Bullying Prevention & Response

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    All students have the right to feel safe and included at school so they can thrive academically and socially regardless of race, gender, religion, ability, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other perceived differences. Harassing, bullying, taunting, tease, or physically harming a student or staff member or a person’s property is prohibited.

    Students who are found to bully, harass, taunt, tease, or harm others will meet with counselors or administrators. The student's parents and teachers may also be involved in person or by phone. Consequences for bullying, harassing, taunting or teasing others can be varied by the incident and may include verbal or written apology, loss of privileges, behavior contracts, removal from a classroom or activity, or suspension. Severe bullying or harassment or ongoing bullying or harassment can result in suspension pending expulsion hearing by a ½ûÂþÌìÌà Senior Director.

    It is critically important for our students to communicate with adults in the building when there are issues or concerns. For interactions of concern, please speak with an adult - we are here to support students! It may be helpful to first complete this a relationship problem solver that can be picked up in the office. Using this form helps us get details to support everyone when something isn't right.

    Saying no to a bully and to bullying begins by saying NO. If this doesn't work, students are encouraged to report bullying. Just click on the image to the left for a form can be printed, or pick one up in the main office. Students will be talked with to get more information.

    Students who are experiencing bullying that will not stop need to be encouraged to reach out to their trusted adults for help. Parents, teachers, counselors, and your principals are here to help. Ask for time to talk with any of us or complete the anonymous report and tell us you want to meet in the description.

    Remember that simple conflict, one-time, mutual events are not bullying. These interactions happen frequently in middle school. Bullying is repeated, sustained even though the victim tells the bully to stop, the harmful behaviors persist.

  • Defining Bullying:

    Bullying is a special form of aggressive behavior. Dan Olweus, an world authority on bullying and bullying behavior defines it this way: "A person is being bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons." What differentiates bullying from other aggressive acts is that the student who bullies intends to harm, there is more than one incident, and an imbalance of power makes it hard for the child who's being bullied to defend him/herself. This difference in power can be physical—the child who bullies can be older, bigger, stronger; or several children can gang up on a single child. It can also be psychological, which is harder to see but just as potent—the student who bullies can have more social status or a sharper tongue, for instance. (Rigby, 2001b).

    Verbal bullying includes name-calling, insulting, intimidating, mocking, threatening, and making racist, sexist, or sexual comments. Different from taunting, teasing in severity only. When does teasing cross the line and turn into bullying? The answer often lies in perspective of the person being teased or bullied.

    Physical bullying includes a variety of behaviors such as hitting, kicking, shoving, and taking or destroying property.

    Relational bullying uses relationships to control or harm another person, excluding her from the group or events, talking behind his back, spreading rumors, telling lies about her, giving him the silent treatment, etc.

    Cyberbullying utilizes all of the electronic paraphernalia of modern life—cell phones, instant messaging, videos, e-mail, chatrooms, blogging, social networking sites such as Facebook—to threaten, insult, harass, spread rumors, and impersonate others. Because it can continue 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and because perpetrators remain anonymous, invisible, unpunished, and distant from the impact of their actions, cyberbullying can be even more harmful than ordinary bullying

    Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior which disturbs or upsets, and it is characteristically repetitive and unwanted. In the legal sense, it is behavior which appears to be threatening or disturbing.

    Sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual behavior, including words or actions, unwanted attention, advances, or offers of/for a sexual nature. 

     

    Excerpt from Challenging Behavior in Elementary and Middle School, by B. Kaiser, J.S. Rasminsky, 2009 edition, p. 280-282.