Profiles in Bullying: The Bystander Published Oct. 25, 2012 By Senior Airman Susan L. Davis 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Right now, there is a nationwide discussion happening about bullying in schools, on television and in the media. Dr. Mary Koopman, Nathan Twining Elementary and Middle School principal here, said that a central part of the new anti-bullying campaign is teaching children how to handle a situation when they witness bullying. "We are really pushing students who witness bullying to step in and take safe, careful actions to stop it when they see it," she said. "There are many reasons why a bystander who witnesses bullying may not want to step in and do something about it. Many times, it's just because they don't want to get involved, they think someone else will take care of it, or they just don't want to become another target for the bully." She said that Twining has been holding school-wide assemblies and weekly classroom meetings about bullying and cyber bullying. They also challenge students to think about how they would react to a real-life situation through role playing and acting out scenarios. In the event of a physical altercation, Koopman said that bystanders should try to avoid breaking up a fight themselves. "We tell our students to go get an adult if at all possible rather than attempting to break up a fight on their own," she said. "Every adult at the school, from the teachers to the custodians, have been receiving training on how to safely intervene when a fight breaks out and stop it." Koopman warned that the no-tolerance policy is clear about students becoming involved in any sort of physical altercation, and generally, all those involved will face some consequence. "In the case of a student stepping in and trying to fend off a bully, any principal using their best judgment would conduct a thorough investigation first," she said. "The final decision, however, is at the discretion of the school." Koopman praised how well-behaved students are at Twining, and said that bullying has not been a major issue during her time here. "One large component of bullying prevention is community involvement," she said. "By getting school faculty members, parents, other students, and the larger community involved, we are sending a message that bullying will not be tolerated anywhere at any time. Hopefully this will make bullies think twice before acting out, or even better, lead them and their families to get help." Below is a list of suggestions from the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program about what to do if your child witnesses bullying: Teach your child how to get help without getting hurt. Encourage your child how to verbally intervene if it is safe to do so. Tell your child not to cheer on or even quietly watch bullying. Encourage your child to tell a trusted adult about the bullying. Help your child support others who tend to be bullied. Teach your child to include these children in activities. Praise and reward your child when he tries to do the right thing to stop bullying, even if he or she is not successful. Work with your child to practice specific ways he or she can help stop bullying.