8 Websites to Help Educators Prevent and Intervene in Bullying Situations

Years ago, bullying was dismissed as “kids being kids.”

Flash forward to today and our Internet-connected world. Teachers are expected not only to stop bullying in its tracks, but also to prevent it from occurring by making their classrooms and school a safe haven for everyone. One of the best tactics an educator can adopt is to find a reputable anti-bullying website geared to teachers, and try to implement its recommendations. Here are five terrific web resources for teachers looking to stop bullying in its tracks.

1. StopBullying.gov

This website is managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. It has valuable explanations on the different forms bullying can take, and includes a helpful section on cyberbullying for educators. The site points to characteristics that can help educators identify kids who are more likely to be bullies, and those who are more likely to be victimized by bullies. Perhaps most important, it has resources to assist educators in mediating disputes and establishing a zero-tolerance atmosphere for bullying. Those include community action planning, discussion with parents, and drafting policies and rules.

Visit the site.

2. The National Education Association

No less an educational powerhouse than Stopbullying.gov, the NEA maintains an anti-bullying website that every teacher should monitor. The site supports the NEA’s “Bully Free: It Starts With Me” campaign. The campaign is supported by research, which is available online, and includes prevention and intervention training and techniques. There is also literature available for all education professionals who are likely to encounter bullying, including cafeteria personnel and paraprofessionals.

Visit the site.

3. Teaching Tolerance

Civil rights authorities at the Southern Poverty Law Center created a separate project, “Teaching Tolerance,” to help educators prevent bullying and promote diversity and equality. Styled as “a place for educators to find thought-provoking news, conversation and support for those who care about diversity, equal opportunity and respect for differences in schools,” this website has its own eponymous print journal, which educators can download. “Teaching Tolerance” offers classroom teaching kits, including a package styled around the acclaimed documentary, “Bullied.” It also offers a range of classroom activities and professional development opportunities.

Visit the site.

4. National Bullying Prevention Center

PACER, which advocates for the rights of children with disabilities, has a comprehensive anti-bullying website which includes videos and stories that can be used in the classroom. It heavily promotes National Bullying Prevention Month each October, with educators urged to wear orange T-shirts to celebrate Unity Day on October 10. Other resources include age-appropriate teacher tool kits and separate websites for teenagers and younger children.

Visit the site.

5. TeachSafeSchools.org

This anti-bullying website is aimed directly at teachers with a mission to “help school personnel develop a supportive, safe, and inviting learning environment where students can thrive and be successful.” While the site offers support and direction for creating safe learning atmospheres, what sets it apart is the breadth and depth of research it offers educators about the psychological ramifications of students feeling frightened and unsafe, as well as ways to empower them or intervene when necessary.

Visit the site.

6. Ridgefield Recovery Village

This article explores the link between bullying and substance abuse. What do adults need to know in order to protect children from bullying that could lead to drug abuse? Where can help be found for those suffering from addiction?

Visit the site.

7. School Bus Bullying Prevention

School buses are a common location for bullying to take place. Here’s how parents, kids, bus drivers, and schools can work together to make the school bus bully-proof.

Visit the site.

8. Addiction Center

Bullying doesn’t only impact the ones being harassed. The bullies are victims, too. The act of it may indicate deeper problems such as mental health degradation, trauma, or other issues in an aggressor’s environment. This article brings facts about the origins, impacts, and solutions for bullying.

Visit the site.