Antibullying Policy Bulletin NO. N-22~September 16, 2002
In keeping with its responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment for all students and staff, the Los Angeles Unified School District requires all schools and all personnel to promote among students and staff mutual respect, tolerance, and acceptance. The District will not tolerate any behavior that infringes on the safety or well being of any student or staff member and will not tolerate retaliation in any form when bullying has been reported. A student or a staff member shall not intimidate or bully any other student or staff member through words or actions.
Definitions
Bullying is a form of aggression in which a stronger or more dominant person or a group of persons hurts or intimidates a weaker or less dominant person by means of a physical or verbal act that is intentional on the part of the perpetrator but unwanted and unprovoked on the part of the recipient. Bullying may involve direct physical force or may be carried out in more indirect ways such as manipulating friendships, ostracizing classmates, or spreading rumors. In either case, bullying can be limited to a single incident; however, on the whole, bullying involves repeated harmful actions as follows:
- Verbal bullying involves hurtful name-calling, teasing, or gossip.
- Emotional (psychological) bullying may include, but is not limited to, rejecting, terrorizing, extorting, defaming, humiliating, blackmailing, manipulating friendships, isolating, ostracizing, using per pressure, or rating or ranking personal characteristics such as race, disability, ethnicity, or perceived sexual orientation.
- Sexually bullying involves, in addition to many of the actions listed above, exhibitionism, voyeurism, sexual propositioning, sexual harassment, or abuse consisting of actual physical contact and sexual assault. In many cases, gender and cross-gender sexual harassment may also qualify as bullying.
- Retaliation after bullying has been reported may involve, in addition to any of the above-mentioned kinds of bullying, spreading rumors, following the person, destroying property, or using the telephone or any other electronic or written form of communication against the victim.
Students Rights and Staff Responsibilities
- A student has the legal right to report an incident(s) of bullying at any time without fear of reprisal or retaliation from the bully or anyone else.
- Teachers must discuss with their students all aspects of the antibullying policy and the strategies to prevent bullying.
- Personnel at all levels must provide information on the prevention and correction of bullying to students, parents, and staff and are responsible for taking corrective action to prevent bullying in school, at school events, and to or from school.
Staff Rights and Administrative Responsibilities
- Staff member has an obligation under District policy to report an incident(s) of bullying directed at him or her at any time without fear of retaliation.
- Administrators must discuss with staff all aspects of the antibullying policy and the strategies to prevent bullying.
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