Bullying
Bullying
Bullying is defined as any sort of harassment, intimidation, or otherwise deliberately hurtful behavior by a single person or group of people toward an individual that is carried out repeatedly over time. Bullying requires a perceived imbalance of power that the bully uses to make the target feel uncomfortable, humiliated, ridiculed, or scared. Bullying can be in the form of physical, verbal, or psychological abuse and has an adverse effect on the student’s education and ability to participate in school.
Report Bullying
If a student has experienced bullying there are several options available to report the incident:
- Have a parent/guardian call the school
- Go directly to an adult on the campus
- Hand a note to an adult at the school
- Email your teacher or another adult at the school
- Submit the Report Bullying form linked below
Bullying Criteria
To determine if an act of an individual is considered bullying, the district looks at three separate criteria:
- Repeated: Was the action repeated over time?
- Imbalanced: Was the action characterized by an imbalance of power?
- Malicious: Was the action malicious in intent?
District Policies
It is the policy of Flagler Schools that all of its students and school employees have an educational setting that is safe, secure, and free from harassment and bullying of any kind. The District will not tolerate bullying or harassment of any type against any students, employees, visitors, volunteers or agents who work on school-related activities, subject to the control of school officials. Conduct that constitutes bullying and harassment, as defined herein, is prohibited.
The School Board, in its effort to provide a safe learning environment for all students, will not tolerate bullying, threats, or intimidation by any student. Any act of coercion, bullying, or making a person fearful of being harmed or any declaration of intent through words or acts to do bodily harm to another person or to destroy, damage, or steal his/her property will be considered a violation of the Code of Student Conduct and this policy. Students who violate this policy shall be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the provisions of the code of Student Conduct and Florida Statutes.
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For all school-related activities involving bullying, an investigation will begin upon notification. Once the initial notification of the incident is made, the school will have up to ten school days to complete the investigation.
If the incident happened at school, the school staff will start a bullying report using forms required by our district. The school staff will take a statement, speak to the alleged bully, interview witnesses, and watch security video if available.
Parents/guardians of all involved parties will be contacted by the school within 24 hours of initial notification of the incident.
The highest level of confidentiality possible will be upheld during an investigation and at no time will the alleged perpetrator and alleged victim be interviewed together. When bullying or harassment is suspected or reported, counseling services shall be made available to the alleged victim(s), perpetrator(s), and parents/guardians.
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- If the alleged bully is found to have bullied, they will be disciplined.
- If the behaviors continue, it is very important to report again, so the school can properly address the issue with the student.
- All incidents of bullying or harassment shall be reported in the school’s report of data concerning school safety and discipline required under S.1006.09(6), F.S.
- All incidents of unsubstantiated bullying will also be documented in the district’s electronic database for documentation purposes but this will not affect a student’s discipline record in a negative way.
- Once an investigation is complete, the school will contact all parties in writing of the school’s findings of the investigation.
- All parties will be offered counseling and if the investigation leads to a substantiated bullying offense, it will be required for the aggressor to attend counseling along with any other consequence issued in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct and discipline matrix.
- Even if an event does not meet the criteria for bullying or harassment, there still may be a consequence assigned for a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
- All completed investigations will be sent to the district office for record-keeping and placed in a confidential file.
- The responses/discipline administered to a bully increase in severity each time there is an incident. Students should tell an adult every time there is an issue so the behavior can be addressed and that student’s parent can be notified.
- Students who bully can be placed in different classroom settings or learning environments.
- Parents can request a restraining order if there is more than one event.
- In some cases, students can be legally charged if their behavior rises to the criminal level
Bullying Resources
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- State loudly and firmly: “Do not treat me like that,” and walk away
- Keep your cool, and walk away
- Don’t get physical, and walk away
- Don’t trash talk. If they say something negative about you respond with a positive. For example, if they say, “You are stupid,” say, “I am not stupid; I made A/B Honor Roll,” and walk away
- Always report the issue to an adult. If you are at school, tell a school employee
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Parents should encourage positive behavior and kindness and be a positive role model. Avoid making negative comments or put-downs about others. Avoid foul language and trash-talk when children are within earshot. Show them that friendships and relationships are based on trust and respect.
At Home
- Talk to your children daily about their interactions with friends and peers. Encourage them to talk about their feelings.
- Listen carefully for any signs that your child may be involved in a bullying incident, either as a bully, bystander or target. Ask for specifics and write them down.
- Encourage your child to tell you or another adult about any bullying that they see at school.
- Do not tolerate bullying, ridicule or harassment that may occur at home between siblings or friends.
- Help children embrace diversity. Teach that every individual is different and deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. They may not like everyone but they should never hurt a person emotionally or physically.
- Help your child to develop self-confidence and learn positive social skills.
- Help your child choose friends that are kind and respectful.
- Help your child choose TV programs, movies and other media that demonstrate positive behavior.
- Teach children at a young age that bullying is disrespectful behavior and can not only be dangerous, but can also be against the law.
- Teach children that bullying can carry on into adulthood and have consequences on personal and professional levels for both the bully and the target.
At School
- Learn the school’s rules on bullying and attend any meetings or trainings where this may be discussed.
- Keep an open line of communication with teachers, counselors, coaches or any other staff member who has regular contact with your child.
- Accept help from the school in any situation where your child may be a bully, bystander or target
- Report any incident of bullying to the school.
- Join a school parent organization with efforts aimed at preventing and eliminating bullying.
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- Bullying Prevention
- Bullying prevention information information for educators, families, and students from the Florida Dept. of Education
- Cyber Bullying
- Cyber bullying brochures from the Florida Office of the Attorney General
- Eyes on Bullying—What Can You Do?
- A toolkit for bullying prevention from the Education Development Center (PDF)
- Florida Statutes
- FS 1006.147 Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act: Bullying or harassment of any student or employee of a public K–12 educational institution is prohibited
- Hope Scholarship
- Information about Hope Scholarship Program eligibility from the Florida Dept. of Education
- Myths About Bullying
- Top ten myths about bullying from the stopbullying.gov website, managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (PDF)
- Parenting in the Digital Age
- Brochure for parents about internet safety from the Florida Office of the Attorney General
- Safe Steps
- Parent guide to online safety, child abduction, and runaway issues from the Office of the Attorney General (PDF)
- Safe Surfing
- Brochure for students about internet safety from the Florida Office of the Attorney General
District Policies
- Bullying Prevention
Mental Health Minute: Bullying
In this video, a Flagler Schools Mental Health Counselor discusses the impact of bullying and provides helpful coping strategies for families.