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Bullying Awareness and Policy Information.

8/31/2022

 
As we come closer to another Homecoming season, we feel it is a good time to ask our school community to be aware and vigilant when incidents of intimidation, harassment and bullying occur.  It is important that everyone in our PORTA School community feels safe and welcome during our homecoming festivities and a sure way to make that happen is to practice kind behavior and compassion.

At our school, bullying of any kind, by any person, is unacceptable. All students should be free from worries about being bullied. Students who bully others must be taught other, appropriate ways of interacting with peers. The purpose of this letter is to provide you with information concerning the School District’s anti-bullying program and to encourage you to help us identify students who are being bullied.
The School Board policy on bullying begins with this goals statement:
Bullying, intimidation, and harassment diminish a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate. Preventing students from engaging in these disruptive behaviors is an important District goal.
Bullying is defined as follows:
Bullying means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following:
  1. Placing the student in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s person or property.
  2. Causing a substantially detrimental effect on the student’s physical or mental health.
  3. Substantially interfering with the student’s academic performance.
  4. Substantially interfering with the student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.
Bullying, intimidation, and/or harassment may take various forms, including without limitation: threats, stalking, physical violence, sexual harassment, theft, public humiliation, destruction of property, or retaliation for asserting or alleging an act of bullying.
We ask our school staff members to respond immediately and with compassion to a student who reports bullying or school violence. After evaluating the situation to determine if an immediate referral is warranted, a staff member will request the student report the incident to a building administrator. 
I we asked our staff members for their feedback and concerns specifically regarding locations that may be bullying hot spots needing additional supervision or monitoring or if there are any known bullies or targets of bullying in our building. We ask you to do the same thing. Please inform us if you know of any bullying hot spots in or around our school, or if you are aware of a known bully or target of bullying.
Finally, our staff members are requested to intervene immediately to stop a bullying incident. They will immediately contact building administration and or the district Resource officer if the incident involves a weapon or other illegal activity.
Below are some of the signs that a young person is being bullied:
  • Does not want to go to school and refuses to explain the reason
  • Talks about not having any friends
  • Has unexplained bruises, cuts, scratches, or abrasions
  • Has unexplained damage to clothing, possessions, books, etc.
  • Frequently loses money or possessions
  • Loses interest in school and/or has declining grades
  • Becomes withdrawn and/or has stress or depression symptoms 
These signs do not necessarily mean your child is being bullied, but if present, ask your child whether he or she is being bullied. 
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Matthew W. Brue

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