Know the Signs of Bullying
is the first step to prevention
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Our ongoing efforts to prevent and deal with bullying in FCPS:

• Bullying is discussed with all students at the beginning of each school year and mid year through review of the Student Responsibilities and Rights (SR&R).

• All schools are required to have a character education program.  Many schools are implementing positive behavioral supports as a school-wide initiative that emphasizes respect for others.

• Elementary school counselors use the FCPS bullying prevention curriculum with elementary-aged students, provided to them by the FCPS School Counseling Department.  All elementary counselors are required to teach a minimum of one bullying prevention lesson per class each year.  Completion reports are submitted to the Office of School Counseling.  Additionally, trained elementary counselors use the Second Step curriculum that addresses violence and also bullying, antisocial and character issues. Second Step promotes core ethical values such as fairness, respect, responsibility, self discipline, honest and more. Middle and high school counselors facilitate classroom guidance lessons to all students assigned to their caseload before the end of first semester.

• Safe and Drug-Free Youth (SDFY) provides middle schools with the Get Real about Violence Curriculum that is used in school and in after school programs in some schools.
  • Personnel train many high schools and the alternative school program on the Too Good for Violence Curriculum.  SDFY personnel visit schools throughout the year and do presentations for students at all grade levels on bullying prevention.  They provide school staff with in-services on how to recognized bullying and how to prevent it.  In addition, SDFY holds workshops for parents and PTA groups on bullying prevention.
  • SDFY developed the Bullying Poster (PDF format) that has been distributed to all FCPS schools as a reminder to students on how to deal with bullying situations.  A Bullying Prevention Power Point for school administrators has been distributed to schools.
    
    
• The following publications are distributed to assist administrators in dealing with bullying in their schools:
  • Bullying-Proofing Your Schools: An Administrator Guide for Elementary Schools
  • Bullying "it's not just kids being kids"
  • I did not know I was being a Bully
  • Bullying is not a Fact of Life  
      
• The Office of School Counseling Services works collaboratively with SDFY to train school counselors about ways to prevent, identify, and respond to bullying. The most recent training was a county wide in-service for school counselors on Cyber-bullying.

• SDFY facilitates an annual training for singleton counselors working with students in alternative settings.

• All school psychologists and social workers have been trained on bullying prevention and intervention.  (The most recent in-service training was at the start of this school year, and included training in the Second Step Program).

• School psychologists, social workers and counselors routinely consult with teachers, parents and school administrators around issues of bullying, and work with students identified as requiring behavioral intervention or counseling support. Many also conduct groups focused on developing social skills and resiliency.  Staff actively support the school-wide positive behavior support programs being implemented in an increasing number of schools.

• In middle and high schools, staff members are positioned outside classroom doors while students pass between classes.  Students observed to participate in bullying or are reported to bully others are subject to disciplinary procedures as set forth in the Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R).  Separate from the discipline track, both the bully and victim are frequently referred to student services staff for intervention.  This may take the form of direct counseling services or referral to community providers as appropriate for the student and/or the student's family.
  
  
• The students in our Peer Mediation programs also work with students who are victims and perpetrators.

• All administrators, teachers, and other school staff are expected to deal with any bullying or reported bullying behavior immediately.

Miss Virginia 2006, Adrianna Sgarlata, poses with the Halley Elementary School student rap group, The Bully Nots, following a school-wide kick off of the Olweus Bullying Prevention program.