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In accordance with state law, it is the policy of the East Windsor Board of Education that any form of bullying behavior, whether in the classroom, on school property or at school-sponsored events, is expressly forbidden.
To implement this policy, the Board of Education directs the Superintendent to develop and adopt regulations no later than February 1, 2003, to address the existence of bullying in the schools. As provided by statute, such regulations shall: (1) enable students to anonymously report acts of bullying to teachers and school administrators, (2) enable the parents or guardians of students to file written reports of suspected bullying, (3) require teachers and other school staff who witness acts of bullying or receive student reports of bullying to notify school administrators, (4) require school administrators to investigate any written reports filed pursuant to subdivision (2) and to review any anonymous reports, (5) include an intervention strategy for school staff to deal with bullying, (6) provide for the inclusion of language in student codes of conduct concerning bullying, (7) require school administrators to notify both the parents or guardians of students who commit any verified acts of bullying and the parents or guardians of students against whom such acts were directed, and (8) require each school within the district to maintain a list of the number of verified acts of bullying in such school and make such list available for public inspection. The notification required pursuant to subdivision (7) shall include a description of the response of school staff to such acts and any consequences that may result from the commission of further acts of bullying. Any information provided under this policy shall be provided in accordance with the confidentiality restrictions imposed under the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act ("FERPA") and the district's Confidentiality and Access to Student Information policy and regulations.
For purposes of this policy, “Bullying” shall mean any overt acts by a student or group of students directed against another student with the intent to ridicule, humiliate or intimidate the other student while on school grounds or at a school-sponsored activity, which acts are repeated against the same student over time.
For purposes of this policy, “School-Sponsored Activity” shall mean any activity conducted on or off school property (including school buses and other school-related vehicles) that is sponsored, recognized or authorized by the Board of Education.
Students who engage in bullying behavior shall be subject to school discipline up to and including expulsion in accordance with the Board's policy on student discipline.
Legal References:
Public Act No. 02-119; Connecticut General Statutes Sections 10-233a through 10-233f
Policy Adopted: March 20, 2003 East Windsor Public Schools
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Bullying
The following sets forth the procedures to implement Board
Policy 5131.911 concerning the prohibition against bullying in the East Windsor
Public Schools. Bullying behavior is
strictly prohibited, and students who are determined to have engaged in such
behavior are subject to disciplinary action, which may include suspension or
expulsion from school. The district’s
commitment to addressing bullying behavior, however, involves a multi-faceted
approach, which includes education and the promotion of a school atmosphere in
which bullying will not be tolerated by students or staff.
It is imperative that bullying be identified only when the
specific elements of the definition are met, because the designation of conduct
as bullying carries with it special statutory obligations. Any misconduct by one student against
another student, whether or not appropriately defined as bullying, however,
will result in appropriate disciplinary consequences for the perpetrator.
I. Definition:
In accordance with state law and
Board policy, “bullying” means any overt acts by a student or a group of
students directed against another student with the intent to ridicule,
humiliate or intimidate the other student while on school grounds or a at
school-sponsored activity, which acts are repeated against the same student
over time.
In accordance with this
definition, the following factors should be considered before identifying
conduct by a student or group of students as bullying in violation of Board policy. The determination that conduct does not
constitute bullying under state law and Board policy, however, does not
restrict the right of the Administration and of the Board of Education to
impose appropriate disciplinary consequences for student misconduct.
·
Location.
Bullying behavior in violation of Board policy must occur on school
grounds or at a school-sponsored activity (which by Board policy includes
transportation services). Conduct that
occurs off-campus (e.g. harassment
over the Internet, physical intimidation in the community) is not bullying
under this Policy and Regulation.
While not considered bullying
under state law and Board policy, conduct that would otherwise be considered
bullying occurring off-campus (and outside of any school-sponsored activity)
may subject the perpetrator to disciplinary action. Discipline for such conduct may be imposed if such conduct
violates a publicized policy of the Board and is seriously disruptive of the
educational process. Unless such
conduct triggers a mandatory expulsion under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-233d(a),
however, school officials are authorized to impose discipline for such
off-campus conduct only if such conduct markedly interrupts or severely impedes
the day-to-day operation of the school.
·
Repeated misconduct. Bullying behavior in violation of Board policy must be “repeated
against the same student over time.” An
isolated incident, however egregious, is not “bullying” under state law and
Board policy. Similarly, numerous acts
of misconduct against different students does not constitute “bullying” under
state law and Board policy.
·
Ridicule, humiliation, and/or intimidation. Bullying behavior is more than misconduct. Such behavior is marked by the intent to
ridicule, humiliate or intimidate the victim.
In evaluating whether conduct constitutes bullying, special attention
should be paid to the words chosen or actions taken, whether such conduct
occurred in front of others or was communicated to others, how the perpetrator
interacted with the victim, and the motivation, either admitted or
appropriately inferred, of the perpetrator.
·
Types of conduct. Bullying can take many forms and can include many different behaviors
having the overt intent to ridicule, humiliate or intimidate another
student. Examples of conduct that could
constitute bullying include:
1. Physical
violence and/or attacks;
2. Verbal taunts, name-calling and
put-downs, including taunts based on ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual
orientation, or other protected and/or individual characteristics;
3. Threats and intimidation (through
words and/or gestures);
4. Extortion or stealing of money
and/or possessions.
II. Complaint
processes
A. Publication of the prohibition
against bullying and related procedures
The prohibition against bullying
shall publicized by including the following statement in the student handbook
of each of the district schools:
“Bullying behavior by any student in the East Windsor Public Schools is
strictly prohibited, and such conduct may result in disciplinary action,
including suspension and/or expulsion from school. ‘Bullying’ means any overt acts by a student or a group of students
directed against another student with the intent to ridicule, humiliate or
intimidate the other student while on school grounds or a at school-sponsored
activity, which acts are repeated against the same student over time. Students and parents may file verbal or
written complaints concerning suspected bullying behavior, and students shall
be permitted to anonymously report acts of bullying to teachers and school
administrators. Any report of suspected
bullying behavior will be promptly reviewed.
If acts of bullying are verified, prompt disciplinary action may be
taken against the perpetrator, consistent with his/her rights of due
process. Board policy and regulation
#5131.911 set forth this prohibition and the related procedures in detail, and
are available to students and their parents/guardians upon request.”
Bullying Page
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B. Formal complaints
Students and/or their parents or
guardians may file written reports of conduct that they consider to be
bullying. Such written reports shall be
reasonably specific as to the actions giving rise to the suspicion of bullying,
including time and place of the conduct alleged, the number of such incidents,
the target of such suspected bullying, and the names of any potential student
or staff witnesses. Such reports may be
filed with any teacher or administrator, and they shall be promptly forwarded
to the building principal for review and action in accordance with Section IV
below.
C. Informal complaints
Students may make informal
complaint of conduct that they consider to be bullying by verbal report to a
teacher or administrator. Such informal
complaints shall be reasonably specific as to the actions giving rise to the
suspicion of bullying, including time and place of the conduct alleged, the
number of such incidents, the target of such suspected bullying, and the names
of any potential student or staff witnesses.
A teacher, other professional employee, or administrator who receives an
informal complaint shall promptly reduce the complaint to writing, including
the information provided. Such written
report by the teacher, other professional employee and/or administrator shall
be promptly forwarded
to the building principal for
review and action in accordance with Section IV below.
D. Anonymous complaints
Students who make informal
complaint as set forth above may request that their name be maintained in
confidence by the teacher(s) and administrator(s) who receive the
complaint. Should anonymity be
requested, the principal or his/her designee shall meet with the student to
review the request for anonymity and the impact that maintaining anonymity of
the complaint may have on the investigation of the complaint and/or possible
remedial action. At such meeting, the
student shall be given the choice as to whether to maintain the anonymity of
the complaint. Anonymous complaints
shall be reviewed and reasonable action will be taken to address the situation,
to the extent such action may be taken that (1) does not disclose the source of
the complaint, and (2) is consistent with the due process rights of the
student(s) alleged to have committed acts of bullying.
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III. Staff
responsibilities and intervention strategies
A. Teachers
and other school staff
Teachers and other school staff
who witness acts of bullying, as defined above, shall promptly notify the
building principal and/or his/her designee of the events observed, and shall
promptly file a written incident report concerning the events witnessed. Teachers and other school staff who receive
student or parent reports of suspected bullying shall promptly notify the
building principal and/or his/her designee of such report(s). If the report is a formal, written
complaint, such complaint shall be forwarded promptly (no later than the next
school day) to the building principal or his/her designee. If the report is an informal complaint by a
student that is received by a teacher or other professional employee, he or she
shall prepare a succinct written report of the informal complaint, which shall
be forwarded promptly (no later than the next school day) to the building
principal or his/her designee. If the
report is an informal complaint by a student that is received by other school
staff, this employee shall verbally report the matter to the principal and/or
his/her designee promptly (no later than the next school day).
In addition to addressing both
informal and formal complaints, teachers and other professional staff members
are encouraged to address the issue
of bullying in other interactions
with students. Teachers and other
professionals may find opportunities to educate students about bullying and
help eliminate bullying behavior through class discussions, counseling, and
reinforcement of socially-appropriate behavior. Teachers and other professional employees should intervene
promptly whenever they observe student conduct that has the purpose or effect
of ridiculing, humiliating or intimidating another student, even if such
conduct does not meet the formal definition of “bullying.”
B. Administrator
responsibilities
1. Investigation
The principal (or other
responsible program administrator) shall be promptly notified of any formal or
informal complaint of suspected bullying received by any building
administrator, teacher or other professional employee. Under the direction of the building
principal or his/her designee, all such complaints shall be investigated
promptly. A written report of the
investigation shall be prepared when the investigation is complete. Such report shall include findings of fact,
a determination of whether acts of bullying were verified, and, when acts of
bullying are verified, a recommendation for intervention, including
disciplinary action.
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Where appropriate, written witness
statements shall be attached to the report.
Notwithstanding the foregoing,
when a student making an informal complaint has requested anonymity, the
investigation of such complaint shall be limited as is appropriate in view of
the anonymity of the complainant. Such
limitation of investigation may include restricting action to a simple review of
the complaint (with or without discussing it with the alleged perpetrator),
subject to receipt of further information and/or the withdrawal by the
complaining student of the condition that his/her report be anonymous.
2. Remedial
actions
Verified acts of bullying shall
result in intervention by the building principal or his/her designee that is
intended to assure that the prohibition against bullying behavior is enforced,
with the goal that any such bullying behavior will end as a result.
Bullying behavior can take many
forms and can vary dramatically in how serious it is, and what impact it has on
the victim and other students.
Accordingly, there is no one prescribed response to verified acts of
bullying. While conduct that rises to
the level of “bullying” as defined above will generally warrant disciplinary
action against the perpetrator of such bullying, whether and to what extent to
impose disciplinary action (detention, in-school suspension, suspension or
expulsion) is a matter for the professional discretion of the building
principal. The following sets forth
possible interventions for building principals to enforce the Board’s
prohibition against bullying.
a. Non-disciplinary
interventions
When verified acts of bullying are
identified early and/or when such verified acts of bullying do not reasonably
require a disciplinary response, students may be counseled as to the definition
of bullying, its prohibition, and their duty to avoid any conduct that could be
considered bullying.
If a complaint arises out of
conflict between students or groups of students, peer mediation may be
considered. Special care, however, is
warranted in referring such cases to peer mediation. A power imbalance may make the process intimidating for the
victim and therefore inappropriate. The
victim’s communication and assertiveness skills may be low and could be further
eroded by fear resulting from past intimidation and fear of future
intimidation. In such cases, the victim
should be given additional support.
Alternatively, peer mediation may be deemed inappropriate to address the
concern.
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b. Disciplinary
interventions
When acts of bullying are verified
and a disciplinary response is warranted, students are subject to the full
range of disciplinary consequences.
Anonymous complaints that are not otherwise verified, however, shall not
be the basis for disciplinary action.
In-school suspension and
suspension may be imposed only after informing the accused perpetrator of the
reasons for the proposed suspension and giving him/her an opportunity to
explain the situation.
Expulsion may be imposed only
after a hearing before the Board of Education, a committee of the Board or an
impartial hearing officer designated by the Board of Education in accordance
with Board policy. This consequence
shall be reserved for serious incidents of bullying and/or when past
interventions have not been successful in eliminating bullying behavior.
3. General
intervention strategies
In addition to the prompt
investigation of complaints of bullying and direct intervention when acts of
bullying are verified, other district actions may ameliorate any potential
problem with bullying in school or at school-sponsored activities. While no specific action is required and
school needs for such interventions may vary from time to time, the following
list of potential intervention strategies shall serve as a resource for
administrators, teachers and other professional staff members in each school:
a. Respectful responses to bullying
concerns raised by students, parents or staff;
b. Planned professional development
programs addressing bully/victim problems;
c. Data collection to document
bully/victim problems to determine the nature and scope of the problem;
d. Use of peers to help ameliorate the
plight of victims and include them in group activities;
e. Avoidance of sex-role stereotyping (e.g., males need to be strong and
tough);
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f. Awareness and involvement on the
part of staff and parents with regards to bully-victim problems;
g. A curriculum that promotes
communication, friendship, assertiveness skills, and character education;
h. Modeling by teachers of positive,
respectful, and supportive behavior toward students;
i. Creating a school atmosphere of team
spirit and collaboration that promotes appropriate social behavior by students
in support of others;
j. Employing classroom strategies that
instruct students how to work together in a collaborative and supportive
atmosphere.
IV. Reporting
obligations
A. Report
to the parent or guardian of the perpetrator
If after investigation, acts of
bullying by a specific student are verified, the building principal or his/her
designee shall notify the parent or guardian of the perpetrator in writing of
that finding. If disciplinary
consequences are imposed against such student, a description of such discipline
shall be included in such notification.
B. Reports
to the victim and his/her parent or guardian
If after investigation, acts of
bullying against a specific student are verified, the building principal or
his/her designee shall notify the parent or guardian of the victim of such
finding. In providing such
notification, care must be taken to respect the statutory privacy rights of the
perpetrator of such bullying. The
specific disciplinary consequences imposed on the perpetrator, as reflected in
the student’s educational records, shall not be disclosed to the parents or
guardian of the victim, except as provided by law.
C. List
of verified acts of bullying
The principal of each school shall
maintain a list of the number of verified acts of bullying in the school, and
this list shall be available for public inspection upon request. Given that any determination of bullying
involves repeated acts over time, each report prepared in accordance with
Section III(1) above that includes verified acts of bullying shall be tallied
as one verified act of bullying unless the specific actions that are the
subject of the report involve separate and distinct acts of bullying. The list shall be limited to the number of
such verified acts of bullying in the school, and it shall not set out the
particulars of each verified act, including but not limited to any personally
identifiable student information, which is confidential information by law.
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