Urban School Social Workers and Principals Navigating School Bullying

There is scant research on the collaboration of school principals and school social workers (SSWs) to prevent and intervene with school bullying. Focus groups were conducted with urban principals and SSWs to examine how these professionals experienced their different roles working toward this goal. Results suggest principals believe SSWs play a vital role in bully prevention, investigation, and interventions. SSWs identified the importance of leadership to address bullying but voiced concerns related to SSWs being used for discipline and workload strain from conducting investigations. Findings underscore the need for principal leadership in promoting safe school climates to prevent bullying. Additionally, principals may need more SSW role clarification to address bullying. Guidance is provided for principals and SSWs to improve collaborative efforts to systematically address bullying.