Central Community School District

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Central Community School District

• Anti-Bullying/Harassment Policy

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State of Iowa CodeMarch 2007

• Iowa is committed to providing all students with
  a safe and civil school environment in which all
  member of the school community are treated with
  dignity and respect.

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• Anti-Bullying / Harassment Policy
• The 2007 Iowa legislature adopted a new law
  that requires school districts to have
  anti-bullying / harassment policies. This adds
  to our current policy. You can find that on our
  website under Board Policy.

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What is bullying?

• Bullying is a form of social interaction,
• Not necessarily long-standing,
• In which a more dominant individual exhibits
  aggressive behavior that is intended to, and
  does, in fact, cause distress to a less dominant
  individual
• More than one bully and more than one target may
  participate in the interaction.
• Dorothea Ross (1996)

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• Bullying -
• A student is being bullied when he or she is
  exposed,
• REPEATEDLY AND OVER TIME,
• To negative actions on the part of one or more
  students.
• The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004

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• Bullying implies an imbalance in power or
  strength.
• The student who is bullied has difficulty
  defending himself/herself.
• Dan Olweus (2003)

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Two kinds of bullying

• Direct bullying
• Hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting
• Taunting, teasing, degrading racial or sexual
  comments
• Threatening, obscene gestures

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Two kinds of bullying

• 2. Indirect Bullying
• Getting another person to assault someone
• Spreading rumors
• Deliberate exclusion from a group or activity
• Cyber-bullying

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What do youth who are bullied need?

• Positive relationship with adults
• Advocates to help them be heard
• Protection
• Friends
• Hobbies and interests
• Ways to get rid of self blame and self hatred

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What do youth who bully need?

• Positive connections with adults
• Fair and predictable consequences
• Full accountability without anger or rejection by
  adults
• Support in developing empathy
• Help finding non-aggressive ways to meet their
  needs

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What do youth who witness bullying need?

• Safe effective ways to act
• Help finding alternatives to confronting the
  aggressor or watching in silence
• Advocate for protection from retaliation if they
  do act
• Ongoing support from adults

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Common Bullying Locations

• 48 Hallway/stairwells
• 32 In class (with teacher absent)
• 29 In gym class/locker rooms
• 27 In class (with teacher present)
• 24 In lunch room
• 17 In the bathroom

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Common Bullying Locations

• 15 On the bus
• 16 On the way to and from school
• 8 At the bus stop
• J. Unnerver et al. (2001). Survey of 2,472
  Students. Grades 6-8

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Policy Requirements

• School employees, volunteers, and students in
  school, on school property, or at any school
  function or school sponsored activity shall not
  engage in harassing and bullying behavior.

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• School employees, volunteers, and students shall
  not engage in reprisal, retaliation, or false
  accusation against a victim, witness, or an
  individual who has reliable information about
  such an act of harassment or bullying.

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• A description of the type of behavior expected
  from school employees, volunteers, parents, and
  students relative to prevention measure,
  reporting, and investigation of harassment or
  bullying.
• A procedure for reporting an act of harassment or
  bullying.

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Protected Classes

• Protects students based upon a trait or
  characteristic of the student including, but not
  limited to age, color, creed, national origin,
  race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual
  orientation, gender identity, physical
  attributes, physical or mental ability or
  disability, ancestry, political party preference,
  political belief, socioeconomic status, or
  familial status.

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• Only when students, employees and volunteers
  understand how to recognize bullying and
  harassment, will they understand what they need
  to do to eradicate it.

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Volunteers

• The law requires volunteers to not only be
  reporters of bullying and harassment but also
  prohibits them from bullying or harassing
  students. The law defines volunteers as
  individuals who have regular, significant
  contact with students.

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Investigation and Investigators

• The law requires the school district to
  investigate complaints made pursuant to this
  policy.
• Step 1 employees should make administrators or
  guidance counselors aware of issue.
• Step 2 if the situation warrants the level 1
  investigators should be notified. They are Brent
  Cook and Terri Selzer.

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Staff responsibility

• Should a parent mention a situation to an
  employee, even though the parent doesnt want
  anything done it should still be investigated.
  That parent has just put the school district on
  notice that there is an individual who may be
  violating the anti-harassment/bullying policy.
  The school district has a duty to investigate the
  situation, whether or not a formal complaint was
  filed.