Relationships Matter
Our Commitment
We believe that healthy relationships with both peers and adults are key to students’ ability to learn and thrive at school.
To that end, we invest considerable time and effort into helping students develop, maintain and benefit from healthy relationships with their classmates and school staff.
In situations where those relationships break down and there is conflict, our staff will intervene immediately or as soon as it is brought to our attention. We will help students navigate the conflict, offer guidance on how to repair relationships, issue consequences when needed, and work individually to help the students get back on track. We will also involve and communicate with parents as needed.
Bullying Prevention at Every Level
Elementary
Morning Meetings
An engaging way to start each day by building a strong sense of community within elementary classrooms.
Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit
4-5 lessons taught in October.
All Grades
PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) Program
Proactively teaches behavior expectations for students, including specific expectations in different contexts (ie hallways, cafeteria, bus, etc.).
Safe Space Program
System that helps students and staff address hurtful language by promoting respect, understanding and positive communication. Components include age-appropriate lessons, staff training, and a clear reporting and follow-up process.
Be Good People Curriculum
Teaches students essential life skills that they need to succeed in school and in their communities. Lessons are focused on self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, healthy relationships, and responsible decision-making.
Secondary
Courage Retreat
Facilitated through Youth Frontiers, this event helps middle school students establish friendships, and build trust and lasting connection with peers.
LINK/WEB Programs
Helps students who are new to middle school and high school become oriented to their new school building and build relationships with peers at school.
Bullying Response at Every Level
Family Partnership & Support
Parents and families are encouraged to support their child by having frequent conversations at home, helping them navigate friendships and peer relationships, and communicating concerns with school staff.
Reporting
Any concerns about bullying behavior should be reported to the classroom teacher and/or building principal via online reporting form or submission of a paper copy of the bullying report. All reports are taken seriously, reviewed promptly, and handled with attention to student privacy.
Immediate Staff Response
Staff are expected to intervene right away when bullying or demeaning behavior occurs or is reported. Immediate interventions include: stopping the behavior/harmful language, separating students, and referring the incident to school administration.
Administrative Assessment & Intervention
School administration assesses each situation to determine the appropriate next steps. Responses include conversations with students or staff, gathering necessary information, family communication, consequences when necessary, and follow-up to ensure the issue has been addressed.
Parents’ Role
Parents can support at home with helping their child navigate the ups and downs of friendship and class relationships.
Reporting a behavioral concern
If you have a concern regarding an incident involving your child, you are encouraged to contact your child’s teacher or the principal at your child’s school (find school administration contact information here). The district takes all reports of behavioral incidents between students seriously. Once you reach out, school staff will contact you or speak with your child to learn more about the reported incident. Staff will work closely with you to address the concern and, within data privacy limitations, will share the steps school staff will take or have taken to address the issue. If a situation develops into bullying, there is a bullying report form below that parents can use to report the issue.
Response & Intervention to Bullying Behavior
It is critically important that every student feels safe at school, has a sense of belonging and connections with people who care about them. If that status breaks down and we see or hear about instances of bullying, demeaning behavior or unkindness, we intervene immediately.
Staff members are prepared to intervene when they witness students mistreating other students. In some cases, the behavior is a reaction to an incident or being upset with another student. In other cases, the behavior is related to bullying behavior. In either case, staff will stop the behavior, separate the students involved and refer the matter to school administration. Administration will then assess the situation and provide appropriate and necessary measures to address the situation.
When a report of bullying is made to a school staff member, whether verbally or through the bullying report form, the matter is addressed immediately by school staff.
This intervention will look differently depending on the situation, but our response could include sitting down for a conversation with the students involved, conducting a deep investigation to learn and understand the situation, coaching conversations with those involved, communicating with families, issuing consequences and following up with those who reported the issue.
Report Bullying
If you believe that you or your child, or a student you know is being bullied, you are encouraged to contact the principal at your child’s school to report the incident(s). In addition, you may fill out this Bullying Reporting Form. Reports can be made anonymously. Paper copies of the form are also available at each school building and Community Education office. Bullying reporting forms can be turned into staff at any school office or the Community Education office.