Cesar E. Chavez Middle School

Cesar Chavez Middle School
Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan
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Each year parents or guardians of enrolled students will be provided with information about the anti-bullying curricula. Cesar Chavez Middle School will post the Plan and related information on the Cesar Chavez Middle School website.

A.    Students
•    Treating each other respectfully
•    Refusing to bully others
•    Refusing to let others be bullied
•    Refusing to watch, laugh, or join in when someone is being bullied
•    Trying to include others in play, especially those who are left out
•    Reporting bullying to an adult

B.    Parents
•    Encouraging your child not to engage in harmful teasing
•    Listening to your child if he/she report being bullied
•    Reporting signs of being bullied to your school teacher or principal
•    Encouraging your child not to exclude others or spread rumors or gossip
•    Supporting the school if your child is identified as having engaged in bullying behavior.
•    Helping your child to understand how hurtful it feels to be excluded, bullied, or harassed.

C.   Staff
The following approaches are integral to establishing a safe and supportive school environment. These underscore the importance of our bullying intervention and prevention initiatives.
General teaching approaches that support bullying prevention efforts:
•    Setting clear expectations for students and establishing school and classroom routines;
•    Creating safe school and classroom environments for all students, including but not limited to students with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender students, and homeless students;
•    Using appropriate and positive responses and reinforcement, even when students require discipline;
•    Using positive behavioral supports;
•    Encouraging adults to develop positive relationships with students;
•    Modeling, teaching, and rewarding pro-social, healthy, and respectful behaviors;

Complaint Resolution         
All incidents of bullying must be documented and reported directly to the building principal and/or designee who will have the primary responsibility for resolving complaints.

If at any time during this process, a school official is made aware of behavior which may constitute a criminal offense, he/she is obligated by law to report such actions to the legal authorities.

In addition, any behavior which is identified as being so harmful as to suggest a personal threat or assault, will receive immediate disciplinary consequences according to the discipline code, and will result in an immediate suspension, or possible expulsion.

All reports and complaints of bullying, cyber-bullying, and retaliation will receive prompt action to end that behavior and restore the target’s sense of safety. This commitment will be supported in all aspects of our school community, including curricula, instructional programs, staff development, extracurricular activities, and parent or guardian involvement.

Members of certain student groups may be more vulnerable to becoming targets of bullying, harassment, or teasing. The school will take specific steps to create a safe, supportive environment for all populations in the school community, and provide all students with the skills, knowledge, and strategies to prevent or respond to bullying, harassment, or teasing.

PLEASE NOTE: As the following steps go forward, it is important that the child being bullied and/or the recipient of retaliation be given support from appropriate school staff, including counseling intervention as needed. Research has clearly shown that it is ineffective to bring a student who is being bullied and/or retaliated against together with the student who is doing the bullying for the purpose of mediating the dispute. However, each case is unique and should be addressed with sensitivity to the safety and welfare of the students involved.

I.               First Incident:
If a teacher or other staff person recognizes, or perceives a report from a student regarding behavior of a relatively minor nature, such as mild teasing, name calling, or excluding a student from group activities, etc. the student or students involved will be warned that such behavior is not allowed. The student should be told that, if this behavior occurs again the student would be sent to the principal for further action.
When bullying is reported to a staff member, it is important to ask whether or not this behavior has happened previously. If there has been a history of chronic bullying, the staff member will skip Step One and consult with the principal.

When a warning is given, the staff member should document that such a warning has taken place. A teacher reporting bullying to the office should use the Critical Incident Reporting/Complaint Form, completing the identifying information.*

II.             Second Incident:
The principal will review school expectations and rules with the student, and a problem solving conference is held. The parents of the student will be called and notified. The student and parents are told that any subsequent referrals for bullying or any retaliation against those who brought the matter to the attention of staff will be followed by disciplinary consequences. If the bullying behavior is judged to be severe, the principal always has the option to dispense a disciplinary consequence, even upon the initial referral to the office.*

III.           Third Incident:
The principal will contact the parents to set up a parental conference. The student will receive a disciplinary consequence which could range from detention to out of school suspension, depending on the severity of the behavior. At the parental conference, bullying will be addressed, and a remedial plan may be formulated. Appropriate community based interventions or counseling will also be considered.*

IV.           Fourth Incident: Sent to the Principal
Following a comprehensive investigation, the student will be immediately suspended. A parental conference will be arranged to create/review a remedial plan. Additional alternatives, such as referral for expulsion could be considered.*

Reporting and Record Keeping
The principal will keep a written record of any and all children referred to the office for bullying behavior utilizing the Bullying Referral Form.

*In cases where disciplinary action becomes necessary, a due process investigation will precede any such action.

1.     A principal may not disclose information from a student record of a target or aggressor to a parent unless the information is about the parent’s own child.
2.     A principal may disclose a determination of bullying or retaliation to a local law enforcement agency without the consent of a student or his/her parent. The principal shall communicate with law enforcement officials in a manner that protects the privacy of targets, student witnesses, and aggressors to the extent practicable under the circumstances.
3.     If the reported incident involves students from more than one school district, charter school, non-public school, approved special education day or residential school, or collaborative school, the principal will notify the principal or designee of the other school(s) of the incident so that each school may take appropriate action.
A principal may disclose student record information about a target or aggressor to appropriate parties in addition to law enforcement in connection with a health or safety emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals. The principal must document the disclosures and the reasons that the principal determined that a health or safety emergency exists.