ANTI-BULLYING PREVENTION, POLICY, AND PROCEDURES

Mission Statement: The Lafayette School Corporation (LSC) believes that bullying can be prevented with the proper education and implementation of strategies.

Purpose: LSC will provide a safe learning environment to learn and achieve. LSC has found that bullying causes physical and emotional harm to students, which interferes with the learning process. It’s the LSC objective to create an environment free of bullying so students feel safe and supported to succeed academically, emotionally, and physically.

Scope: The Anti-Bullying Plan protects students against bullying and harassment based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, ability, and orientation. According to IC-20-33-8-13.5, bullying is not tolerated:

• 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;
• off school grounds at a school activity, function, or event;
• traveling to or from school or a school activity, function, or event;
• using property or equipment provided by the school; or
• through the use of data or computer software that is accessed through a computer, computer system, or computer network of LSC.

Definition: IC 20-33-8-0.2 Bullying means overt repeated acts or gestures, including:

• verbal or written communications transmitted,
• physical acts committed, or
• 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 other student.

Choice Language:

• Bullying- An intentional, repeated, unwanted, intimidating behavior.
• Conflict- A disagreement or argument.
• Resolution- A decision or solution to a conflict.
• Retaliation- An action that is given in return to an offense.
• Cyberbullying: Online social cruelty using cell phones, computers, or other electronic devices to humiliate, harass, embarrass, or taunt someone with words or images. It may include social-emotional threats or threats of violence.
• Harassment- To be tormented.
• Sexual Harassment- Bullying in a sexual nature.
• Teasing- To make fun or provoke someone.
• Hazing- To force someone to participate in unwanted tasks.
• Bystander- A person that witnesses an event or action, but doesn’t take part in the event or action.
• Witness- A person that sees an action or event take place.

Investigations: The investigation must take place within three (3) days of receiving a misconduct report. The investigation must be completed within ten (10) days of receiving the misconduct report.

Step 1: A school safety task force must be established.
Step 2: Student that is being bullied must identify the initiator, incident, and any witnesses.
Step 3: The school safety task force will conduct an investigation and interview the person being bullied, the initiator, and all witnesses.
Step 4: Research to see if there are any patterns of behavior.
Step 5: Assess the effects of the incident in correlation of safety and to ensure that no one’s civil rights are being violated, discuss whether or not the incident is bullying. If it is bullying, implement the Anti-Bullying Plan.
Step 6: Make a recommendation for consequences.
Step 7: Notify the parents of the victim, the parents of the initiator, and if appropriate, Lafayette Police Department of the incident.
Step 8: Document all details of the investigation in PowerSchool.
Step 9: Within thirty (30) days, the task force should conduct follow up inquiries to see if there have been any new incidents. If so, the task force should reinvestigate following the steps from above.

Interventions: The following are ways the faculty and staff can intervene with bullying. Note, LSC faculty and staff members would violate the Civil Rights statutes (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) if they fail to respond or investigate a bullying situation that leads to a hostile environment. It is a faculty or staff member’s legal obligation to address bullying under these laws, and to follow the investigative steps when it does occur.

Step 1: Intervene in the situation. This may include a referral to the school’s problem solving/RTI process.
Step 2: Notify the school safety task force.
Step 3: Cooperate in the investigation.

Consequences: Recognizing that bullying is disruptive and interferes with the school’s purposes or educational functions of LSC, school officials will discipline students for bullying as deemed necessary. This is in accordance with the provisions of IC-20-33-8-14.

First Reported Offense: Student will meet with a counselor or administrator and will be advised of potential consequences. The incident will be logged and parent/guardian will be notified via letter.

Each Additional Reported Offense: Student will be referred to administration. Incident will be logged and further action will be taken. Depending on the severity of the reported incident and other related factors, suspension may result at any point in the process. Suspension is defined according to IC-20-33-8-7 as any disciplinary action that does not constitute an expulsion, whereby a student is separated from school for a period not more than ten (10) school days. Expulsion, as defined by IC-20-33-8-3, is when a student is separated from school attendance for a period exceeding ten (10) school days. When expelled, a student could be assigned to attend an alternative school, an alternative educational program, or a homebound educational program.

Resources: The following resources are available to help prevent, address, and potentially resolve bullying:

• Core curriculum classes in school
• PBIS
• School counselors and/or administrators
• Crisis Hotline: (765) 742-0244 or lafayettecrisiscenter.org
• Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1 (800) 784-2433
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Lafayette
• Purdue College Mentors for Kids
• Valley Oaks: (765) 446-6535, after hours (765) 463-2555
• Lafayette Police Department: (765) 807-1200
• School Safety Task Force: According to IC-5-2-10.1-12, each school within LSC shall establish a safe school task force to address school violence, bullying, and other issues that prevent the maintenance of a safe school. The task force will be established and led by the school safety specialist.