Abstract
Although all states in the United States require school districts to adopt anti-bullying policies, relatively little research explores the content of bullying policies. A content analysis of anti-bullying policies from 76 school districts across the State of Louisiana was conducted. A 63-item coding scheme was developed to guide the analysis. The overall compliance to the coding framework by the Louisiana school districts considered in this study was 64%, with many policies covering logistical aspects of bullying response such as definitions, reporting, investigating, monitoring, disseminating policies, and consequences for perpetrators. While many school districts addressed evidenced-based practices and mental health support for victims and perpetrators, few school district policies addressed the use of personally owned technology, mental health support for witnesses, evaluating programs, or enumeration of vulnerable groups. There was also a noticeable gap in policies that were culturally responsive in nature. Implications are discussed for educators, policy-makers, and researchers.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
References
Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2018). Teens, social media & technology 2018. In Pew Research Center Retrieved from https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/.
Astor, R. A., Cornell, D. G., Espelage, D. L., Furlong, M. J., Jimerson, S. R., Mayer, M. J., & Sugai, G. (2012). A call for more effective prevention of violence. In response to the shooting at sandy hook elementary school. In Position Statement of the Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence. Virginia: University of Virginia, Curry School of Education and Human Development Retrieved from https://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/Updated_Lists-7-30-13-OFFICIAL_FOR_DISSEMINATION Connecticut_School_Shooting _Position_Statement.pdf.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Youth risk behavior survey: data summary and trend report 2007-2017. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/trendsreport.pdf
Cornell, D., & Limber, S. P. (2015). Law and policy on the concept of bullying at school. American Psychologist, 70, 333–343. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038558.
Day, J. K., Salvatore, I., & Russell, S. T. (2019). Safe and supportive schools for LGBT youth: addressing educational inequities through inclusive policies and practices. Journal of School Psychology, 74, 29–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2019.05.007.
Diamanduros, T., Downs, E., & Jenkins, S. (2008). The role of school psychologists in the assessment, prevention, and intervention of cyberbullying. Psychology in the Schools, 45(8), 693–704. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20335.
Downes, P., & Cefai, C. (2016). How to prevent and tackle bullying and school violence: evidence and practices for strategies for inclusive and safe schools (NESET II report). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2766/0799.
Downes, P., & Cefai, C. (2019). Strategic clarity on different prevention levels of school bullying and violence: rethinking peer defenders and selected prevention. Journal of School Violence, 18, 510–521. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2019.1566915.
Elamé, E. (2013a). Bullying: characterisation and the state of international research. In E. Elamé (Ed.), Discriminatory bullying (pp. 3–24). Berlin: Springer Verlag.
Elamé, E. (2013b). Discriminatory bullying: a reality in European schools. In E. Elamé (Ed.), Discriminatory bullying (pp. 341–369). Berlin: Springer Verlag.
Epstein, D., Dowler, A., Mellor, D. J., & Madden, L. (2006). Evaluation of anti-bullying policies in schools in Wales: final report. Cardiff (WLS): Government of Wales.
Espelage, D. L., Rose, C. A., & Polanin, J. P. (2015). Social-emotional learning program to reduce bullying, fighting, and victimization among middle school students with disability. Remedial and Special Education, 36, 299–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932514564564.
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. (2013). EU LGBT survey, results at a glance. Vienna: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.
Fisher, K., Cassidy, B., & Mitchell, A. M. (2017). Bullying: effects on school-aged children, screening tools, and referral sources. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 34(4), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370016.2017.1369801.
Gaffney, H., Farrington, D. P., & Ttofi, M. M. (2019). Examining the effectiveness of school-bullying intervention programs globally: a meta-analysis. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 1, 14–31.
Goldweber, A., Waasdorp, T. E., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2013). Examining the link between forms of bullying behaviors and perceptions of safety and belonging among secondary school students. Journal of School Psychology, 51, 469–485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2013.04.004.
Gower, A. L., Cousin, M., & Borowsky, I. W. (2017). A multilevel, statewide investigation of school district anti-bullying policy quality and student bullying involvement. Journal of School Health, 87(3), 174–181. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12480.
Greytak, E. A., Kosciw, J. G., Villenas, C., & Giga, N. M. (2016).From teasing to torment: School climate revisited, a survey of U.S. secondary school students and teachers. New York: GLSEN. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED574777.pdf
Hall, W. (2017). The effectiveness of policy interventions for school bullying: a systematic review. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 8(1), 45–69. https://doi.org/10.1086/690565.
Huddleston, L. B., Varjas, K., Meyers, J., & Cadenhead, C. (2011). A case study with an identified bully: policy and practice implications. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, 12(3), 316–323 Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.
Kozasa, S., Oiji, A., Kiyota, A., Sawa, T., & Kim, S. (2017). Relationship between the experience of being a bully-victim and mental health in preadolescence and adolescence: a cross-sectional study. Annals of General Psychiatry, 16, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-017-0160-4.
Lambe, L. J., Hudson, C. C., Craig, W. M., & Pepler, D. J. (2017). Does defending come with a cost? Examining the psychosocial correlates of defending behavior among bystanders of bullying in a Canadian sample. Child Abuse & Neglect, 65, 112–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.01.012.
Lambert, P., Scourfield, J., Smalley, N., & Jones, R. (2008). The social context of school bullying: evidence from a survey of children in South Wales. Research Papers in Education, 23(3), 269–291. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671520701809866.
Limber, S. P., & Small, M. A. (2003). State laws and policies to address bullying in schools. School Psychology Review, 32(3), 445–456.
Louisiana Public Health Institute. (2011). Louisiana. Youth risk behavior surveillance surveys 2011 & school health profiles comparison 2010: violence among louisiana public school students. Retrieved from http://lphi.org/wp-content/uploads/ 2016/09/2011-YRBSS-Fact-Sheet-School-Violence_Eval_Fact-Sheet.pdf
McCann, A. (2018). States with the biggest bullying problems. Retrieved from https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-at-controlling-bullying/9920/
McHugh, M. L. (2012). Interrater reliability: the kappa statistic. Biochemia medica: Biochemia medica, 22(3), 276–282. https://doi.org/10.11613/bm.2012.031.
Mendez-Baldwin, M. (2019). An interactive bully prevention program: using story time, dolls & pledges to teach about bullying. Journal of Bullying & Social Aggression Retrieved from http://sites.tamuc.edu/bullyingjournal/test-2/.
Menesini, E., & Salmivalli, C. (2017). Bullying in schools: the state of knowledge and effective interventions. Psychology, Health, & Medicine, 22, 240–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2017.1279740.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). Preventing bullying through science, policy, and practice. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/23482.
Nazir, T., & Piskin, M. (2015). School bullying: effecting child’s mental health. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 2, 130–135. https://doi.org/10.25215/0204.090.
Neuendorf, K. A. (2002). The content analysis guidebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Olweus, D. (1993). Victimization by peers: antecedents and long-term outcomes. In K. H. Rubin & J. B. Asendorpf (Eds.), Social withdrawal, inhibition, and shyness in childhood (pp. 315–341). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc..
Ordonez, M. (2006). Prevalence of bullying among elementary school children as a function of the comprehensiveness of anti-bullying policies and programs in the school (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from PsycInfo. (2007-99003-107)
Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2012). School-based efforts to prevent cyberbullying. The Prevention Researcher, 19(1).
Peguero, A. A., & Bondy, J. M. (2017). The importance of immigration with future research about school safety. Race and Justice. https://doi.org/10.1177/21533687177738039.
Research, P. (2012). Teens, smartphones & texting. Pew Research Center (Internet and Technology). Retrieved from https://www.pewinternet.org/2012/03/19/teens-smartphones-texting/.
Purdy, N., & Smith, P. K. (2016). A content analysis of school anti-bullying policies in Northern Ireland. Educational Psychology in Practice, 32(3), 281–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2016.1161599.
Rivara, F., & Le Menestrel, S. (2016). Preventing bullying through science, policy, and practice. The National Academies Press Retrieved from https://www.nap.edu/catalog /23482/preventing-bullying-through-science-policy-and-practice.
Rivers, I., Poteat, V. P., Noret, N., & Ashurst, N. (2009). Observing bullying at school: the mental health implications of witness status. School Psychology Quarterly, 24(4), 211–223. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018164.
Robinson Vaughn, B. E. (2013). A descriptive analysis of Louisiana public school districts’ anti-bullying policies (doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ERIC. (ED563792)
Sabine Parish Schools. (2018-2019). District student handbook. Retrieved from http://online.fliphtml5.com/agim/vnmt/#p=32
Smith, P. K., Smith, C., Osborn, R., & Samara, M. (2008). A content analysis of school anti-bullying policies: progress and limitations. Educational Psychology in Practice, 24(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667360701661165.
Srabstein, J. C., Berkman, B. E., & Pyntikova, E. (2008). Antibullying legislation: a public health perspective. Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(1), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.10.007.
Stuart-Cassel, V., Bell, A., & Springer, J. F. (2011). Analysis of state bullying laws and policies. In Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, US Department of Education Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/bullying/state-bullying-laws/state-bullying-laws.pdf.
Sulkowski, M. L., Bauman, S., Wright, S., Nixon, C., & Davis, S. (2014). Peer victimization in youth from immigrant and non-immigrant US families. School Psychology International, 35, 649–669. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034314554968.
Swearer, S. M., Espelage, D. L., Vaillancourt, T., & Hymel, S. (2010). What can be done about school bullying? Linking research to educational practice. Educational Researcher, 39, 38–47. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X09357622.
U. S. Department of Education. (2010, October 26). Dear colleague letter. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201010.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Laws, policies & regulations. Retrieved from https://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/index.html
Wang, J., Iannotti, R. J., & Nansel, T. R. (2009). School bullying among adolescents in the United States: physical, verbal, relational, and cyber. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(4), 368–375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.03.021.
Waseem, M., Paul, A., Schwartz, G., Pauze, D., Eakin, P., Barata, I., et al. (2017). Violence: recognition, management and prevention. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 52, 246–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2016.07.107.
Weaver, L. M., Brown, J. R., Weddle, D. B., & Aalsma, M. C. (2013). A content analysis of protective factors within states’ antibullying laws. Journal of School Violence, 12(2), 156–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2012.751537.
White, N., La Salle, T., Ashby, J. S., & Meyers, J. (2014). A brief measure of adolescent perceptions of school climate. School Psychology Quarterly, 29, 349–359. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000075.
Woods, S., & Wolke, D. (2003). Does the content of anti-bullying policies inform us about the prevalence of direct and relational bullying behavior in primary schools? Educational Psychology, 23(4), 381–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410303215.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stickl Haugen, J., Sutter, C.C., Tinstman Jones, J.L. et al. School District Anti-Bullying Policies: a State-Wide Content Analysis. Int Journal of Bullying Prevention 2, 309–323 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-019-00055-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-019-00055-1
Keywords
- Bullying
- Cyberbullying
- Anti-bullying policy
- School policy
- Content analysis