Buncombe County Schools believes that all students should be able to be safe at home and school from bullying or any unwanted and repeated acts of harassment or threats. It is critical that school personnel teach students how to recognize and respond should they witness or be a target of any type of bullying. In addition, schools and parents/guardians must work together closely to educate, set limits, and develop trust so that students will talk to them and seek support.
The 2021 results of the nationally administered Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicate that between 2011 and 2021, in-person bullying of high school students at school has decreased while cyberbullying has remained stable or slightly increased. This means that student reported incident rates of cyberbullying exceed in person bullying for the first time. More locally, cyberbullying reports were often made only as a result of other inappropriate school behaviors, making intervention less likely to occur until it is at a crisis point.
Buncombe County Schools is now launching a series of helpful cyberbullying prevention and intervention strategies on the Student Services page of the district website that provide useful information for students, parents and teachers. Over the next few months, new information will be added regularly about how to respond and report bullying, support for parents for prevention and intervention at home, and how teachers can recognize and intervene with bullying at school.
As we approach a holiday break, students will likely spend even more time on social media. Available now on this site are actions students can take if they experience any type of mean or hurtful comments online that are persistent and/or potentially harmful or threatening. One of the most important actions is reporting to a trusted adult and seeking support. Please talk with your children about any indication of online bullying and direct them to this website page for a useful guide. There are also links to anonymous reporting and crisis helplines if they need immediate assistance. Our sincere hope is that all of our students will have a safe and happy holiday break!