HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION, AND BULLYING

The Elmer Borough Board of Education prohibits acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

A safe and civil environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve high academic standards; harassment, intimidation or bullying, like other disruptive or violent behaviors, is conduct that disrupts both a student's ability to learn and a school's ability to educate its students in a safe environment; and since students learn by example, school administrators, faculty, staff and volunteers should be commended for demonstrating appropriate behavior, treating others with civility and respect, and refusing to tolerate harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

Definition of Language

"Harassment, intimidation or bullying" means any gesture or written, verbal or physical act or communications, including electronic, cyber, text, cell phone, pager, or computer, etc. that takes place on school property, at any school-sponsored function or on a school bus and that:

a.     is motivated by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical or sensory disability; or,

b.     by any other distinguishing characteristic; and

c.     a reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, that the act(s) will have the effect of harming a student or damaging the student's property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to his person or damage to his property; or

d.     has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students in such a way as to cause substantial disruption in, or substantial interference with, the orderly operation of

        the school.

Description of Behavior

The Board of Education expects students to conduct themselves in keeping with their levels of development, maturity and demonstrated capabilities with a proper regard for the rights and welfare of other students and school staff, the educational purpose underlying all school activities, and the care of school facilities and equipment.

The Board of Education believes that standards for student behavior must be set cooperatively through interaction among the students, parents/guardians, staff and community members. Such standards should produce an atmosphere that encourages students to grow in self-discipline. The development of this atmosphere requires respect for self and others, as well as for district and community property on the part of students, staff and community members.

The Board of Education believes that the best discipline is self-imposed, and that it is the responsibility of staff to use disciplinary situations as opportunities to help students learn to assume and accept responsibility for their behavior and the consequences of their behavior. Staff members who interact with students shall apply best practices designed to prevent discipline problems and encourage students' abilities to grow in self-discipline.

Based on broad community involvement (i.e., the use of a process that includes representation of parents/guardians and other community representatives, school employees, volunteers, students and administrators for the purpose of providing input regarding the development and content of the policy that is based on accepted core ethical values,) the Board of Education shall develop general guidelines for student conduct and shall direct development of detailed regulations suited to the age levels of the students and the mission and physical facilities of the individual schools. Board policy requires all students in the district to adhere to the rules and regulations established by the school district and to submit to such disciplinary measures as are appropriately assigned for infraction of these rules.