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Highmark Healthy High 5 HALT! – A Bullying Prevention Program was developed in partnership with the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Windber Research Institute and is designed to build upon advancing the nationally recognized, evidence-based Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

The goals of the Highmark Healthy High 5 HALT! program are to:
- Reduce and prevent bullying-related problems among school children.
- Bring effective bullying prevention strategies to schools and communities.
- Educate students, parents and faculty about the components of bullying.
- Enhance the school environment toward a more pro-social, civil model.
- Enhance the effectiveness of teacher and parent intervention when bullying behavior arises.
- Provide additional resources to all schools in the targeted areas to enhance existing bullying prevention efforts.
A major element of HALT! is the continued implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, which has been utilized for more than 25 years and has had significant results in decreasing behaviors among children grades K-1

In addition to utilizing the Olweus method, the HALT! program will offer the following services:

Surveying students to identify issues unique to each individual school
Middle school retreats that focus on pro-social interaction between students
A high school component that focuses on issues that are relevant to this student population, including relational aggression, harassment and cyberbullying
A speakers bureau consisting of experts who present pertinent information to participating schools
A bullying hotline/referral servic

Index of previous topics:Healthy Food Habits Learn more: How to start talking to your kids about bullying \|Facts about bullying \| PA Cares \| HALT! \| View 30-minute show		FACTS ABOUT BULLYING Bullying is malicious behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength. Bullying is a behavior that is repeated over time. One out of five kids admits to being a bully or doing some bullying. (U.S. Department of Justice, 2005) Bullying is the most common form of violence in our society; between 15 percent and 30 percent of students are bullies or victims. (Cohn and Canter, National Association of School Psychologists) Every day, 160,000 children miss school because of a fear of being bullied. (U.S. Department of Justice, National Association of School Psychologists) Every seven minutes a child is bullied at school. (U.S. Department of Justice, 2005) Seventy-seven percent of students are bullied emotionally, verbally and/or physically. (U.S. Department of Justice, 2005) Young people who bully are more likely than those who don’t bully to skip school and drop out of school. They are also more likely to smoke, drink and get into fights. (Nansel et al, 2003; Olweus, 1993) Bullies in middle school, without intervention, are three times as likely to have at least one criminal conviction by the age of 24. (Olweus, 2003) More than two-thirds of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective. (Cohn and Canter, National Association of School Psychologists) Bullying is most likely to occur in schools where there is a lack of adult supervision during breaks, where teachers and students are indifferent to or accept bullying behavior, and where rules against bullying are not consistently enforced. (Olweus, Limber and Mihalic, 1999) Creating a respectful, caring and intentionally inviting learning environment is the surest way to encourage student achievement. (William Purkey and David Aspy)
October 2008: Bullying

Take The Time - Talk To Your Kids Short video segments covering more subjects	Weekly stories that appeared on WICU

Signs of Bullying	What parents can do

How to begin a conversation with your child about bullying If you suspect that your child is being bullied, it does not necessarily mean that he or she is being bullied, but the possibility is worth exploring. Talk with your child. Tell him or her that you are concerned and that you’d like to help. Here are some questions that can help get the discussion going. Be straightforward, ask a direct question. “I’m worried about you. Are there any kids at school who may be picking on you or bullying you?” “Are there any kids at school who tease you in a mean way?” “Are there any kids at school who leave you out or exclude you on purpose?” Be subtle, ask an indirect question. “Do you have any special friends at school this year? Who are they? Who do you hang out with?” “Who do you sit with at lunch and on the bus?” “Are there any kids at school who you really don’t like? Why don’t you like them? Do they ever pick on you or leave you out of things?” How to help your child become more resilient to bullying Suggest and facilitate music, athletics and art activities. Doing so may help your child be more confident among his or her peers. Encourage your child to make contact with friendly students in his or her class. Your child’s teacher may be able to suggest students with whom your child can make friends, spend time or collaborate on work. Help your child meet new friends outside of the school environment. A new environment can provide a “fresh start” for a child who has been bullied repeatedly. continued Teach your child safety strategies. Teach him or her how to seek help from an adult when feeling threatened by a bully. Talk about whom he or she should go to for help and role-play what he or she should say. Assure your child that reporting bullying is not the same as tattling. Ask yourself if your child is being bullied because of a learning difficulty or a lack of social skills? If your child is hyperactive, impulsive or overly talkative, the child who bullies may be reacting out of annoyance. This doesn’t make the bullying right, but it may help to explain why your child is being bullied. If your child easily irritates people, seek help from a counselor so that your child can better learn the informal social rules of his or her peer group. Home is where the heart is. Make sure your child has a safe and loving home environment where he or she can take shelter, physically and emotionally. Always maintain open lines of communication with your child. Work with parents and school officials. If your school does not have official anti-bullying policies or an active bullying prevention program, work with other parents and your school officials to develop one.
How to start the conversation	Starting the conversation Part II


Get more information
PA CARES – A Highmark Healthy High 5 Bullying Prevention Program PA CARES (Creating an Atmosphere of Respect and Environment for Success) is a Highmark Healthy High 5 bullying prevention program made possible through a Highmark Foundation grant of $2.3 million to the Center for Safe Schools, an agency of the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit. PA CARES strives to help school personnel strengthen their efforts to reduce bullying behaviors and provide safe and nurturing learning environments for students. The PA CARES program is administered by the Center for Safe Schools. Schools must complete an online application to be considered for support from PA CARES. Schools that are chosen to participate receive a grant of up to $7,500 and are provided bullying prevention readiness tools, technical assistance support and bullying prevention training resources. Schools selected to participate will fully implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, complete the online Preventing School Violence Readiness Series and participate in training and evaluation activities conducted by the Center for Safe Schools. Approximately 75 applicants will be chosen to participate in PA CARES during 2009. Additional schools will be chosen in 2010. The Center for Safe Schools is accepting applications for the second half of the 2008-09 school year through Nov. 7, 2008, and awardees will be notified in early December. For more information on PA CARES, visit www.safeschools.info/pacares. Highmark Healthy High 5 HALT! – A Bullying Prevention Program Highmark Healthy High 5 HALT! – A Bullying Prevention Program was developed in partnership with the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Windber Research Institute and is designed to build upon advancing the nationally recognized, evidence-based Olweus Bullying Prevention Program The goals of the Highmark Healthy High 5 HALT! program are to: Reduce and prevent bullying-related problems among school children. Bring effective bullying prevention strategies to schools and communities. Educate students, parents and faculty about the components of bullying. Enhance the school environment toward a more pro-social, civil model. Enhance the effectiveness of teacher and parent intervention when bullying behavior arises. Provide additional resources to all schools in the targeted areas to enhance existing bullying prevention efforts. A major element of HALT! is the continued implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, which has been utilized for more than 25 years and has had significant results in decreasing behaviors among children grades K-1 The Olweus program is not a curriculum, but rather a school-wide approach that focuses on changing behaviors that lead to an improvement in school and a reduction in anti-social behaviors. The four main components of the Olweus program are individual interventions, classroom interventions, school-wide interventions and community interventions. In addition to utilizing the Olweus method, the HALT! program will offer the following services: Surveying students to identify issues unique to each individual school Middle school retreats that focus on pro-social interaction between students A high school component that focuses on issues that are relevant to this student population, including relational aggression, harassment and cyberbullying A speakers bureau consisting of experts who present pertinent information to participating schools A bullying hotline/referral servic