October is Anti-Bullying month in the US and it is also the gateway to the holidays which are usually thought of as a time of joy, peace and goodwill by most. Unfortunately, research has found that nearly 30% of middle school students have concerns about returning to school after holiday break due to bullying. Bullied students become chronically absent students that cost schools millions of dollars. High school dropout rates most frequently occur after the school holiday break with “classroom boredom” ranked as the number one reason followed closely by number two “being bullied” as the primary causes for leaving school before graduating. A different study showed that 2 out of 10 high school students are bullied to such a degree that they will not raise their hands to answer questions in class due to bullying and ridicule, this obviously influences the student’s ability to learn and perform and even feel safe in the classroom.
Students are not the only fallout resulting from bullying. In a 2017 study conducted by an educational consulting firm, high school teachers with a minimum of five years of teaching experience were polled on the Top 10 reasons why they left the teaching profession. The 7th ranked reason for leaving in the poll was “low morale, feeling various inadequacies in providing a safe learning environment free from bullying and ridicule for students.”
No student wants to be labeled a “tattle tale” and so most victims of bullying stay silent and try to “tough it out” on their own. When students finally reach out for help the physical or psychological damage can be immense. Both students and teachers need to have the ability to safely report bullying without perceived or real personal repercussions at school. BRIM is designed to do exactly those things: BRIM enables students and teachers with the ability to anonymously report bullying online allowing the school to take corrective actions. BRIM also provides schools with a comprehensive tool that is intuitive and user friendly to keep track of bullying incidents reported by students and staff as required by law. BRIM is offered in English, Spanish and French at no additional charge……
BRIM Anti-Bullying Software offers students of member schools anonymous reporting for less than the daily cost of a cup of coffee. It is nearly inconceivable that a school or school district would not be concerned enough to take logical measures to help ensure a safe environment for their students. After 18 years, BRIM remains the best choice for students and teachers alike especially with the recent rollout of BRIM 2.0 offering additional features making BRIM even better.
Again, October is Anti-Bullying month, and we highly suggest that you contact your student’s school principal and demand that they show you their anti-bullying solution. Most won’t because they can’t. Demand better, demand BRIM.
