Bully-Free Schools: Circle of Support for Learning
Creating Safe and Caring Schools for Student Success

The Need

Bullying affects all students' ability to learn. It promotes aggressive norms and undermines feelings of emotional and physical safety in school which are so essential for learning. Even the students who are doing the bullying and harassing suffer negative consequences. They are likely to continue to use aggression into adulthood, resulting in higher rates of domestic violence and other criminal behaviors.


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The Solution

SAPE Bullying Prevention Trainings (K-12) and Technical Support

The research of Dan Olweus and the practical applications of that research developed by Stan Davis form the basis of a comprehensive approach to creating schools that are physically and emotionally safe. The approach includes strategies that address the full range of peer-to-peer aggression and encourages change on both the individual and systems levels: 1) Students learn pro-social alternatives to their aggressive/bullying behaviors, and 2) The culture of the school becomes one that actively promotes a caring and respectful environment where everyone belongs. One-day and two-day trainings are available. SAPE trainings will provide schools with research-based strategies to do the following:

  • Develop a system of clear limits and effective consequences.
  • Develop a positive school climate that promotes and reinforces pro-social behavior.
  • Help "bullies" change aggressive behavior.
  • Support "targets" of bullies.
  • Impact group norms and mobilize the "bystanders."
  • Develop a working partnership with the parents of bullies and targets.

SAPE technical support includes a handbook and a student survey. Data from the survey can provide essential information regarding peer-to-peer aggression in your school. (Schools may choose to utilize the SAPE evaluator, who will analyze the data and generate a report that provides visual graphs and highlights of the findings.) SAPE consultants will be available to provide support and guidance both before and after trainings to ensure a successful implementation.