Abstract
Biased-based bullying, a common form of aggression that occurs in schools, targets individuals because of stigmatized identities and characteristics. Because biased-based bullying has adverse impacts on the health and well-being of marginalized students, the management and prevention of biased-based incidents is a priority, but little is known about school efforts in prevention. The goal of this study was to understand the kinds of strategies used by schools to address bias-based bullying as well as the challenges to effective prevention and intervention. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 7 teams composed of 19 educators from middle and high schools in Minnesota who were responsible for bullying response. Teams were composed of administrators, paraprofessional staff, and teachers from urban, suburban, and rural schools. Findings indicated that schools are well-versed in the steps to respond to general bullying incidents, aligning with state anti-bullying mandates on reporting, investigations, and disciplinary actions. These policies, however, do not target stigma and bias. Rather, schools look to broader upstream whole-school environmental approaches to develop a culture of inclusivity. For example, many schools are implementing socioemotional learning programs, which are neither tailored to biased-based bullying nor proven effective in reducing biased-based bullying. Other organizational initiatives being pursued by schools are the hiring of equity specialists, designing diversity education and inclusive curriculum, and instituting student-led affinity groups. Given the limited resources available in schools, future research is recommended to evaluate these new approaches, policies and practices to effectively and efficiently address the root causes of biased-based bullying.
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Notes
Positionality statements. Because individual and collective identities influence methodologic approaches and interpretation in research, we, as authors, provide here our identities to increase transparency with our audience. MRR (she/her) is a second-generation, heterosexual Filipinx-American, born and raised in Los Angeles, California, in primarily Latinx and Asian low-to-middle class communities. CB (she/her) is a white, queer, able- and large-bodied cisgender woman raised in a conservative, working-class community. ALG (she/her) is a white, queer, able- and large-bodied cisgender woman raised in a rural, majority white community in the upper Midwest. YSN (he/him) is a first-generational, heterosexual Korean-American, born and raised in primarily white, working-class communities in the upper Midwest. MEE (she/her) is a white, cisgender, heterosexual woman raised in a small city in Minnesota.
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Appendices
Appendix
Interview Questions:
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1.
Please tell me a little about your school.
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2.
What are your roles in terms of school safety or violence prevention?
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3.
What are some of your top safety or violence prevention concerns for students?
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4.
What are some things students at your school get teased, harassed, picked on, or bullied about?
PROBE: Have you had to deal with these kinds of negative experiences around race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression) or weight at your school?
Note: Use words that the group uses—e.g., bias-based bullying, harassment, discrimination
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5.
We have been talking to students about these kinds of experiences. Some scenarios they described were things like people using the word "fag" or saying "that's so gay," being told to "stop acting ghetto," being called "a disease to the community," or even being pushed into the wrong bathroom because of their gender expression.
Has this sort of thing ever happened at your school?
PROBE: Please tell me more about it. [if no similar incidents, frame the following questions as hypothetical]
PROBE: How did you respond to this incident?
PROBE: What, if any, special resources were used to address this incident?
PROBE: What were some challenges/barriers to addressing this kind of incident?
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6.
How much of a problem is it (use what was stated) at your school?
PROBE: How does this compare to other safety concerns or violence prevention concerns, such as general bullying?
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7.
What kinds of policies, programs, or other resources do you have in place at your school to prevent these kinds of incidents?
PROBE: What do you think about these policies/practices/other resources?
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SUB-PROBE: How do they work?
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SUB-PROBE: How don’t they work?
PROBE: How do these compare to your policies, programs, and other resources related to general bullying/harassment/violence prevention?
PROBE: What strategies are used when these kinds of incidents happen?
PROBE: What, if any, special resources were used to address these kinds of experiences?
PROBE: How did you come up with these policies, practices, and/or resources?
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8.
In general, from what each of you hears or knows, what strategies seem to be the most effective in preventing bias-based bullying [or term used by respondents] at your school?
PROBE: Are they similar or different to those that are effective for general bullying?
PROBE: What do you think they’re working (or not working?) for students/teachers?
PROBE: Why are they a good fit for your school?
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9.
What type of professional development on this topic of bias-based bullying [or term used] has been provided to staff at your school in the past three years?
PROBE: Who at your school received this training [ask for each training mentioned]?
PROBE: Have administrators received this training [ask for each training mentioned]
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10.
Where do you get information and resources about bias-based bullying prevention [or term used] or strategies for dealing with it?
PROBE: Are the sources different for different forms (e.g., race-based vs. weight-based bullying?)
PROBE: Are these the same or different than the places where you get information about general bullying?
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11.
What kind of resources do you wish you had to prevent and address bias-based bullying [or term used]?
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12.
Are there other things related to your work around bias-based bullying [or term used] that you would like to bring up today?
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Ramirez, M.R., Gower, A.L., Brown, C. et al. How do Schools Respond to Biased-Based Bullying? A Qualitative Study of Management and Prevention Strategies in Schools. School Mental Health 15, 508–518 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-022-09565-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-022-09565-8