Safe Schools/Healthy Students Project

Safe Schools | High School Safety Study| Information for Parents | Gun Violence Prevention |Suicide Prevention Project

We have partnered with Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville to study school climate, with an emphasis on disciplinary structure and student support. The theory behind the study is that school authorities, like good parents, should strive for a balance of both firm disciplinary structure and an understanding and supportive approach with students. Components of the intervention include:

• Element 1: Safe school environments and violence prevention activities.
• Element 2: Alcohol and other drug prevention activities.
• Element 3: Student behavioral, social, and emotional supports.
• Element 4: Mental health services.
• Element 5: Early childhood social and emotional learning programs.

Our role includes helping to plan and implement the project, providing staff for some of the mental health services for students, and expanding the bullying prevention effort to all schools and all grades.

Baseline Results (2009)

Surveys were administered online in elementary through high school classrooms under teacher or staff supervision. A Spanish translation of the survey was also made available. Students did not put their names on the survey, so survey results are anonymous. Parents were advised of the survey before students participated. The survey presents a standard definition of bullying:"Bullying is defined as the use of one’s strength or popularity to injure, threaten, or embarrass another person. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or social. It is not bullying when two students of about the same strength argue or fight."

Based on this definition, students were asked whether they had been bullied in the past month “never,” “once or twice,”  “about once per week” or “several times per week.” By convention, the total percent who report being bullied at least once per week (“about once per week” plus “several times per week”) is used as an index of bullying.The chart below shows some selected results from the high school survey.

Students were also asked whether they had seen bullying in the past month at a series of locations. As indicated in the elementary chart below, bullying is most often reported outside the school building. Substantial numbers of students also report bullying on the bus or at the bus stop, and in classrooms.

Teasing does not always rise to the level of bullying, but it affects the quality of the school climate and whether students feel comfortable and accepted at school. Teasing about clothing and appearance are common problems in middle school grades. Most students do not endorse attitudes that support aggressive behavior as a justifiable and socially desirable activity. However, research has shown that those students who express aggressive attitudes are at increased risk for aggressive behavior, disciplinary referrals, and bullying. Moreover, these students tend to think that others share their perceptions and believe that they will be highly regarded by their peers if they are aggressive. Below are some selected overall results from the participating middle schools.

High school is a time when student may begin to engage in or increase their participation in risk behaviors and substance use.  Additionally, students may struggle with more serious emotional problems as they progress through high school.  While these behaviors may only be pertinent for a small portion of the students in high school, for those students the engagement in risky behaviors warrants attention due to the potentially serious consequences of these behaviors.