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Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have .

In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

• An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.

• Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

Oregon law defines “harassment, intimidation, or bullying” as any act that: 

• Substantially interferes with a student’s educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, and; 

• Takes place on or immediately adjacent to school grounds, at any school-sponsored activity, on school-provided transportation, or at any official school bus stop; and has the effect of: 

  • Physically harming a student or damaging a student’s property; 

  • Knowingly placing a student in reasonable fear of physical harm to the student or damage to the student’s property; or 

  • Creating a hostile educational environment, including interfering with the psychological well-being of a student.

• Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes:

  • Teasing

  • Name-calling

  • Inappropriate sexual comments

  • Taunting

  • Threatening to cause harm

• Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:

  • Leaving someone out on purpose

  • Telling other children not to be friends with someone

  • Spreading rumors about someone

  • Embarrassing someone in public

• Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:

  • Hitting/kicking/pinching

  • Spitting

  • Tripping/pushing

  • Taking or breaking someone’s things

  • Making mean or rude hand gestures

• Cyber bullying is defined as the use of any electronic communication device to harass, intimidate, or bully.

Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB)

Portland Public Public Schools Policy 4.30.060-P  details the prohibition against harassment, intimidation, and bullying.

Administrative Directives 4.30.061, 4330.071, and 4.30.072 describes the procedures the district uses when addressing concerns that a student may be experiencing harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

• 4.30.061-AD Transgender, Nonbinary and Gender Diverse Students

• 4.30.071-AD Harassment, Sexual Violence, and Teen Dating Violence Procedures and Prevention- Students

• 4.30.072-AD Title IX Student to Student Sex-Based Discrimination and Harassment

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  Learn how to identify bullying and stand up to it safely.
  
  

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  What parents should know about bullying.