Bullying Policy
Bullying Policy
5201 BULLYING POLICY 1. PURPOSE AND PHILOSOPHY Weber School District is committed to creating a safe and secure environment for students, employees, parents, and community members. Bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing, and retaliation significantly impact a student’s ability to achieve academically and reduces an employee’s ability to perform his/her job responsibilities. In addition, bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing and retaliation can have a direct effect on a student’s or an employee’s health, and well-being and may contribute to excessive absences, physical illness, mental and emotional anguish, and long-term social and psychological consequences. Weber School District encourages all members of the school community—students, employees, and parents—to work together to address problems of bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing and retaliation by adhering to the following policy and procedures for reporting and training. 2. POLICY Weber School District prohibits students and employees from bullying other students and/or employees on school property, at school-related events, on school busses or bus stops, or while traveling to or from school, school events, or bus stops, and encourages all targets of bullying and all persons with knowledge of bullying to report the incident(s) immediately. Weber School District prohibits students and employees from cyber-bullying and hazing another student or employee at any time or in any location where the cyber-bullying or hazing creates a substantial and material disruption at school, or it is reasonably foreseeable that the cyber-bullying or hazing will create a substantial and material disruption at school. Weber School District prohibits students and employees from retaliating against another student or employee who reports, investigates, or participates as a witness to a bullying, hazing, or cyber-bullying incident. All targets of retaliation are encouraged to report the incident(s) immediately. Weber School District prohibits false allegations of bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing or retaliation. For purposes of this policy, the terms “bullying”, “cyber-bullying” and “hazing” will be collectively referred to as “Bullying”, unless the separate terms “cyber-bullying” or “hazing” are used, in which case, the specific terms and definitions for “cyber-bullying” or “hazing” will apply. 3. DEFINITIONS* *All defined terms are bolded throughout this policy. 3.1 “Abusive conduct” means verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a parent or student directed toward a school employee that, based on its severity, nature, and frequency of occurrence, a reasonable person would determine is intended to cause intimidating, humiliation or unwarranted distress. 3.2 “Bullying” means a school employee or student intentionally committing a written, verbal, or physical act against a school employee or student that a reasonable person under the circumstances should know or reasonably foresee will have the effect of: 5201 Page 2 (a) causing physical or emotional harm to the school employee or student; (b) causing damage to the school employee's or student's property; (c) placing the school employee or student in reasonable fear of: (i) harm to the physical or emotional well-being of the employee/student; or (ii) damage to the employee's or student's property; (d) creating a hostile, threatening, humiliating, or abusive educational environment due to: (i) the pervasiveness, persistence, or severity of the actions; or (ii) a power differential between the bully and the target; or (e) substantially interfering with a safe school environment that is necessary to facilitate educational performance, opportunities, or benefits. 3.2.1 Bullying includes statements, verbal or written, suggesting to a student that the student should commit suicide. (For example, but not limited to: “You should kill yourself,” “No one wants you alive”, etc.) 3.2.2 Bullying includes verbal, physical, and sexual harassment if the harassment meets the definitions for Bullying above. 3.2.3 “Bullying” does not include: (a) a single incident, unless the incident is objectively severe; or (b) mutual or reciprocating behaviors between students that might otherwise constitute bullying if one student was clearly the aggressor.