COLEGIO MENOR

SAN FRANCISCO DE QUITO

 

 

 

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY

 

PURPOSE

Bullying affects everyone in a school community, not just the bullies and victims.  Children who exhibit bullying behavior need to learn how their behavior affects others and they need guidance in modifying their behavior in order to become a positive member of the community.  Studies indicate that early intervention with a focus on counseling results in a higher level of success in modifying bullying behavior. 

 

CMSFQ Community Expectations

At Colegio Menor we believe that every student should be able to learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment, therefore, bullying will not be tolerated in our community. 

 

We acknowledge that students will make mistakes and we embrace the philosophy that these mistakes are learning opportunities; however we become especially concerned when we see patterns of negative behaviors within our community members.  The process of changing one's behavior can often be frustrating and difficult.  It requires patience and consistent effort primarily by the student, but also by parents, teachers and administrators.  We expect all community members to report inappropriate behavior.  The goal of reporting is to take students out of trouble and look for solutions.  Therefore, we provide a clear structure and open communication in this process to ensure that these students receive regular feedback on their behavior and effort.  Our main goal is to support and encourage our students to reach their potential and to become persons of integrity who choose healthy behaviors.

 

WHAT IS BULLYING?

Bullying is when one or more persons repeatedly and intentionally intimidate, harass, belittle or physically harm another person.

 

Some examples of bullying actions are (but not limited to):

·         physical aggressions  (hitting, kicking, punching)

·         verbal aggressions (name calling, starting rumors)

·         intimidation (threats)

·         exclusion (deliberate isolation from activities by peers)

·         electronic harassment (misuse of technology, such as the internet or mobile phones)

·         deliberate damage to property or theft

 

 WHO ARE THE PARTICIPANTS IN A BULLYING INCIDENT?

·         Victim: the student who has been hurt by the action.

·         Bully: the student or students who are the aggressors.

·         Bystanders: other students who witness or are aware of bullying.

 

HOW TO IDENTIFY A BULLYING INCIDENT:

·         It is deliberate, hurtful behavior.

·         It is repeated over a period of time.

·         It is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves.

·         The person who bullies exercises power inappropriately over the victim.

 

SYMPTOMS THAT MAY INDICATE A CHILD IS BEING BULLIED:

·         unexplained reluctance  to go to school

·         fearfulness or unusual anxiety

·         a drop in academic performance (grades)

·         trouble sleeping and nightmares

·         vague physical complaints (headaches, stomachaches) especially on school days

·         belongings that come home ruined or that go missing altogether 

 

WHAT BULLYING IS NOT

Bullying is NOT an isolated incident of aggression between children.  This type of incident, while negative and unacceptable in our community, will occur periodically and will be dealt with according to the procedures outlined in our Student Handbook and/or Code of Honor.

 

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN A BULLYING INCIDENT IF YOU ARE…

 

A STUDENT:

• Tell the bully to stop (specifying the behavior to be stopped).
• Walk away and/or ignore the behavior.
• If it continues, report the incident to an adult you trust (Counselor, Dean of Students, Area Head, Teacher, Parent, etc.).  A report can be made in either oral or written form.

A PARENT:

• Provide support to your child.
• Ask questions and gather information (successful intervention requires specific names and details of the incident).

• Break the silence: Report the incident to school authorities (Counselor, Dean of Students, Area Head, Teacher, etc.).  A report can be made in either oral or written form.

A STAFF/COMMUNITY MEMBER (Teachers, Support Staff, Administrative Personnel, Drivers/Assistants, Guards, etc.):

• Support the victim.
• Take every incident seriously and document it.  Provide names of all participants (bully, victim, bystanders) and report it to the Area Head in writing.

 

  

WHAT ACTION WILL BE TAKEN IN A BULLYING INCIDENT?

The CMSFQ Counseling department, the Dean of Students, and/or Area Head will work together to help students who are in bullying situations.  In any reported bullying incident BOTH emotional support and disciplinary consequences may be necessary as described below:

 

COUNSELING INTERVENTION:

Counseling intervention is always focused on immediately stopping the bullying behavior and on helping the victim and the bully to seek long term solutions. The counselor works with all parties involved (parents, students and teachers) in order to identify the cause of the problem and solve it together as a team. In a counseling intervention one or more of the following actions will occur and will be communicated to the respective families:

 

FOR THE VICTIM:

·         Individual counseling to support the victim and their family.

·         Follow-up in order to ensure that the bullying behavior has stopped.

 

FOR THE BULLY:

·         Individual counseling with a focus on helping the student:

o   Acknowledge their own actions

o   Acknowledge the results of the behavior on themselves, others, and the community at large.

o   Repair the situation (apologize and/or disciplinary consequences).

o   Learn to express their feelings or needs in more appropriate ways.

·         The School may request outside counseling support when necessary.

·         Follow up in order to:

o   Recognize improvement and positive change (and possibly remove existing disciplinary consequences).

o   And/or to apply additional disciplinary consequences if the bullying behavior continues.

·         Documentation of the incident will be placed in the student’s permanent file.

 

Disciplinary Consequences

Since bullying behavior can occur in many different ways and with varying levels of severity it is very important to treat each case individually.  Every report is taken seriously and investigated completely before any actions are taken. When a student exhibits bullying behavior, documentation of the incident will be placed in the student’s permanent file and he/she will receive one or more of the following consequences:

·         Loss of Community Points

·         Removal from the classroom and/or other activities for a period of time

·         Initiation of a behavior contract

·         Disciplinary warning

·         Code of Honor violation

·         In-school or out-of-school suspension

·         Disciplinary Committee meeting (possibly resulting in permanent expulsion)

 

*Note:  “Bystanders” to a bullying incident, as passive participants, may also receive disciplinary consequences and/or counseling intervention as described above for bullying behavior. 

 

RESOURCES:

 

BOOKS:

Coloroso, B. (2004). The bully, the bullied and the bystander, New York: Harper Collins Publishers Incorporation.

 

OTHER INSTITUTIONAL DOCUMENTS CONSULTED:

The Cedar School Anti Bullying Policy

Colegio Nueva Granada Bully-Free Policy

 

INTERNET SOURCES:

www.teachernet.gov.uk

www.bullying.co.uk