bullies you.
• Don’t keep it to yourself and just hope the bullying will "go away." It's normal to want to try to ignore
bullying and hope that it will stop—or hope that the person will start to pick on someone else. But, often,
bullying won't stop until adults and other kids get involved. So, be sure to report the bullying.
• Don’t skip school or avoid clubs or sports because you're afraid of being bullied. Missing out on school
or activities that you enjoy isn't the answer. You have a right to be there!
• Don’t think that you're a "tattle tale" if you tell an adult that you've been bullied. Telling is NOT tattling!
It's the right thing to do.
• Don’t get into a fist fight with a bully or try to retaliate in other ways.
• Don’t hurt yourself. Some kids who are bullied get so sad and depressed that they may try to hurt
themselves because they think there is nothing else they can do. This definitely isn't the answer. Talk
with an adult immediately and tell them how you are feeling. They can help stop the bullying.
• Don’t overestimate how much power a bully has over you.
• Don’t waste time in places online where bullies target you.
• Don’t be afraid to think of new ways to solve the conflict.

What to DO if you are bullied:
• Do get real about bullying and how it makes you feel.
• Do learn to say and believe good things about yourself.
• Do speak confidently when telling a bully not to bother you.
• Do work on developing at least one good relationship with a classmate, neighbor, teacher or
older mentor.
• Do walk or run away if a bully tries to hurt you.
How to REPORT bullying or harassment at MCHS:
• Write it down: who, what, where and when
• Find witnesses
• Report the bullying or harassment, immediately, to an administrator , guidance counselor, teacher,
nurse or other staff member at Morris Community High School

What is the HARM in being a bystander?
Bullies feed off the power they have over a victim. By not intervening when you witness bullying or harassment,
you are passively condoning and supporting the behavior, which gives the bully an even stronger
sense of power and might lead to an increase in bullying. You can stop bullies in their tracks by:
• Refusing to participate, even passively, in bullying behavior
• Not laughing at or accepting comments that make fun of or hurt others
• Telling the bully on the spot that the behavior is wrong and makes you feel uncomfortable
• Standing up for the victim