|
Bullying Prevention
Policy
(Board of Education Policy #5040)
The goal of the Guilderland Central
School District is to prevent bullying. The Board of
Education is committed to creating and maintaining a
learning atmosphere which is respectful and supportive.
Providing a safe school environment where all students and
employees are treated with respect and dignity, and are free
from bullying, intimidation and harassment is one of our
highest priorities. This freedom is fundamental to our K-12
education program and is extended to everyone without
exception.
Bullying is a violation of our district
core values and will not be tolerated. The Board of
Education condemns all forms of bullying. No one –
students or employees – should be fearful of being bullied
or harassed. The actions of any one person or group of
individuals which threaten the health and safety of students
and/or staff must be addressed promptly. Early
intervention, reinforcement of a consistent message and
follow through from students, parents, staff and
administration can ensure that everyone’s right to learn
and work in a safe environment is respected.
The school setting provides an
opportunity to teach children and emphasize among staff that
cooperation and respect of others is a key district value. A
program geared to prevention is designed to not only
decrease incidents of bullying, but to help students build
more supportive relationships with one another. Staff
members need to be sensitized to the warning signs of
bullying as well as to their absolute responsibility to
become actively involved in the prevention of bullying
before overt acts actually occur. The components of such an
effort, based on the Olweus model, involve the following:
-
Learning about and identifying the
early warning signs and precursor behaviors that may
lead to bullying.
-
Gathering information about bullying
at school directly from students.
-
Establishing clear school wide and
classroom rules about bullying.
-
Training adults in the school to
respond sensitively and consistently to bullying.
-
Providing adequate adult
supervision, particularly in less structured areas such
as in the hallways, cafeteria and playground.
-
Raising parental awareness and
involvement in addressing problems.
The Superintendent with the cooperation
and support of the district wide Task Force on Bullying and
the Prevention Coordination Committees in each school should
maintain and implement specific procedures on early
identification of bullying and other preventive strategies
as well as reporting, investigating, remedying and tracking
allegations of bullying. All students, school district
employees, vendors, and visitors (including parents) to
district buildings, buses, athletic fields or locations
off-school premises involving school-related activities
(i.e., field trips) are expected to conduct themselves in a
manner consistent with the words and spirit of this policy.
We all share in the responsibility to ensure that bullying
does not occur.
For the purposes of this policy,
bullying is defined as a hostile activity which harms or
induces fear through the threat of further aggression and/or
creates terror. Bullying may be premeditated or a sudden
activity. It may be subtle or easy to identify, done by one
person or a group. Bullying includes but is not necessarily
limited to:
-
Power imbalance - occurs when
a bully uses his/her physical or social power over a
victim.
-
Intent to harm - the bully
seeks to inflict physical or emotional harm and/or takes
pleasure in this activity.
-
Threat of further aggression
- the bully and the victim believe the bullying will
continue.
-
Terror - when any bullying
increases, it becomes a "systematic violence or
harassment used to intimidate and maintain
dominance."
(Barbara Coloroso, The
Bully, The Bullied & The Bystander, 2003)
There are at least three kinds of
bullying: verbal, physical and social/relational:
-
Verbal bullying includes name
calling, insulting remarks, verbal teasing, frightening
phone calls, violent threats, extortion, taunting,
gossip, spreading rumors, racist slurs, threatening
electronic communications, anonymous notes, etc.
-
Physical bullying includes poking,
slapping, hitting, tripping or causing a fall, choking,
kicking, punching, biting, pinching, scratching,
spitting, twisting arms or legs, damaging clothes and
personal property, threatening gestures, setting fires,
assault with a weapon, stealing, etc.
-
Social or relational bullying
includes excluding someone from a group, isolating,
shunning, spreading rumors or gossiping, arranging
public humiliation, undermining relationships, teasing
about clothing, looks, giving dirty looks, aggressive
stares, etc.
While the focus of this policy is on
prevention, bullying acts may still occur. In these cases,
offenders will be given the clear message that their actions
are wrong and the behavior must improve. Offenders will
receive in-school guidance in making positive choices in
their relationships with others. If appropriate,
disciplinary action will be taken by the administration.
Students or employees of the Guilderland
Central School District who have been bullied, parents whose
children have been bullied, or other students who observe
bullying behavior are encouraged to make a verbal and/or
written complaint to a teacher, coach, bus driver, social
worker, counselor, supervisor, or administrator.
Intervention by adults and bystanders is an important step
to prevent escalation and to resolve issues in the earliest
stages. At all times, complaints will be documented, tracked
and handled according to the regulations and procedures
accompanying this policy and the district’s Code of
Conduct.
As a school community, we strive to
create schools and classrooms where a climate of safety and
respect will enable all children to thrive and succeed. The
process of helping youth can be greatly enhanced when adults
are good listeners, supportive, and proactive in helping
students deal with concerns and problems. As a staff, we
should never limit ourselves to intervene on behalf of
students.
A copy of this policy and accompanying
regulations and procedures are to be distributed to parents,
staff and students and posted on the district web site and
appropriate places such as bulletin boards throughout school
buildings. Additionally, parents, staff and students will be
advised of this policy through educational programs and
written materials.
Cross References:
Approved: December 9, 2003
Back to
Bullying Prevention home page
|
