Bullying is when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has difficulty defending himself or herself.

Students who are bullied often become depressed, develop low self-esteem and develop health problems such as stomachaches and headaches. They may be afraid to return to school, go to the bathroom, or ride the school bus. They may have trouble concentrating and their schoolwork may suffer.

A national study, which included students in grades 6 to 10, found that 17 percent of students reported having been bullied "sometimes" or more often during the school term. Eight percent of those students reported they had been bullied at least once a week (Nansel, 2001). These bullying acts can include a student or group of students physically hitting, shoving and kicking another student or spreading lies and nasty rumors about another student.

Be aware of these common characteristics of students who are often targets of bullying and students who often bully others. Students who are being bullied often have the following characteristics:

• Are cautious, sensitive, quiet, withdrawn and shy
• Are anxious, insecure, unhappy and have low self-esteem
• Are depressed and engage in suicidal ideation much more often than their peers
• Often do not have a single good friend and relate better to adults than to peers
• Are often physically weaker than their peers (if they are boys) and in particular, weaker than those who bully

Students who bully other students are likely to have several characteristics that teachers and parents can watch for:

• Have a positive attitude toward violence and the use of violent means
• Have strong needs to dominate and subdue other students and to get their own way
• Are impulsive and easily angered
• Show little empathy toward students who are bullied
• Are defiant and aggressive toward adults, including teachers and parents
• Are involved in other antisocial or rule-breaking activities such as vandalism, delinquency and substance abuse

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Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, is the most researched and best-known bullying prevention program available today. It was developed by Dan Olweus, Ph.D., of Norway. OBPP has over thirty-five years of research behind it and has been implemented throughout the world, in countries such as the United States, Canada, England, Mexico, Iceland, Germany, Sweden, and Croatia, in addition to Norway.
 
OBPP is recognized by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence as one of only eleven Blueprints Model Programs and by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as a Model Program-two of the highest honors a prevention program can attain. It has also received numerous awards from other organizations dedicated to addressing the issue of bullying and violence among children.