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BULLYING PREVENTION POLICY
Purpose & Goals
ASFG is committed to providing a supportive, caring, and safe environment where all
members can work and learn in order to fulfill
the mission and learning goals of the school.
Parents, teachers, students, and the rest of the school community have a responsibility to
contribute to the protection an
d maintenance of this environment. This bullying prevention
policy is intended to establish and communicate
the philosophy, expectations, and practices
of the school and its community members to prevent and address bullying.
Definition of bullying
Bullying is any type of verbal, social, cyber, or physical aggression against a person, which
is repeated and intended to harm. The underlying purpose of bullying is to humiliate or hurt
another person. A bullied person is one who repeatedly is exposed to the negative actions
of one or more persons. One of the key elements that define a bullying situation is the
imbalance of power between the involved parties, such as an older student harassing a younger student.
Bullying may include, but it is not limited to:
Verbal Bullying
- name calling, teasing
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making fun of or being disrespectful of another person's physical characteristics, nationality,
creed or beliefs, color, size, physical challenge or disability, family problems, sexual
orientation, ability to learn, or athletic ability
- using inappropriate language (i.e., swearing)
- spreading lies or rumors about a person
- laughing at another's misfortune
- inciting others to fight or bully someone in any way
- putting someone down
Threatening
- threatening to physically hurt a person if he/she does not comply with certain requests
- using antagonistic language toward someone
Social Exclusion
- not allowing a person to play with or to participate in group activities
- forming a circle of friends or group on the playground or in the hallways so that another person cannot join
- speaking with a group so that one person is excluded either because of language or slang used only by the group
- ignoring a person
- refusing to be someone's friend or participating in a group's efforts to isolate or exclude someone
- refusing to allow someone his or her place in a line
Cyber Bullying
- negatively targeting a person using any type of technological device and/or network
-
posting/sending comments, photographs, videos and/or icons that threaten, embarrass, put down,
intimidate, exclude, insult, or hurt another person
- forcing somebody else to make aggressive posts/messages
- creating and/or participating in any site or social network that is harmful to others
- excluding somebody from a cyber group with the intention of hurting them
- creating false accounts in someone else's name that is used to hurt another individual(s)
- spreading rumors in any way with the use of technology (using names or anonymously)
- gaining unauthorized access to anyone's accounts with the intention to harm
Physical Bullying
- pushing, shoving, hitting or poking
- pulling someone's clothes
- fighting Vandalism, Extortion/Theft
- damaging someone's property or locker
- breaking someone's school utensils
- writing on someone's notebook or binder without their consent or permission
- taking someone's lunch money or lunch
- taking/hiding someone else's property
Conflict is part of everyday life and might occur because needs are not met or because individuals have different
perspectives. Conflicts can have positive or negative results, depending on how we choose to solve them. In a
conflict situation, the two parties involved have equal power and therefore can negotiate a solution. On the
other hand, one of the key elements that define a bullying situation is the imbalance of power.
While ASFG intervenes in all situations that in volve our students' well being, it is important to understand that
not all problematic situations are bullying. Conflict exists in all human interactions and can lead to
learning opportunities. Therefore, it is very important to identify the type of situation is at hand in order to
be able to respond adequately.
Community Roles
The ASFG community has an important role to play in bullying prevention and intervention. All ASFG members or
visitors need to be aware of students' interactions and be prepared to report bullying incidents. ASFG staff
members are trained to intervene appropriately in situations they observe. Students are trained to intervene
and stand up to bullying situations they witness. Effective reporting includes a detailed written report
(see "Reporting Procedure") and also speaking with a school administrator or counselor in person.
Confidentiality is maintained by school administrators and counselors in order to protect all parties involved.
Confidentiality ensures that parties are not labeled and it encourages other students and community members
to come forward to describe bullying incidents. Parents, students, and the school have various roles in
prevention, intervention, and reporting:
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The Role of Parents
ASFG mandates that parents attend three bullying prevention workshops throughout their child's academic
career. If parents suspect their child is a victim, witness, or a participant in bullying situations,
they must take immediate action to involve the school. The intervention of an adult is usually the only
way to break the cycle of harassment. ASFG recommends that parents:
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Encourage your child to spend time with friends; children with a supportive group of friends are
less likely to become victims of bullying.
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Inform the school (teacher, counselor or administrator) of any concerns about bullying
(see "Reporting Procedure"). Do not seek justice on your child's behalf. Encourage your child
to seek help from a school authority.
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Communicate and empathize with your child so that he/she does not feel embarrassed to discuss
their problems.
- Keep the conversation focused on what your child's actions were and what he/she could have done differently.
- Model respectful relationships with appropriate boundaries.
- Encourage your child to be kind and empathetic towards others.
- Teach your child to set limits and deal with problems with assertiveness rather than aggression.
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Do not justify your child's behavior. Even though a person may be angry, hurt, or alone, this does not
give him/her the right to hurt others.
- Encourage your son/daughter to speak up when they witness a bullying situation.
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The Role of Students
Students must take an active role to reduce bullying incidents. Students are often neither bullies
nor victims, but witnesses of bullying situations. Students who witness an incident of harassment
play a key role in perpetuating or stopping the situation. The following are some strategies
students can use:
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Report the situation to a teacher, counselor or administrator regardless of whether you are a
victim or a witness of a bullying situation. Reports will remain confidential
(see "Reporting Procedure").
- Be assertive and tell the other student(s) to stop.
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Stay safe by building friendships with other classmates, staying away from aggressors, avoiding
unsupervised areas, etc.
- Avoid reacting angrily or violently to the harassment situation.
- Support classmates by openly rejecting bullying and harassment behaviors.
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The Role of ASFG
The school's role is to prevent bullying situations through education and intervention. Each
section accomplishes this in an age-appropriate manner and attuned to the needs of their
students and teachers. ASFG Bullying Prevention Program
Reporting and Intervention Procedures
Reporting Procedure: If a potential bullying situation arises, community members have a responsibility to initiate
the intervention process by submitting a formal report. The report should include specific details including:
- What happened
- Who was involved
- Where and when it took place
- Who may have witnessed the incident
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Whether this was the first time this situation was observed or the reporting party observed the situation on repeated
occasions (Include a description of previous incidents if observed on repeated occasions)
The reporting party's actions during the incident (simply observed; intervened, defended, attacked, notified an authority, etc.)
This report should be submitted to the section administrative team (Principal, Assistant Principal, or counselor[s]) in
writing using the report form found in each section office.
Intervention Procedure: The following is an overview of the process that is followed by the counselors and the
administrative teams of each section after an official report has been submitted:
- Interview with the alleged victim
- Interview with the alleged aggressor(s)
- Interview with observers
- Assessment of the situation and determination of consequences as appropriate
- Follow-up communication with involved parties
Intervention: Disciplinary decisions made by teachers and administrators are determined after a due and fair
process taking into consideration the developmental stage, history, needs of the student, the seriousness of the infraction,
and school safety. The school may choose to use meetings, reflections, counseling, action plans, restitution plans,
detention, suspension, the temporary suspension of rights, or expulsion as ways to discipline students who bully.
Parents will be informed of all serious issues concerning their son/daughter and the process used for establishing
appropriate consequences; they will be expected to support the school's decision with respect to those consequences.
Guidance from ASFG counselors, a psychologist, or an external professional may be recommended. Confidentiality of
these decisions is a critical component of the process so that students are not labeled and can learn from the experience.
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