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Most experts agree that the best way to fight bullying is to make positive changes to the whole school, instead of targeting individual kids.

Counseling helps individual students deal with being bullied. Anti-bullying programs stop people from being bullies in the first place. Students learn early in their school careers that bullying is hurtful and that there are better ways to deal with feelings. Some schools have classroom meetings. The teacher and students talk together about bullying or other classroom issues. The goal is to talk about problems in a safe location. If you’re in a classroom meeting, you might be afraid to bring up the fact a certain person is bullying you. Instead of using her name, you could talk more generally. Say, “Sometimes I feel scared and stressed out, because people pick on me.” Or, “The other day, I was tripped in the hall and then pushed to the ground.” Then your whole class can talk about how to make sure it doesn’t happen again, without singling out one person. GOVERNMENTS Schools aren’t the only places with rules against bullying. Governments have them, too. Govern- ments are supposed to protect people. Protecting them from bullying is part of the government’s job. In the United States, almost every state has laws against bullying. Some laws give parents the right to move their kids to new schools if they are being bullied or are caught being bullies. Other state laws say that all schools in that state have to have an anti-bullying plan. That way, if a student is caught being a bully, the school knows exactly what to do.

Staying Safe and Being Prepared

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