Background
Northstar Middle School is committed to providing a safe, caring, and positive environment to maximize learning opportunities and experiences for all students. Every member of this school community must take personal responsibility for the emotional and physical safety of one another and the learning or school environment. It is a violation of school policy for any student to bully, harass, or intimidate another student, and it will not be tolerated.
This protocol establishes practices and procedures for handling observed and reported incidents of bullying and/or harassment. Questions about any aspect of the protocol should be addressed to the Coordinator of Bullying Prevention and Intervention (Northstar Administration)
Bullying and Harassment Definitions
ECASD definition of Bullying is found in district policy 5517.01-Bullying. Important elements of this definition include:
- Power: Involves an imbalance of power (i.e. social status, popularity, influence, size, age, etc.);
- Pain: Unwelcome behavior that may impact a student’s educational, physical, or emotional well-being, and intentional behavior using words or actions intended to cause fear, intimidation, or harm;
- Pattern: may be a repeated behavior or has the likelihood to be repeated.
ECASD definition of Harassment is found in district policy 5517-Student Anti-Harassment.
Harassment means any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture, use of data or computer software, or written, verbal, or physical conduct directed against a student or group of students based on one or more of the student’s or group of students' Protected Class that:
- places a student or group of students in reasonable fear of harm to their person or damage to their property;
- has the effect of substantially interfering with a student's or group of students' educational performance, opportunities, or benefits; or
- has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of a school.
“Harassment” also includes “hate speech” directed against a student or group of students —the use of language, behavior, or images/symbols that express prejudice against a particular group or groups on the basis of any protected characteristic(s).
Click HERE to read Northstar's complete Bullying and Harassment Protocol
