What is Bullying?
As stated on the Iowa Department of Education’s website:
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.
In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:
- An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
- Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. – 2014 US Department of Education office of Safe Schools
What is not Bullying?
Conflict is not Bullying. A conflict is a disagreement or antagonism between two or more people. All parties involved have some responsibility for the encounter. It is not bullying when two or more kids with no perceived power imbalance, fight, have an argument or disagree.
Peer conflict should still be reported to building administrators, teachers, counselors, etc. for resolution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmL1Mo2SNI&feature=youtu.be
Resource to depict conflict verses bullying
District Policies
103.1 Anti-bullying/Harassment Policy https://www.waterlooschools.org/newpolicies/files/2017/04/103.1-2.pdf
103.1-R Anti-bullying or Harassment Complaint Procedure https://www.waterlooschools.org/newpolicies/files/2017/04/103.1-R-2.pdf
103.1-E1 Complaint Form for Allegations of Bullying/Harassment https://www.waterlooschools.org/newpolicies/files/2017/04/103.1-E1-Compl.-Form-1.pdf
103.1-E2 Witness Disclosure Form for Allegations of Bullying/Harassment https://www.waterlooschools.org/newpolicies/files/2017/04/103.1-E2-Witness-form-1.pdf
Reporting Bullying Behavior
Bullying or unwanted behavior should be reported immediately to any adult in the building including but not limited to an administrator, counselor or teacher. Bullying behavior can also be reported using the following means:
District Website- online bullying reporting
http://www2.waterloo.k12.ia.us/bullying/
If you are reporting an immediate threat or danger to a person, a school, or other emergency, please call 911!
**Please keep in mind the online reporting system is monitored during business hours of the school year. Reports made outside of these times (i.e. holidays) will be received the next school day.
“All bad behavior is not bullying, but all bullying is bad behavior” – Anonymous