Policy, Program, Intervention MSD Decatur Township

Session Goals 1. Review definitions of bullying and harassment. 2. Understand District revised Policies through review and discussion. 3. Identify strategies for intervention through group discussion and sharing.

Bullying involves— unwanted, aggressive, targeted behavior among school aged children. It involves a real or perceived power imbalance and the behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Harassment involves— unwelcome conduct directed to a person or group of persons based on the actual or perceived membership in a protected class of a person, the person’s family, or individuals with whom the person associates. VERBALPHYSICALRELATIONALPROPERTYCYBER on Copyright © 2013 by Great Lakes Equity Center

Bullying and Harassment— Similarities and Differences BULLYING PROTECTED CLASS HARASSMENT Copyright © 2013 by Great Lakes Equity Center

DISABILITY NATIONAL ORIGIN Sex/Gender Race/ColorLANGUAGERELIGION Harassment: Protected Classes Copyright © 2013 by Great Lakes Equity Center

Which behaviors create a hostile environment ? Intimidation and implied or overt threats of physical violence motivated by race, color, national origin, sex, or religion. Physical acts of aggression or assault upon another, or damage to another’s property that is motivated by the individual’s race, color, national origin, sex, or religion. Demeaning racial jokes, taunting, racial slurs and derogatory racial “nicknames,” innuendos, or other negative or derogatory remarks of a racial nature or relating to national origin Graffiti and/or slogans or visual displays such as cartoons or posters depicting racial/ethnic slurs or racially/ethnically derogatory sentiments. Copyright © 2013 by Great Lakes Equity Center

Resources Stop Bulling.gov Let’s Get Real video Watch each video clip and look for behaviors that create a hostile environment for the students. real/lgr_clips real/lgr_clips Copyright © 2013 by Great Lakes Equity Center

Students who are targets of harassment often spend their energy at school worrying about when and how they might be harassed again, which takes the focus away from learning. Many start to distance themselves from people or places Attendance becomes a problem and some students may drop out May experience Illness, depression or suicidal thoughts Some choose to fight back in dangerous or violent ways Consequences of Harassment— Copyright © 2013 by Great Lakes Equity Center

Legal Obligation Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI, Title IV) Title VI, Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin Title IV, Prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion or sex Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) Prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II)/IDEA Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability Copyright © 2013 by Great Lakes Equity Center

Indiana Code Bullying means overt, repeated acts or gestures, including: 1. Verbal or written communications transmitted in any manner (including digitally or electronically, 2. physical acts committed, aggression 3. any other behaviors committed; by a student or group of students against another student with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate, or harm the targeted student and create for the targeted student an objectively hostile school environment that:

1. places the targeted student in reasonable fear of harm to the targeted student’s person or property: 2. has a substantially detrimental effect on the targeted student’s physical or mental health; 3. has the effect of substantially interfering with the targeted student’s academic performance; or 4. has the effect of substantially interfering with the targeted student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, and privileges provided by the school.

The Discipline Rules must apply when a student is: 1. on school grounds immediately before or during school hours, immediately after school hours, or at any other time when the school is being used by a school group. 2.off school grounds at a school activity, function or event; 3. traveling to or from school or a school activity, function or event 4. using property or equipment provided by the school.

Responsibility? Schools become liable for doing nothing. You have to address it and attempt to stop the behavior.

Bullying/harassment is ABUSE not conflict. Bullying/harassment should not be mediated. *When mediation tactics are used, it signals to the person bullied/harassed that they have done something wrong. It implies they have something to apologize for or are in some way to blame for the behavior. (*It is appropriate to mediate the conflict if the victim requests mediation.)

Warning Signs 1. Torn or damaged clothing 2. Cuts, bruises, scratches 3. Few friends 4. Afraid to go to school 5. Takes long routes to or from school 6. Lost interest in school 7. Begins to do poorly in school 8. Sad, moody, depressed 9. Stomach aches, head aches, lack of sleep 10. Low self esteem

Prevention Policy, Program, Intervention

Policy “BULLYING and HARASSMENT ARE UNACCEPTABLE” Board Policy : 5517 Anti-Harassment Bullying

Complaints/Reporting Any individual who believes a student has been or is the victim of discrimination, bullying, harassment, hazing, or similar conduct should immediately report the situation to the building principal or designee (acting as the school-level nondiscrimination coordinator), the District Nondiscrimination Coordinator(s), or the Superintendent, and/or complete the School District’s Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying report form, which is available online at A complaint may be filed by any student, parent, employee, or other individual with knowledge of the alleged conduct. Any student may also report concerns to teachers and other school staff, who will be responsible for notifying the building principal or designee, acting as the school-level nondiscrimination coordinator, for review, investigation and action.

Program 1. Anonymous Survey (Students let you know what is going on.) 2. Group formed to coordinate schools’ bullying prevention activities: (School Safety Committee) 3. Training Staff 4. Establish and enforce school rules 5. Establish a reporting protocol (online, may be anonymous) 6. Communicate with parents 7. Find hot spots for bullying 8. Intervene when bullying occurs or when reported.

Intervention 1. Stop it 2. Make appropriate eye contact 3. Don’t ask the reason for bullying 4. Use matter of fact tone of voice 5. Let students know it is unacceptable 6. Do not be over protective (see child alone later) 7. Immediate consequences if possible. 8. Do not make bully apologize to the victim 9. Notify colleagues in the building who interact with these students. 10. Do not make students meet and work it out. (This is abuse, not conflict.)

Intervention for the Child Bullied 1. Comfort privately 2. Spend time with that student-how pervasive has this bullying been? 3. Other colleagues may talk to the child 4. Help the child make friends. 5. Work with the parents on how to deal with it. 6. Mental health referral may be necessary.

Remediation of the Bully (Goal is not to discipline but is to stop the behavior) 1. Educate, teach appropriate behavior a. work with bullies on skills to change behavior. Bullying will not go away until we change the behavior of the bully. b. communicate that behavior will not be tolerated c. involve parents 2. Take away privileges 3. In school suspension 4. Last resort should be suspension and expulsion

Reminders Investigate all reports of bullying Communicate with parents Is a counseling referral appropriate for both parties? Follow up with principal and teachers Document, document, document

Group Work In vertical teams discuss real bullying/harassment situations encountered during the school year. On chart paper, describe interventions you used or would consider using to support the bullied or to remediate the bully. (Goal of this activity is to brainstorm various interventions) Groups report out suggested interventions to the larger group.

Resources Stop Bullying.gov Let’s Get Real video real/lgr_clips real/lgr_clips U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Educational Opportunities Section: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights: OCR Dear Colleague Letter on Bullying and Harassment: e html e html Copyright © 2013 by Great Lakes Equity Center

Resources Webinar (archived): Bullying and Civil Rights: An Overview of School Districts’ Federal Obligation to Respond to Harassment: traininginfo&eventID=8&from=training&dtab=1 traininginfo&eventID=8&from=training&dtab=1 Webinar (archived): Bullying Intervention: What Works: ninginfo&eventID=9&from=training&dtab=1 ninginfo&eventID=9&from=training&dtab=1 Copyright © 2013 by Great Lakes Equity Center