| MESPA Home > MN Bullying Prevention Initiative & Bookstore > Getting Started |  | | MESPA Home > MN Bullying Prevention Initiative & Bookstore > Getting Started | | | How does a school get started with the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program? | | If you are concerned about the issue of bullying in your
school or district and want to take strong steps to address it, implementing
the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) would be a good solution.
Here are five key steps to take in making this decision.
Step # 1: Learn as much as you
can about the issue of bullying at your school.
Analyze the amount and frequency of bullying at your
school. Look at your incident reports and reports from parents. Meet with
concerned parents. Talk with your local PTA/PTO. Talk with students and staff.
Consider administering the Olweus
Bullying Questionnaire to find out the level of bullying in your school. For a
little more than $1.00/student, this 42-question survey will give you helpful
information about the types of bullying, where it is happening, and how
students and staff are responding. To order the survey, scroll to the order form below -- or contact Toni Brezina at Hazelden: 800-328-9000, ext 4937; tbrezina@hazelden.org
Step # 2: Learn as much as you
can about the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.
Scroll to the documents at the bottom of this page:
- Olweus Fact Sheet
- Olweus Frequently Asked Questions
- Stimulus Funding and OBPP
Feel free to download the documents and share this
information with your staff and interested stakeholders. Also, check out the factsheets in the Minnesota Bullying Prevention Initiative Parent Tool Kit and Media Tool Kit.
Step # 3: Establish a
schoolwide Bullying Prevention Coordinating committee.
This committee will be responsible
for overseeing the implementation of your OBPP efforts. This committee should
be made up of 8-12 members, including:
- A
school administrator (principal or assistant principal).
- A
teacher from each grade level.
- A
school social worker, school counselor, school psychologist, and/or other school-based mental health
professional.
- A
representative from the non-teaching staff (such as a playground monitor, bus
driver, cafeteria worker, custodian).
- One
or two parents.
- A
representative from the community (if possible), such as an after-school or
youth program staff member or representative from the business or faith
community who might have a stake in the results of the program.
- Other
school personnel (such as a nurse, school resource officer, Title IX
representative) who may bring particular expertise to the committee.
- Possibly
one or two students (if they are in late elementary or middle school).
Step # 4: Purchase the Olweus
Bullying Prevention  | | MN Olweus Trainers meet with MESPA staff to plan opportunities for bringing Olweus into Minnesota schools: l-r, Bonnie Johnson (certified Olweus trainer), Alana Friedman (certified Olweus trainer), Olivia Gault (MESPA Director of Professional Development), Sue Thomas (Hazelden), Marion London (certified Olweus trainer), P. Fred Storti (MESPA Executive Director). |
Program materials
Other than the re-administration of the survey, the
purchase of OBPP materials is a one-time, upfront cost. The following materials
are required to implement the program.
- OBPP School Guide: It is recommended that you purchase one copy for every member
of your Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee.This guide will give step-by-step
instructions on how to implement OBPP schoolwide, including a CD-ROM of
resources and a program overview video that can be used in staff trainings.
- OBPP
Teacher Guide: It is recommended that you purchase one copy for every member of
your Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee and, ideally, one copy for
every teacher (or a minimum of one copy for every three teachers).This guide provides step-by-step
instructions on how to implement OBPP in the classroom, including a CD-ROM of
resources and a DVD that contains video scenarios that can be used as
discussion starters.
- Olweus
Bullying Questionnaire: It is recommended that you administer the survey once
before the program is launched with students, and at the same time each year
after that. Ideally each student should be surveyed, but for larger schools,
you could look at doing random sampling. To order the survey, scroll to the order form at the bottom of this page.
Be sure to make checks payable to Hazelden. For a quote on the potential cost of the program materials for your school, contact Toni Brezina at Hazelden: 800-328-9000, ext 4937; tbrezina@hazelden.org
Step #5: Contract with a certified Olweus trainer to guide your implementation.
It is highly recommended that schools contract with
a certified Olweus trainer to help guide their implementation of OBPP. Because
it is a schoolwide effort, it is helpful to have this outside support.
A certified Olweus trainer will
conduct a two-day program training for your school’s Bullying Prevention
Coordinating Committee and then consult with your committee one hour per month
during the first 12 months of implementation. Schools that use a certified
Olweus trainer find greater results with the program.
To save money, trainers can train
up to two school committees at a time. MESPA can help identify a trainer who would be available to work with you. For information contact Toni Brezina at Hazelden: 800-328-9000, ext 4937; tbrezina@hazelden.org
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Olweus_Facts.pdf
A fact sheet introducing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.
olweus_frequently_asked_questions_3.pdf
12 pages of Frequently Asked Questions (with answers) about bullying and the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.
MESPA_Olweus_Scope_and_Sequence_2.pdf
Program Information and in-depth scope and sequence.
OlweusOrderForm_MESPA_2.pdf
ORDER BULLYING QUESTIONNAIRES with this MESPA Hazelden order form. This form also may be used for ordering Olweus and other bullying prevention materials -- or go to the online MESPA Bullying Prevention Initiative Bookstore.
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| MESPA MN Bullying Prevention Bookstore | Visit MESPA's
Minnesota Bullying Prevention Initiative Bookstore to purchase evidence-based programs materials for
your school.
Or use the MESPA Olweus
Order Form at the bottom of this page -- and fax your order to MESPA at
651-999-7311. Checks payable to Hazelden. OR
contact Toni Brezina at Hazelden for guidance in determining which
materials to purchase, or quotes on the potential cost of the program
for your school: 800-328-9000, ext 4937; tbrezina@hazelden.org
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| Free Webinar |
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| Funding Resources | For guidance in writing grants or seeking Peace Maker Foundation or stimulus funding, visit the Funding Tool Kit.
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| Videos and Testimonials | Check out the short videos on You Tube providing background on the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, and testifying to the program's merits and success.
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| Olweus Bullying Questionnaires | Consider administering the Olweus
Bullying Questionnaire to find out the level of bullying in your
school. For a
little more than $1.00/student, this 42-question survey will give you
helpful
information about the types of bullying, where it is happening, and how
students and staff are responding. The questionnaire cannot be ordered through the online bookstore.To order the survey, scroll to the
order form below -- or contact Toni Brezina at Hazelden: 800-328-9000, ext 4937; tbrezina@hazelden.org
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| Bullying Prevention Training | Training is available for your school today! MESPA has contracted with
Certified Olweus Trainers to guide schools who purchase the program. For information on bringing a trainer to your school contact Toni Brezina at Hazelden: 800-328-9000, ext 4937; tbrezina@hazelden.org
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| Do you have a bullying problem in your school? | You may
not think you do, but ask your students. Adults tend to
overestimate their effectiveness in identifying bullying and
intervening. In one study that videotaped
interactions on the playground, 90% of teachers said they intervened ALL
the
time on the playground. The videotape showed they intervened only 5% of
the
time when bullying was occurring. The Olweus
(Ol-vay-us) Bullying Questionnaire is a research-based tool that can
help you
find out if you have a bullying problem at your school. To order the
questionnaire, visit the MESPA
MN Bullying Prevention Initiative bookstore.
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| Final thoughts... | It is recommended that a school focus their efforts on
implementing OBPP for at least three years. It usually takes that long for any
schoolwide effort to become a normal part of the everyday procedures and
policies of a school. However, schools should see significant reductions in
bullying within the first two years, if the program is implemented with
fidelity.
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