The City of Greenville and the Greenville Police Department want to prevent and stop bullying.  Bullying is a serious problem that can happen anywhere.  Bullying can cause serious and lasting harm to children and teens.  The City of Greenville offers a number of resources to help parents, teachers, and others in the community become more informed and take a stand against bullying.

Types of Bullying
Bullying can take many forms.  Some examples include:

• Verbal - teasing, name calling
• Social - spreading rumors, breaking up friendships, excluding people on purpose
• Physical - hitting, punching, shoving
• Cyberbullying - using mobile phones, the Internet and other digital technologies to harm others

Recognize the Warning Signs
Many warning signs can indicate that someone is being bullied or is bullying others.  These warning signs may also indicate other issues or problems affecting a child.

Being Bullied

• Comes home with damaged or missing clothing or other belongings
• Reports losing items such as books, electronics, clothing, or jewelry
• Has unexplained injuries
• Complains frequently of headaches, stomachaches, or feeling sick
• Has trouble sleeping or has frequent bad dreams
• Has changes in eating habits
• Hurts themselves
• Are very hungry after school from not eating their lunch
• Runs away from home
• Loses interest in visiting or talking with friends
• Is afraid of going to school or other activities with peers
• Loses interest in school work or begins to do poorly in school
• Appears sad, moody, angry, anxious, or depressed when they come home
• Talks about suicide
• Feels helpless
• Often feels like they are not good enough
• Blames themselves for their problems
• Suddenly has fewer friends
• Avoids certain places
• Acts differently than usual

Bullying Others

• Becomes violent with others
• Gets into physical or verbal  fights with others
• Gets sent to the principal’s office or detention a lot
• Has extra money or new belongings that cannot be explained
• Is quick to blame others
• Will not accept responsibility for their actions
• Has friends who bully others
• Needs to win or be best at everything

Resources
The resources below provide more information on bullying and how to get help if you know someone who is being bullied or is bullying others.

US Deptartment of Human Services Stop Bullying website
Texas Attorney General Teen Resource Center on bullying
National Crime Prevention Council on Bullying and Cyberbullying
McGruff

Videos
Anti-Bullying PSA: The Price of Silence
Anti-Bullying Message from the NOH8 Campaign
MTV Anti-Bullying
It Gets Better - Messages from the White House