Actions meant to hurt someone’s feelings or devalue them are bullying/harassing behaviors. Bullying is a form of harassment. “Bullying/harassment” refers to behaviors such as saying hurtful things to someone about their appearance or ability, posting disrespectful comments about someone online, hurting someone by physical actions, or treating someone badly or making a point of excluding them because of who they are. Such behaviors are often directed repeatedly against the same person or group, and they can happen on or off school grounds. Bullying/harassment is not accidental. Although some students may feel pressured by their peers to bully or harass someone, they are still participating in behavior that is meant to hurt or upset another person or group of people. Different forms and types of bullying/harassment are described below.

Forms That Bullying/Harassment Might Take

Physical

pushing, tripping, hitting

damaging or stealing someone’s property

Verbal

name-calling, hurtful teasing

insulting, humiliating, or threatening someone

Social

excluding someone from “the group” or from an activity

gossiping or spreading rumors about someone

making someone look foolish

making someone look foolish

making sure others don’t associate with someone

displaying images or materials that are offensive or disrespectful

Electronic

using the Internet or a cell phone to e-mail or send text messages or pictures in order to threaten someone or hurt their feelings, single them out, embarrass them, or make them look bad, or spread rumors or reveal secrets about them

Racial/ethnocultural

treating someone badly because of their culture, racial or ethnic background, or the color of their skin

saying negative things about someone’s race, culture, ethnic background, or skin color

calling someone by a racially or ethnically disrespectful term

telling racist jokes

Sexual

touching, grabbing, or pinching someone in a sexual way

spreading sexual rumors about someone

making sexual comments or jokes about someone's body

directing unwanted sexual attention or advances towards someone

Gender Role–based

treating someone badly because of their gender identity

making hurtful comments or making a joke about someone based on gender stereotypes, such as telling a girl she cannot play a sport because she is a girl or calling a boy a “sissy” because he has a hobby you think only girls should have

Homophobic

calling someone “gay”, “fag”, “lesbian”, “dyke”, or something similar in a way meant to upset them

making crude comments or spreading rumors about someone’s actual or perceived sexual identity

disrespecting someone who is attracted to members of the same sex or of both sexes

disrespecting someone for their choice of activities, hobbies, or clothing

making fun of someone whose parents are lesbian or gay

Religion-based

treating someone badly because of their religion

saying negative things about someone’s religion

making jokes about someone’s religion

Disability-based

treating someone badly because of a disability they have – for example, making jokes about a person who uses a wheelchair (visible disability) or calling a person names because he or she learns in a different way than you do (invisible disability) – or spreading rumors about someone because of a disability you think that person may have

making someone feel left out because of a disability they have (visible or invisible) or a disability you think they may have

Income-based

treating someone badly because of the type of housing or the neighborhood they live in

spreading rumors about someone based on stereotypes about being “poor”

making jokes about someone because they do not appear to have a lot of money (e.g., because they may not have name-brand clothing, or because of where they live)