We had a very informative meeting yesterday and are pleased to hear that more and more resources are being dedicated to the issue of BULLYING. From the legislators to the teachers/students, bullying has moved from a “rite of passage” to ASSAULT. Fortunately, we live in a society that doesn’t permit assault and it is against the law to commit assault on another human being. All that said, it is important that we all are defining bullying properly. Here is a definition of bullying that is becoming commonplace:

Bullying means the repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic communication (cyberbullying) or a physical act or gesture directed at another student attending school in the same school district that:

1. Causes physical or emotional harm to such student or damage to such student’s property;
2. Places such student in reasonable fear of harm to himself or herself or of damage to his or her property;
3. Creates a hostile environment at school for such student;
4. Infringes on the rights of such student at school;
5. Susbstantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school.

Bullying is based on any actual or perceived differentiating characteristics, such as:

1. Religion
2. Race and color
3. Ancestry or national orgin
4. Gender, sexual orientation, gender indentity and expression
5. Socioeconomic or academic status
6. Physical appearance
7. Physical development or sensory disability.

Bullying is significant chronic disease in our society. It can lead to a significant loss of self esteem or possibly one’s life. We believe the SAM can make a difference around this very disturbing trend. SAM is specifically designed to address bullying: recognizing, descalation and physical restraint, if needed. Please take a look at the SAM website and give us a call if you believe it can help you with bullying in your school community.

Bullies should be aware and understand that all people have a breaking point. Their is a good chance, after a period of assults, that the child or adult that is bullied will snap and turn on the bully. The video below captures this moment where the bullied turns on the bully. It is also important to recognize that when the bullied snaps they often go into a fit of rage and have total disregard for the bully. The situation can become very combative, with the bullied losing touch with reality as they extract their “pound of flesh.”

Eleven years later there is still a debate about how much bullying played into what happened in Columbine. Many of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold’s writings indicated that they were ostracized and bullied at school. Unfortunately, their breaking point led to the deaths of thirteen people.

On September 8, 2010, New York State Govenor David Paterson signed the “Dignity for All Students Act”, which specifically bans harassment and discrimination against student based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, color, weight, national origin, ethnicity, religion or disability, and requires New York State school districts to adopt anti-bullying policies. During the signing, the Govener recalled how he hit a classmate in the face with a metal lunch box after he repeatedly bullied him. He was suspended from recess for a month. Bullies beware — everyone has a breaking point.

At SAM Training, we are focused on the verbal and non-verbal cues associated with aggressive behavior. It is important for teachers and staff to understand body language and behavioral cues that suggest the beginning of aggressive behavior. SAM Training will help you to better recognize cues and provide solutions to address and ultimately diffuse aggressive behavior.

VIDEO: Chubby Kid Bodyslams Bully

Teachers and police will confront and deal with violent students regardless of age. This is important to know given that teachers are the victims of over 400,000 violent crimes each year (according to SERAPH, a specialized consulting and training firm). One of the biggest reasons for so many violent crimes in our schools is because of the culture in the United States. As a result of our culture and the way we are wired, approximately 20% of the population uses aggression as their primary form of communication. This aggressive behavior provides an outlet for them to express their desires, needs, wants, and frustrations. It is not the last but the first tool they turn to. (Dr. Turner, Violence in Medical Settings).

Assault is assault, regardless of age. The youngest person to kill a police officer was seven years old while the oldest was ninety-seven. In the video below, an eight year old boy in Lakeland, Florida was pepper sprayed by the police to prevent serious physical injury to teachers. Serious physical injury is classified as “Deadly Physical Force.” The police used reasonable physical force, which is the least amount of force they could use to rectify the situation. Frankly, they would have been justified in using a baton or taser in this case.

Video: Eight year old was pepper sprayed to diffuse his aggressive behavior in school

Teachers need to be able to manage aggressive behavior before the police arrive. SAM’s comprehensive training program provides educators, administrators, security personnel and students with the proper tools and knowledge to effectively address aggressive behavior, like bullying, and/or violent situations. It may be more important to understand non-verbal cues versus listening to verbal dialogue. SAM can help you better understand non-verbal communication.