Anti-Bullying

Danville Community School Corporation believes that student safety is job one. All Danville schools have a state-approved protocol for reporting suspected harassment and bullying. Students are encouraged to approach staff and describe the incident that could be considered harassment or bullying. However, we recognize that a significant amount of harassment and bullying may not be reported using these traditional channels of communication. In response to this concern, we have developed a variety of methods for the student, parent or community member to report harassment and bullying.
 

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance or threat. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, written threats and cyber harassment.  Danville Community School Corporation is committed to reducing bullying and educating our students about the roles of victim, aggressor, and bystander. Each year, all students and staff attend anti-bullying programs and procedural protocols are reviewed.
As a parent, you can:

• Assure your child that the problem can be solved.
• Let the school know that your child is being bullied.
• Communicate and cooperate with the school until the problem is solved.
• Know that bullies are often victims themselves.
• Bullies often have poor social skills and do not know how to behave towards others in a positive way.
• Positively reinforce your child's self-esteem and sense of self worth.
• Develop your child's social skills by teaching him or her to share and to cooperate with others in group situations.

 

 

Anti-Bullying Resources

• IDOE Bullying & Cyberbullying Prevention and Response

• Guidance from U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights

• LGBTQ Resources

• Mental Health America

• National Education Association

• Stopbullying.gov

• Youth Leader's Toolkit

 

DCSC Bullying Policy

1. Bullying committed by students toward other students is strictly prohibited. Engaging in bullying conduct described in this rule by  use of data or computer software that is accessed through any computer, any computer system, or any computer network is also  prohibited. 

2. For purposes of this rule, bullying is defined as overt, unwanted, repeated acts or gestures, including verbal or written  communications or images transmitted in any manner including electronically or digitally, physical acts committed, aggression, or  any other similar behaviors that are committed by a student or group of students against another student with the intent to  harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate, or harm the targeted student and create for the targeted student an objectively hostile  school environment that: 

• places the targeted student in reasonable fear of harm to the targeted student’s person or property; 
• has a substantially detrimental effect on the targeted student’s physical or mental health; 
• has the effect of substantially interfering with the targeted student’s academic performance; or 
• has the effect of substantially interfering with the targeted student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, and privileges provided by the school. 

3. This rule may be applied regardless of the physical location of the bullying behavior when a student committing bullying behavior and the targeted student attend a school within the school corporation and disciplinary action is reasonably necessary to avoid substantial interference with school discipline or prevent an unreasonable threat to the rights of other students to a safe and peaceful learning environment. 

4. Any student or parent who has knowledge of conduct in violation of this rule or any student who feels he/she has been bullied in violation of this rule should immediately report the conduct to the school administrator who has responsibility for all investigations of student misconduct including bullying. A student or parent may also report the conduct to a teacher or counselor who will be responsible for notifying the school administrator. This report may be made anonymously.  

5. The school administrator shall investigate immediately all reports of bullying made pursuant to the provisions of this rule.  Such investigation must include any action or appropriate responses that may be taken immediately to address the bullying  conduct wherever it takes place. The parents of the bully and the targeted student(s) shall be notified on a regular, periodic  basis of the progress and the findings of the investigation and of any remedial action that has been taken. 

6. The school administrator will be responsible for working with the school counselors and other community resources to provide information and/or follow-up services to support the targeted student and to educate the student engaging in bullying behavior on the effects of bullying and the prevention of bullying. In addition, the school administrator and school  counselors will be responsible for determining if the bullying behavior is a violation of law required to be reported to law  enforcement under Indiana law based upon their reasonable belief. Such determination should be made as soon as possible and once this determination is made, the report should be made immediately to law enforcement. 

7. False reporting of bullying conduct as defined in this rule by a student shall be considered a violation of this rule and will  result in any appropriate disciplinary action or sanctions if the investigation of the report finds it to be false. 

8. A violation of this rule prohibiting bullying may result in any appropriate disciplinary action or sanction, including suspension and/or expulsion. 

9. Failure by a school employee who has a responsibility to report bullying or investigate bullying or any other duty under this rule to carry out such responsibility or duty will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from employment with the school corporation. 

10. Counseling, corrective discipline, and/or referral to law enforcement will be used to change the behavior of the perpetrator. This includes appropriate intervention(s), restoration of a positive climate, and support for victims and others impacted by the bullying. 

11. Educational outreach and training will be provided to school personnel, parents, and students concerning the identification,  prevention, and intervention in bullying. 

12. All schools in the corporation are encouraged to engage students, staff and parents in meaningful discussions about the negative aspects of bullying. The parent involvement may be through parent organizations already in place in each school. 

13. The superintendent or designee will be responsible for developing detailed administrative procedures consistent with the Indiana  Department of Education guidelines for the implementation of the provisions of this rule.