Page 24 - Demo

24SOLVING THE BULLYING CASES AT A KIVA SCHOOL%u2022The school staff determines whether or not the reported or noticed incident is bullying. The bullying cases are directed to the KiVa team, while other cases (conflicts, arguments) are left for the teacher to solve.%u25e6The school has to intervene in all conflicts, whether or not it is bullying. The KiVa Antibullying Program offers an effective model for intervening in bullying specifically.%u2022The participants of the bullying case are invited to individual discussions with the KiVa team. During these discussions, the details of the incident, such as the progression and the roles of the participants, are figured out.%u25e6The KiVa team has a general idea of the roles of the students in the situation, but students are given the chance to explain their own view of the situation.%u25e6If needed, the witnesses of bullying are also interviewed.%u25e6At the same time, the classroom or subject teacher talks to possible friends or supporters of the bullied student that their help is needed. Bullying is a group phenomenon, and to intervene in it requires the effort of the whole peer group.%u2022After the individual discussions, the KiVa team interviews all of the bullies as a group. The bullies are en-couraged to think of solutions to change their behavior in order to stop the bullying.%u2022The parents or guardians of children involved in the KiVa discussion are always informed. Due to confiden-tiality reasons, other children%u2019s names or details of the case are not disclosed to the parents or guardians.%u2022All discussions are documented, and these documents are confidential. There are always two adults from the school taking part in the KiVa team discussions.%u2022The situation is observed by the school staff over a time period determined by the school. The KiVa team then organizes individual follow-up discussions with the participants to find out the students%u2019 views on whether the situation has changed and the bullying stopped.%u2022If the situation has not changed, the KiVa team may involve the principal in investigating the matter. If necessary, parents or guardians will also be brought into the discussion.In more challenging cases of bullying, the school may use other security, instructional, or disciplinary measures, as well as individual student support measures if necessary.