Creating a bully-free environment 

According to the National Education Association (NEA), bullying occurs once every seven minutes, meaning bullying could occur in your classroom in the time it takes to review this tip sheet.  

Tips to prevent bullying in your classroom 

Preventing bullying in your classroom is a group effort. Use these tips to lead the charge against bullying among your students: 

  • Enlist your students to help you craft an Anti-Bullying Classroom Policy. Students can brainstorm age-appropriate rules to help keep bullying out of their classroom. Publish this policy in the front of your classroom so that it can be referenced by concerned students and quickly reinforced by you and other authoritative figures throughout the school year.  

  • Routinely include lessons on respect in your curriculum to introduce the importance of acceptance and inclusivity to your students.  

  • Empower students to report bullying when they see it. Respect the anonymity of reporters when requested and reward those who accurately draw attention to bullying among their peers.  

  • Support targets or victims of bullying and violence. Demonstrating care and understanding makes you more likely to create a positive outcome for the impacted student. Showing your support against aggressive acts may also reduce the potential for repeat occurrences in the future.  

  • Create a clear, consistent, zero-tolerance bullying punishment to deter potential acts. This process may include in-classroom penalties, after-school requirements or the involvement of higher levels of authority, such as principals and other administrators.  

  • Report involvement in bullying to the parents and guardians of students so that the issues can be addressed within the home.  

  • Maintain records of all classroom bullying to track repeat offenders and implement appropriate consequences. Follow up on previous instances of bullying to confirm that no additional aggressions have occurred and ensure that your students have a restored sense of safety within the classroom.  

  • Consider all threats of bullying or classroom violence to be legitimate, and always report all occurrences to authorities to protect your classroom's safety and wellbeing.  

Help prevent bullying by talking about safe school behavior with your students. Creating an open dialogue about appropriate classroom behavior will create a safe and enjoyable learning environment for your students.