PRYOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY

STUDENT BULLYING

Statement of Legislative Mandate and Purpose

This policy is a result of the legislative mandate and public policy embodied in the School

Safety and Bullying Prevention Act, 70 OKLA. STAT. § 24-100.2 et seq. (“Act”). The district

intends to comply with the mandates of the Act and expects students to refrain from

bullying. Bullying is expressly forbidden and students who bully are subject to disciplinary

consequences as outlined in the district’s policy on student behavior. Bullies may also be

provided with assistance to end their unacceptable behavior, and targets of bullies may be

provided with assistance to overcome the negative effects of bullying.

Definition of Terms

A. Statutory definition of terms:

“Bully” means any pattern of harassment, intimidation, threatening behavior,

physical acts, verbal or electronic communication directed toward a student or group

of students that results in or is reasonably perceived as being done with the intent to

cause negative educational or physical results for the targeted individual or group

and is communicated in such a way as to disrupt or interfere with the school’s

educational mission or the education of any student.

 

“Threatening behavior” means any pattern of behavior or isolated action, whether or

not it is directed at another person, that a reasonable person would believe indicates

potential for future harm to students, school personnel, or school property.

 

“Electronic communication” means the communication of any written, verbal,

pictorial information or video content by means of an electronic device, including,

but not limited to, a telephone, a mobile or cellular telephone or other wireless

telecommunication device, or a computer.

 

Note: Bullying by electronic communication is prohibited whether or not such

communication originated at school, or with school equipment, if the communication

is specifically directed at students or school personnel and concerns bullying at

school.

 

“At school” means on school grounds, in school vehicles, at school-sponsored

activities, or at school-sanctioned events.

 

B. The “Reasonable Person” Standard

 

In determining what a “reasonable person” should recognize as bullying, staff will

consider the point of view of the intended target, including any characteristics

unique to the intended target. Staff may also consider the discipline history and

physical characteristics of the alleged bully.

 

C. Types of Bullying

 

“Physical Bullying” includes harm or threatened harm to another’s body or property,

including but not limited to threats, tripping, hitting, pushing, pinching, pulling hair,

kicking, biting, starting fights, daring others to fight, stealing or destroying property,

extortion, assaults with a weapon, other violent acts, and homicide.

 

“Emotional Bullying” includes the intentional infliction of harm to another’s selfesteem,

including but not limited to insulting or profane remarks or gestures, or

harassing and frightening statements.

 

“Social Bullying” includes harm to another’s group acceptance, including but not

limited to gossiping; spreading negative rumors to cause a targeted person to be

socially excluded, ridiculed, or otherwise lose status; acts designed to publicly

embarrass a targeted person, damage the target’s current relationships, or deprive

the target of self-confidence or the respect of peers.

 

“Sexual Bullying” includes harm of a sexual nature, including but not limited to

making unwelcome sexual comments or gestures to or about the targeted person;

creating or distributing vulgar, profane or lewd words or images about the target;

committing a sexual act at school, including touching private parts of the target’s

body; engaging in off-campus dating violence that adversely affects the target’s

education opportunities; making threatening sexual statements directed at or about

the target; or gossiping about the target’s sexuality or sex life. Such conduct may

also constitute sexual harassment which is prohibited by the district.

 

Understanding and Preventing Bullying

 

A. Student and Staff Education and Training

 

A full copy of this policy will be posted on the district’s website and included in all

district handbooks. Parents, guardians, community members, and volunteers will be

notified of the availability of this policy through the district’s annual written notice of

the availability of the district’s anti-bullying policy. Written notice of the policy will

also be posted at various places in all district school sites.

 

Students and staff will be periodically reminded throughout the year of the

availability of this policy, the district’s commitment to preventing bullying, and help

available for those affected by bullying. Anti-bullying programs will be incorporated

into the district’s other violence prevention efforts.

 

All staff will receive annual training regarding preventing, identifying, reporting, and

managing bullying. The district’s bullying coordinator and individuals designated as

school site investigators will receive additional training regarding appropriate

consequences and remedial action for bullies, helping targets of bullies, and the

district’s strategy for counseling and referral for those affected by bullying.

 

Students will receive annual education regarding behavioral expectations,

understanding bullying and its negative effects, disciplinary consequences for

infractions, reporting methods, and consequences for those who knowingly make

 

false reports. Parents and guardians may participate in a parent education

component.

 

B. Safe School Committees

 

Each Safe School Committee has the responsibility of studying and making

recommendations regarding unsafe conditions, strategies for students to avoid harm

at school, student victimization, crime prevention, school violence, and other issues

which interfere with and adversely affect school safety.

 

With respect to student bullying, each Committee shall assist the board in promoting

a positive school climate. The Committee will study the district’s policy and

currently accepted bullying prevention programs (available on the state department

website) to make recommendations regarding bullying. These recommendations

must be submitted to the principal and cover: (i) needed staff development,

including how to recognize and avoid bullying; (ii) increasing student and

community involvement in addressing bullying, (iii) improving individual studentstaff

communication, (iv) implementing problem solving teams which include

counselors and/or school psychologists, and (v) utilizing behavioral health

resources.

 

Student Reporting

 

Students are encouraged to inform school personnel if they are the target of or a witness to

bullying. To make a report, students should notify a teacher, counselor, or principal. The

employee will give the student an official report form, and will help the student complete the

form, if needed.

 

Students may make an anonymous report of bullying, and such report will be investigated as

thoroughly as possible. However, it is often difficult to fully investigate claims which are

made anonymously and disciplinary action cannot be taken against a bully solely on the

basis of an anonymous report.

 

Staff Reporting

 

Staff members will encourage students to report bullying. All employees are required to

report acts of bullying to the school principal on an official report form. Any staff member

who witnesses, hears about, or suspects bullying is required to submit a report.

 

Bullying Investigators

 

Each school site will have a designated individual and an alternate to investigate bullying

reports. These individuals will be identified in the site’s student and staff handbooks, on the

district’s website, and in the bullying prevention education provided annually to students

and staff. The district’s anti-bullying program is coordinated at the district level by its

bullying coordinator, the assistant superintendent.

 

Investigating Bullying Reports

 

For any alleged incidents of bullying reported to school officials, the designated school

official will investigate the alleged incident(s) and determine (i) whether bullying occurred,

(ii) the severity of the incident(s), (iii) the potential for future violence and (iv) the reason for

the actual or perceived bullying.

 

In conducting an investigation, the designated official shall interview relevant students and

staff and review any documentation of the alleged incident(s). School officials may also

work with outside professionals, such as local law enforcement, as deemed appropriate by

the investigating official. In the event the investigator believes a criminal act may have been

committed or there is a likelihood of violence, the investigator will immediately call local

law enforcement and the superintendent.

 

At the conclusion of the investigation, the designated employee will document the steps

taken to review the matter, the conclusions reached and any additional action taken, if

applicable. Further, the investigator will notify the district’s bullying coordinator that an

investigation has occurred and the results of the investigation.

 

Upon completion of an investigation, the school may recommend that available community

mental health care or substance abuse options be provided to a student, if appropriate. The

school may provide a student with information about the types of support services available

to the student bully, target, and any other students affected by the prohibited behavior.

These resources will be provided to any individual who requests such assistance or will be

provided if a school official believes the resource might be of assistance to the

student/family. The district is not responsible for paying for these services. No school

employee is expected to evaluate the appropriateness or the quality of the resource

provided, nor is any employee required to provide an exhaustive list of resources available.

All school employees will act in good faith.

 

The school may request the disclosure of information concerning students who have

received substance abuse or mental health care (pursuant to the previous paragraph) if that

information indicates an explicit threat to the safety of students or school personnel,

provided the disclosure of the information does not violate the requirements and provisions

of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the Health Insurance Portability

and Accountability Act of 1996, OKLA. STAT. tit. 12 § 1376, OKLA. STAT. tit. 59 §1376 of the

Oklahoma Statutes, or any other state or federal laws regarding the disclosure of

confidential information. The school may request the disclosure of information when it is

believed that the student may have posed a danger to him/herself and having such

information will allow school officials to determine if it is safe for the student to return to the

regular classroom or if alternative education arrangements are needed.

 

Parental Notification

The assigned investigator will notify the parents of a target within one (1) school day that a

bullying report has been received. Within one (1) school day of the conclusion of the

investigation, the investigator will provide the parents of a target with the results of the

investigation and any community resources deemed appropriate to the situation.

 

If the report of bullying is substantiated, within one (1) school day of the conclusion of the

investigation, the investigator will contact the parents of the bully to discuss disciplinary

action and any community resources deemed appropriate to the situation.

 

The timelines in this parental notification section may be reasonably extended if individual

circumstances warrant such an extension.

 

Parental Responsibilities

 

All parents/guardians will be informed in writing of the district’s program to stop bullying

and will be given a copy of this policy upon request. An administrative response to a

reported act of bullying may involve certain actions to be taken by parents. Parents will be

informed of the program and the means for students to report bullying acts toward them or

other students. They will also be told that to help prevent bullying at school they should

encourage their children to:

▪ Report bullying when it occurs;

▪ Take advantage of opportunities to talk to their children about bullying;

▪ Inform the school immediately if they think their child is being bullied or is

bullying other students;

▪ Watch for symptoms that their child may be a target of bullying and report

those symptoms; and

▪ Cooperate fully with school personnel in identifying and resolving incidents.

 

Student Transfers

 

Students who are victims of bullying, and who report the incident(s) to school

administrators, may choose to transfer to another school district. Any application for

transfer must be made in accordance with the receiving school district’s transfer policy.

 

Monitoring and Compliance

 

In order to assist the State Department of Education with compliance efforts pursuant to the

School Safety and Bullying Prevention Act, 70 OKLA. STAT. § 24-100.2 et seq., the district will

identify a Bullying Coordinator who will serve as the district contact responsible for

providing information to the State Board of Education. The Bullying Coordinator shall

maintain updated contact information on file with the State Department of Education and the

school district will notify the State Department of Education within fifteen (15) days of the

appointment of a new Bullying Coordinator.

 

A copy of this policy will be submitted to the State Department of Education by December

10th of each school year as part of the school district’s Annual Performance Report.

 

Reference: OKLA. STAT. tit. 70 § 24-100.2