Bullying Prevention Handbook

Jeannette McKee School

In an attempt to fully address bullying issues that may arise, the Jeannette City School District has created a handbook that is available to students, parent, teachers, and community members. Bullying takes on multiple forms, is present in all communities, and impacts nearly all students. The Jeannette City School District makes every effort to eliminate bullying among the students in our schools, and value the uniqueness and special talents of each person that is a part of our Jeannette Community.

The Jeannette City School District has adopted the PACER Center National Bullying Prevention Center as the primary school and community resource to address bullying in our schools. Please take a few moments and read through the excerpt from Beyond Sticks & Stonespage 2. The complete document can be found by clicking.

Introduction

Every day, children, teens, and people from all over the world send stories of bullying to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. The thousands of messages — filled with heartache and pain — attest to the serious and sometimes deadly impact of bullying on a child’s life. Unfortunately, the number of students who write to PACER about being bullied can be multiplied by millions of others: nearly one-third of all school-aged children are bullied each year in the U.S., upwards of 13 million students.1

This book can help you change that number. If you want to protect your child or someone you know from being bullied, or you want to be proactive in your community about this issue but aren’t sure where to begin, this book is for you. “Beyond Sticks & Stones: How to Help Your Child Address Bullying” offers bullying prevention strategies for children at home, in school, and online. It is filled with the information and practical tools that can help parents and others take action against bullying. Throughout the book, you’ll also find comments from children and teens that illustrate the face of bullying today.

The first step to preventing bullying is to understand its dynamics — what bullying is, the types of bullying, and why children are bullied. Following this overview, “Beyond Sticks & Stones” offers strategies on how to work with your child to put a stop to bullying or prevent it, how to work with the school, and how to learn about the legal rights your child may have.

Because children who have disabilities are bullied two to three times more often than children without disabilities, a special section provides specific tips for parents of students with disabilities. “Beyond Sticks & Stones” also includes specific ways for schools, communities, teens, and children to become Champions Against Bullying. Finally, the book offers bullying prevention resources that can provide further help and guidance.

Even though bullying is still pervasive in this society, the increasing awareness of the issue over the past six years offers hope that change can occur. When PACER Center founded the National Bullying Prevention Center in 2006, there was little public discussion about bullying, and media attention of the issue was almost non-existent. National Bullying Prevention Month, initiated by PACER and observed each October, has helped bring the issue to light. These days, people in the U.S. are more informed about the dangers of bullying. Celebrities are supporting bullying prevention initiatives, the White House has provided a summit on bullying, and states are strengthening bullying laws. This offers hope that a culture that has in the pastaccepted bullying as a “rite of passage” can change if everyone does their part.

That hope can also be found in some of the messages students send PACER. When a child survives bullying to speak out and help others, there is hope; when a child who has bullied others changes her behavior, there is hope; when students and adults take action against bullying and teach others empathy and respect, thereis hope.

Defining Bullying Behavior

What is bullying? At first glance, it might appearthat this behavior is easy to define. A commonimage of bullying might be of a physically intimidating boy beating up a smaller classmate or of one child shoving another inside a hallway locker. While thatis still considered bullying,it's important to know that bullying behaviors can be much more complex and varied thanhistorical stereotypes.

For example,while some bullying is physical and easy to recognize, bullying can also occur quietly and covertly, through gossip or on a smart phone or the internet, causing emotional damage.

As a starting point,there areelements that are included in most definitions of bullying. Although definitions vary from source to source, most agree that an act is defined as bullying when:

  • The behavior hurts, humiliates,or harms another person physically or emotionally.
  • Those targeted by the behavior have difficulty stopping theaction directed at them, and struggle to defend themselves.
  • There is also a real or perceived “imbalance of power,” which is described as when the student with the bullying behavior has more “power,” either physically, socially, or emotionally, such as a higher social status, oris physically larger or emotionally intimidating.
  • Repetitive behavior; however, bullying can occur in a single incident if that incident is either very severe or arises from a pattern of behavior.

Many definitions also include:

  • The types of Bullying: The behavior can be overt and direct, with physical behaviors, such as fighting, hitting or name calling, or it can be covert, with emotional-social interactions, such as gossiping or leaving someone out on purpose. Bullying can also happen in-person, online or through smart phones and texts.
  • Intent of the part of the student with bullying behavior: “It is intentional, meaning the act is done willfully, knowingly, and with deliberation to hurt or harm,” but there is some controversy with this statement as some assert that not all bullying behavior is done with intent or that the individual bullying realizes that their behavior is hurting another individual.
  • Distinction about amount and duration: Many definitions indicate that the bullying is “repeated,” but the reality is that bullying can be circumstantial or chronic. It might be the result of a single situation, such as being the new student at school, or it might be behavior that has been directed at the individual for a long period of time.
  • The implications for all students: It is also important to note that bullying is not just about the implications for those targeted by the behaviors, but that the behavior can impact all students in the school, including those who witness the behavior and those that engage in the behavior.
  • Additional factors: these can include; the differentiation between bullying and harassment, enumeration of protected classes, statements around the use of technology, how the behavior impacts educational performance and the physical locations that would fall under the jurisdiction of school sanctions.

Students often describe bullying as when “someone makes you feel less about who you are as a person.”

This is not a legal definition. Rather it is a way to help students understand what bullying is. For a legal definition, consult your state’s law on bullying. You can find Pennsylvania state law at StopBullying.gov.

Works Cited:

PACER’s Center Inc. The End of Bullying Begins with You. National Bullying Prevention Center.

n.p.

Pacer Center. Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center. Beyond Sticks & Stones. (2013).

Minneapolis, MN.

Reporting Bullying Behavior

The Jeannette City School District is utilizing Anonymous Alerts reporting system as a way parents and students can submit an anonymous message using a home computer or mobile app that will be directed to appropriate school personnel. All students and parents are encouraged to utilize the app and report bullying or incidents that may be a threat to student safety in a timely manner. Please see the following page for explicit direction on how to sign up for the Jeannette City School District Anonymous Alerts Student Reporting System.

Please note that when utilizing the Anonymous Alerts application it is very important to include as much information as possible so that administration can investigate the incident as quickly as possible. Please see the link to Anonymous Alerts if you wish to report an incident to school personnel.

Jeannette Student Assistance Program: SAP

The Jeannette City School District SAP program is a systematic approach to the identification of students who may be at risk due to academic, social, and /or emotional barriers to their learning success. Often students who are either bullied or display bullying behaviors benefit from a SAP referral.

SAP provides interventions and, if appropriate, referral of students to internal or external support services.

SAP is an intervention; it is not a treatment. SAP is designed to facilitate collaborations between the home and school in order to address student needs. It is a caring group that strives to develop positive self-worth.

Anyperson listed below who is concerned about a student can contact any SAP member at any time.

AdministratorsNursesFriend

TeachersSelf-referralsPeer

CounselorsStudentsCommunity Member

NursesParentsStaff

A referral can be made any time by contacting either by phone or email any building administrator, school counselor, school nurse, or any other of the SAP team members in the Jeannette City School District.

Discipline

The Jeannette City School District Administration does not tolerate students who violate the Bully/Cyberbullying district policy. (No. 249) Students who violate this policy shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary actions consistent with the Code of Student Conduct, which may include:

  • Counseling with the Student
  • SAP referral
  • Teacher Detention
  • Office Detention
  • Parental Conference
  • Suspension
  • Loss of School Privileges: Extra-curricular activities, school transportation
  • Transfer to another school

Please see the JCSD Bullying/Cyberbullying Policy No. 249 Revised on May 18, 2015 at the end of the handbook.