The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) has developed resources that provide guidance for parents outlining how to report incidents of bullying and cyberbullying incidents to law enforcement when the incident occurs off of school grounds.
Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School, according to our mission, will foster an environment that will keep students emotionally and physically safe by implementing the OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Program.
Definition of Bullying:
Bullying is when someone repeatedly, and on purpose, says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself.
Bullying Prevention Rules:
1. We will not bully others.
2. We will try to help students who are bullied.
3. We will try to include students who are left out.
4. We will tell an adult at school AND an adult at home if we know that somebody is being bullied.
Reporting Bullying:
Students are to report mean actions and bullying as soon as they happen. They may make these reports through the following means:
- Tell a trusted adult at school and at home.
- Tell, write a note, or email our school administrator at info@svsbedford.org
Class meetings: All homeroom teachers are required to hold weekly class meetings. These meetings will cover topics related to bullying within the classroom and school. Teachers will use the guidelines and curriculum provided in the OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Program resources and by the school counselor during their weekly meetings. Teachers will also discuss topics suggested by the Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee (BPCC) or topics they determine as the needs of the class. Teachers will report topics and progress at a staff meeting every month.
Parent Involvement and Communication: Class meeting topics will be communicated to parents. Parents are encouraged to report any incidents of bullying to a teacher or administrator through e-mail or face-to-face conversation.
Bullying Intervention:
Faculty and Staff will use the following procedure when bullying behaviors occur:
- Stop the bullying.
- Support the student who has been bullied.
- To the student(s) who bullied: Name the bullying behavior and refer to the four anti-bullying rules.
- Empower the bystanders with appreciation if they were supportive to the student who was bullied or with information about how to act in the future.
- Impose immediate consequences for the student(s) who bullied.
- Take steps to make sure the student who was bullied will be protected from future bullying.
Teacher Reporting/Action: Teachers will document reports of bullying behavior and turn in to administration. Reports will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken based on the situation and level of behavior.
Level 1
Examples of Level 1 behaviors include: Insulting remarks, shoving, excluding others, gossiping, and spreading or starting rumors.
- On the spot intervention
- One on one meeting with all involved students
- Notify all parents of involved students
- Follow up with all students involved within 2-3 days
Level 2
Examples of Level 2 behaviors include: Repeating Level 1 behaviors, profanity, cyber bullying, retaliation, and verbal or physical threats.
- On the spot intervention
- In-person meeting with all involved students and parents
- Recommend counseling with school counselor
- Follow-up with all involved students within 2-3 days
- Detention, restricted activity, or school/parish community service
Level 3
Examples of Level 3 behaviors include: Repeating Level 1 or 2 behaviors, battery, physical fighting and any type of harassment.
- On the spot intervention
- In-person meeting with principal, counselor, teacher, student and parents
- Student put on behavior plan
- Student put on weekly probation
- Required weekly check-in with an appointed staff member
- Other consequences as deemed appropriate by principal
- Possible suspension (in-school or out of school) depending on severity of the incidents
*It is important to recognize that each incident will be dealt with individually as all circumstances will be different. These guidelines will be at the discretion of the principal.
All bullying related issues/questions/comments will be addressed by the BPCC.