Alison Plant

Brett Campbell
Study of Disabilities
January 25, 2015
Special Education and Bullying
The combination of adolescence and bullying is certainly not a new
phenomenon for children to deal with. As a matter of fact, according to the
Centers of Disease Control in a nationwide survey done in 2011, 20% of high
school students reported being bullied on school property within the last
twelve months. Of all students that have reported being bullied, a child with
a disability is at least two to three times more likely to be bullied by his or
her peers than a child that does not have a disability (Bullying Statistics).
Adolescence is a vital time for the development of education and social skills
in an individuals life and the interference of that development by being
bullied may have lifelong consequences. The prevalence of bullying of
children with disabilities is a civic issue that must be addressed (and taught
to be addressed appropriately) and paid more attention to.
In order to alleviate a problem, it must first be recognized. When it
comes to bullying in public schools, it is unfortunately an underreported
phenomenon. In a biennial survey of children from 12-18 years old that
attended school the previous year, it was discovered that 64% of students

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that had been bullied admit that they did not report it to an adult at their
school (Bullying Statistics). Oftentimes students are actually discouraged
from reporting the bullying, especially students with disabilities. It has been
shown that children with a disability are actually told not to tattle by the
teacher twice as much as those that do not have a disability (Bullying
Statistics). For some children it may not be reported because he or she may
not understand that he or she is being bullied. A child with Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD) is more than three times as likely to be bullied and/or left out
at school versus a child without ASD ("Bullying and Youth with Disabilities
and Special Health Needs."). Due to the nature of ASD, it may be difficult for
the child to recognize when he or she is being treated maliciously because it
may be seen as a new friend just joking around. A child may not report the
bullying because he or she doesnt want to tattle or maybe he or she cant
tell an adult because the disability that the child is experiencing may prevent
him or her from doing so. Some warning signs that a child may be the target
of bullying are: if he or she returns home from school missing items or with
dirty and damaged clothing, sudden reluctance to go to school, depression,
anxiety, sleep difficulties, and the loss of quality or concentration spent on
his or her schoolwork (Centers for Disease Control). Adolescents that are
bullied are at a greater risk for mental health and behavioral problems and
over 3 times more likely to report a suicide attempt (Bullying Statistics).
Even though there are laws in order to ensure that students with
documented disabilities that have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) are

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afforded Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive
environment available to them, statistics show that unfortunately that is not
always the case (Dear Colleague: Bullying of Students with Disabilities).
According to the United States Department of Educations Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitation Services, although there are technically no laws
against bullying, the bullying of a student with a disability, if proven to deny
that student FAPE, is illegal according to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973. Section 504 states that recipients of federal financial assistance
(such as public schools) must provide students with a disability equal
educational opportunities as those that do not have a disability. It also
prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities. There a few laws
that address this besides Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, such
as Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title IV and VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972,
and finally the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in an attempt to move
towards greater equality for individuals with disabilities ("Bullying and Youth
with Disabilities and Special Health Needs").
In order to lessen the frequency of bullying of students with disabilities
in our public schools, there are some things that schools, parents, children,
and the general public can (and in the case of public schools, legally must)
do. According to the United States Department of Educations Office for Civil
Rights, if harassment of a student with a disability is reported, the school
must immediately take appropriate action to investigate the claim and make

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moves to prevent reoccurrence of the incident. If the school knows or should
know that a student has been or is being bullied based on a disability the
student has and it creates a hostile environment for the student which is no
longer conducive to learning, the school must respond appropriately (Dear
Colleague Letter: Responding to Bullying of Students with Disabilities). If the
school does not respond to the report appropriately, it is considered
disability based harassment and is illegal under IDEA and may be
investigated by the Office of Civil Rights. The Office of Civil Rights will then
determine if the situation was a violation of FAPE, disability based
harassment, or both. The states and school districts can help with the
bullying epidemic by taking a look at and reevaluating their policies
addressing bullying and using consistency with applying them (Dear
Colleague: Bullying of Students with Disabilities). It is very important for the
adult educator to thoroughly supervise students and respond to bullying
behavior immediately and work to stop and prevent such behavior.
Davis and Nixon concluded in their study The youth voice research
project: victimization and strategies that support from peers is one of the
most helpful things someone can provide when it comes to helping a child to
overcome being bullied. Positive actions from his or her peers have actually
been shown to be significantly more helpful than the same from an adult.
Something as simple as just spending time with, or talking to him or her has
been shown to help a bullied child significantly. Children should be
encouraged and shown how to be a good support system for his or her peers

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at an early age. They should be taught about bullying to help them
understand what it is and why it is bad and what to do if they come face-toface with bullying. The idea that telling an adult about a bully is tattling
should not be planted in a childs mind and is very damaging.
A parent of a child with a disability should consider whether or not his
or her child would benefit from an IEP or 504 in school in order to better
accommodate the child and help ensure a safe environment and equal
educational experience in the public schools for him or her. It will not only
make sure that their child receives the accommodations needed in order to
have an equal educational experience to a child that does not have a
disability, but it will also legally protect the child from discrimination and
bullying in the ways mentioned above. If an adult suspects or a child
mentions being bullied at school, the adult should immediately speak to the
teacher and/or staff at the school about it. Effective communication with the
child should be used in order to make him or her feel loved, supported, and
safe. As many details as possible should be gathered about the incident(s)
and they should be put in writing (Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and
Special Health Needs). The school should follow steps to follow up with the
report. If it doesnt help and/or the school does not respond appropriately, a
complaint may be filed to the Office of Civil Rights for investigation.
Some ways that a member of community (such as myself) could
advocate for individuals with disabilities in this situation mostly involve

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raising awareness for the issue. This could be through print, public speaking,
social media, or many other ways. There are many bullying prevention
groups that could use a volunteer to spread the word, donate, or help out at
a local event for bullying prevention, such as Pacers National Bullying
Prevention Center. There is also the Utah Parent Center, which caters to the
parents of children that have special needs and issues, concerns, and causes
that affect them and they seem to have many events. Advocate for more and
better, more consistent bullying prevention policies in schools. I have the
unique opportunity to consistently be in touch with many school districts
throughout the United States through my job and I could use this to my
advantage, personally. It wouldnt be hard for anyone to reach out to a
school in his or her area to ask about their bullying prevention programs and
give them some suggestions, though. Strive to be an excellent positive role
model for children and someone that can be looked up to and gone to for
support.
Childhood innocence seems to be lost earlier and earlier with each
generation and I cant help but think that the prevalence of bullying in our
public schools is a contributing factor to that. A child that has a disability
oftentimes faces many unique obstacles when compared to a child that does
not have a disability and it is mostly due to environment and society. Most of
a persons time in his or her formative years is spent in school, not only
learning but having social interactions with peers, and it is important that no
child is felt excluded or discriminated against. Even though laws are in place

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to prevent discrimination of students with disabilities, statistics show that
they are still highly targeted for harassment. There are many negative
effects that being bullied may have on children, some of them being horrific
to imagine. There is a solution to this problem and if we work together as a
society to not only be consistent with applying and enforcing anti-bullying
policies but acting as excellent positive role models for children, the future
looks bright.

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Works Cited
America. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Division of Violence
Prevention. Understanding Bullying. National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, 2013. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying_factsheet.pdf>.
"Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health
Needs."StopBullying.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2015. <http://www.stopbullying.gov/atrisk/groups/special-needs>.
"Bullying Statistics." PACER Center - Assistance for Children with Disabilities,
Bullying Prevention, Parent Workshops. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.pacer.org/bullying/about/media-kit/stats.asp>.
Davis, S. & Nixon, C. (2010). The youth voice research project: victimization
and strategies. New Jersey Coalition for Bullying Awareness and
Prevention, Mar. 2010. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
<http://njbullying.org/documents/YVPMarch2010.pdf>.
Lhamon, Catherine. United States Department of Education Office for Civil
Rights. Dear Colleague Letter: Responding to Bullying of Students with
Disabilities, Oct 2014. 2 Feb 2015. PDF file.

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Musgrove, M & Yudin, M. United States Department of Education Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. Dear Colleague Letter:
Bullying of Students with Disabilities, Aug 2014. 2 Feb 2015. PDF file.