BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING

The Whittier City School District Board of Education desires to prevent bullying by establishing a positive, collaborative school climate and clear rules for student conduct.

The district will provide students with instruction, in the classroom or other educational settings, that promotes communication, social skills, and assertiveness skills and educates students about appropriate online behavior and strategies to prevent and respond to bullying and cyberbullying.

School staff shall receive related professional development, including information about early warning signs of harassing/intimidating behaviors and effective prevention and intervention strategies. Parents/guardians, students, and community members also may be provided with similar information.

Students may submit a verbal or written complaint of conduct they consider to be bullying to a teacher or administrator. Complaints of bullying shall be investigated and resolved in accordance with site-level complaint procedures.

When a student is suspected of or reported to be using electronic or digital communications to engage in cyberbullying against other students or staff, or to threaten district property, the investigation shall include documentation of the activity, identification of the source, and specific facts or circumstances that explain the impact or potential impact on school activities, school attendance, or the targeted student's educational performance.

Students shall be encouraged to save and print any messages sent to them that they feel constitute cyberbullying and to notify a teacher, the principal, or other employee so that the matter may be investigated.

Any student who engages in cyberbullying on school premises, or off campus in a manner that causes or is likely to cause a substantial disruption of a school activity or school attendance, shall be subject to discipline in accordance with district policies and regulations. If the student is using a social networking site or service that has terms of use that prohibit posting of harmful material, the Superintendent or designee also may file a complaint with the Internet site or service to have the material removed.

Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS)

PBIS is a framework for creating school climates that are positive, safe and predictable for students and staff. The heart of PBIS is the development of the Matrix of common behavior expectations across all settings on campus, centered on shared core values such as respect, responsibility, safety, and effort. The key focus is on teaching behavior as relentlessly as we teach academic skills and to provide trauma-sensitive responses to social-behavioral errors. Students are taught the matrix behaviors throughout the school year. Appropriate behavior is acknowledged with “caught being good” tickets and rewards. Behavior errors are addressed by providing students opportunities to reflect on their choices and relearn the matrix behaviors through logical consequences. PBIS is an evidenced based practice for disrupting the school to prison pipeline and improving outcomes for students.