BARREN COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL
SITE BASED DECISION MAKING
FUNCTIONAL SCHOOL OPERATIONAL POLICIES
District: Barren
School: Barren County Middle School
Policy Type (By-Laws or Function):
Function
Policy Number: 28.01
POLICY TOPIC DESCRIPTION
Bullying and Harassment Policy
POLICY STATEMENT
Barren County Middle School is committed to providing all students with a safe and civil
environment in which students can learn and teachers can teach. The school refuses to
tolerate harassment, bullying, intimidation, or any other behavior that may cause physical
or emotional harm to any member of the school community. In order to help ensure a
type of environment where all members of the school community are treated with
respect, the school has put in place policies, procedures, and practices to help reduce and
eliminate incidents of bullying, intimidation, and harassment.
The United States Department of Education defines bullying as “intentional, repeated
hurtful acts, words, or other behavior, such as name-calling, threatening, and/or shunning
committed by one or more children against another. The victim does not intentionally
provoke these negative acts, and for such acts to be defined as bullying, an imbalance in
real or perceived power must exist between the bully and the victim. Bullying may be
physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual in nature.” Bullying, intimidation, and harassment
of students by school personnel, other students, district staff, and volunteers who have
direct contact with the students will not be tolerated in the school.
Barren County School District prohibits such behavior as hazing, bullying, menacing,
taunting, verbal or physical abuse of others, lewd, profane, or vulgar language, or any
other type of threatening behavior based on real or perceived race, sex, creed, color,
religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, physical appearance,
disability, or distinguishing characteristics. The Barren County Middle School Bullying
and Harassment Policy will be in effect while students are on school property; on
property under the jurisdiction of the school district; while on school owned or school
operated vehicles or forms of transportation; while participating or attending school
sponsored activities; and while away from school grounds if the misconduct directly
affects the good order, efficient management and welfare of the school district.
Harassment, intimidation, or bullying may include but is not limited to the following acts
or circumstances:
-
verbal, nonverbal, physical or written harassment, bullying, hazing, or other
forms of intimidation or harassment that have the purpose or effect of causing
injury, suffering, discomfort, or fear to the individual on which the acts are being
performed.
o Verbal harassment – name calling, rumor spreading, etc.
o Nonverbal harassment – eye rolling, intimidating looks, inappropriate
gestures, etc.
o Physical harassment – fighting, hitting, shoving, etc.
o Written harassment – notes or letters produced at school or revealed at
school, emails or other electronically transmitted communication
produced at school or revealed at school, any inappropriate messages
written on school property, etc.
-
taunting or repeated remarks of a demeaning nature that have the purpose or
effect of causing injury, suffering, discomfort, or fear to the individual on which
the acts are being performed.
-
Threats, implied or explicit, concerning a student’s/staff member’s achievements,
property, etc. that have the purpose or effect of causing injury, suffering,
discomfort, or fear to the individual on which the acts are being performed.
-
Demeaning jokes, stories, or activities directed at the student or staff member that
have the purpose or effect of causing injury, suffering, discomfort, or fear to the
individual on which the acts are being performed.
-
Any other act or interference with a student’s or staff member’s performance that
creates a hostile learning environment.
Every incident of harassment, intimidation, or bullying requires the school administration
to respond promptly and appropriately to the individual being harmed and the individual
committing the act. Where it is determined that inappropriate conduct has occurred,
Barren County Middle School will end the conduct and impose corrective action and/or
punishment as deemed necessary by the school administration. The corrective action
may range from requiring the offender to participate in peer mediation, requiring a parent
conference, the recommendation for counseling or other therapeutic services to improve
behavior, and/or imposing a disciplinary consequence that may range from isolation, inschool suspension, Saturday School, out-or-school suspension, recommendation for
expulsion, and/or referral to the court.
Barren County Middle School prohibits active and passive support for harassment,
intimidation, and bullying. Students are encouraged to support other students who “walk
away” from these acts when the student hears or sees such acts occurring. Students are
also encouraged to attempt to stop such occurrences in an appropriate manner and report
these acts to the principal, assistant principal, guidance counselor, or teacher. Students
found to be actively or passively supporting harassment, intimidation, or bullying will be
subject to corrective action deemed appropriate by the school administration. Possible
corrective action may include, but is not limited to, peer mediation, parent conference,
isolation, in-school suspension, Saturday School, out-of-school suspension,
recommendation for expulsion, and/or referral to the court.
The school prohibits acts of reprisal or retaliation against any student or school personnel
who reports an act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. The consequence for a
student who engages in acts of reprisal or retaliation will be determined by the school
administration after consideration of the nature and circumstance of the act. Possible
corrective action may include, but is not limited to, peer mediation, parent conference,
isolation, in-school suspension, Saturday School, out-of-school suspension,
recommendation for expulsion, and/or referral to the court.
DATE ADOPTED__________________
polbullying
SIGNATURE___________________________
(COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON)