How School Dismissals Are Like a Bully

In the first few months of school, we at PikMyKid are always looking at ways to shed light on how to make your school a safer learning environment for your students. Having consulted with many schools with their dismissal process, I found similarities between dismissals and a bully. With October being National Bullying Prevention Month, I thought I’d share some similarities and characteristics. Maybe you can relate!

Types of Harsh Dismissal

Aggressive dismissal – Most dismissals fall into this category tend to be loud, chaotic and largely intimidating. It lacks empathy, and overall physically and emotionally draining. Similar to the aggressive bully who through their physically strong and confident nature can coerce others around them.  They are aggressive in their journey of putting others down, mentally or physically.

Passive dismissal – Unlike the aggressive dismissal, those who fall into this category tend to be smaller and less intimidating. They have fewer moving parts, but less organized and secure. Much like the passive bully who tends to be smaller in stature. They tend to be less popular, and more insecure due to their unstable home lives.

Signs your school dismissal is a bully

Similar to the different types of bullies, an aggressive dismissal may be larger and louder to handle, but a passive dismissal may be smaller, unorganized, and less secure. Despite the process, both have their ways of tormenting their victims and bystanders, who in this case are the administrators, parents, and students. From our experience most dismissals share these same “bully” characteristics and protrude these behaviors:

Impulsive – Parents randomly change how their child is going home and they have no option but to call or leave a note. Administrators don’t seem to be too happy with all the phone calls as well.

Easily frustrated or annoyed – Parents waiting in the car line during school dismissal, for what feels like bullied for a year, is never an easy task to control. One slow-moving student or misplaced student can anger everyone in the pick-up process.

Lacks Empathy – Administrators are doing the best they can but sometimes they lack the tools or the technology to do their best. Parents are also trying to be as patient as possible, but just like the aggressive bully, the aggressive school dismissal lacks empathy for both victims.

What to do if your dismissal is like a bully?

If your dismissal is a bully, address the issues head-on. Organization and safety are vital to enhancing your aggressive or passive dismissal. Talk with your team and discuss the headaches that continue to come up day in and day out.

If the bullying continues, seek professional help. PikMyKid offers a variety of tools to schools that help with streamlining front office duties, automating the car line. Most important for school staff is knowing who is picking up the child and how they are going home. Is your school’s dismissal process similar to a bully as well?

For a free consultation regarding your dismissal process schedule a demo here!

For a resource regarding National Bullying Prevention Month please visit: https://www.stopbullying.gov/