Bullying & Harassment Policy

BULLYING & HARASSMENT POLICY The Learning Circle Montessori Elementary School is committed to providing a safe and constructive learning environment that honors the dignity and worth of every individual. It is the responsibility of The Learning Circle Montessori Elementary School to address bullying and harassment issues that occur. The Learning Circle Montessori Elementary School staff will create an orderly environment within the school through training, monitoring and intervening when bullying and harassment occur. Bullying and harassment are forms of dangerous and disrespectful behavior that will not be permitted or tolerated. Bullying and harassment may involve a range of misconduct which, based on the severity, will warrant a measured response of corrective action and/or discipline. Behaviors that do not rise to the level of bullying and harassment, as defined below, still may be subject to intervention and/or discipline under another section of the discipline plan or a discipline policy.

DEFINITIONS Bullying Bullying means any overt act or combination of such acts directed against a student by another student or group of students and which: 1) is repeated over time; 2) is intended to ridicule, humiliate, or harm the student(s) 3) occurs during the school day on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored activity, or before or after the school day on a school bus or at a school-sponsored activity. Harassment Harassment means any gesture, written, verbal, or physical act that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical or sensory handicap, or by any other distinguishing characteristic, that occurs during the school day on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored activity, or before or after the school day on a school bus or at a school-sponsored activity and which: 1) a reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, will have the effect of harming a student or damaging the student’s property, or

placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to his person or damage to his property; or 2) has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students in such a way as to cause substantial disruption with a student’s education, or substantial interference with the orderly operation of the school. Bullying and harassment can take various forms: 1) Physical (including, but not limited to, hitting, kicking, spitting, pushing, taking or damaging personal belongings); 2) Verbal (including, but not limited to, spreading rumors, manipulating social relationships, engaging in social exclusion, extortion or intimidation); 3) Psychological (including, but not limited to, spreading rumors; manipulating social relationships, engaging in social exclusion, extortion or intimidation); 4) Internet or cyber-bullying (including, but not limited to, the use of instant messaging [IM], e-mail, web sites, chat rooms, and text messaging that is used to bully or harass another student or employee, and when such use interferes with the operation of the school, or infringes upon the general health, safety and well being of The Learning Circle Montessori Elementary School students or employees); 5) Hazing (including, but not limited to, various forms of bullying and harassment of students by other students in regard to pledging and/or a student’s initiation into or affiliation with a school or student related organization or team). It is important to note that a single negative act as enumerated above may also constitute bulling (if more serious misconduct) based upon the particular circumstances such as the seriousness of the act and/or the intent of the alleged perpetrator. Conduct that might otherwise be considered bullying and harassment but does not occur during the school day on school property, on a school bus or at a schoolsponsored activity, or before or after the school day on a school bus or at a schoolsponsored activity event may still be subject to disciplinary action. Rules against bullying and harassment shall be publicized school-wide and shall be disseminated as appropriate to staff, students and parents. Discipline sanctions for violation of this policy shall be outlined in the The Learning Circle Montessori Elementary School’s Code of Conduct and may also be incorporated in the staff and student handbooks. Prevention and intervention techniques within The Learning Circle Montessori Elementary School to prevent bullying and harassing behavior and to support and protect victims shall include building-level and classroom-level strategies to and activities as determined by the administration.

Staff training shall be provided to raise awareness of the problem of bullying and harassment within the schools and to facilitate staff identification of and response to such bullying or harassing behavior to their immediate supervisor. Personnel at all levels are responsible for taking corrective action to prevent bullying or harassing behavior of which they have been made aware, through direct action and/or reporting such behavior to their immediate supervisor. Individual intervention will be provided by appropriate staff members to bullies, harassers, victims, bystanders and their parents to help ensure that the bulling or harassing stops.

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