St. Anne Grade School

The St. Anne Grade School is committed to protecting students from all forms of bullying. SAGS students have the right to a safe, caring, and respectful learning environment in which all students can realize their maximum potential and fully engage in the learning process. Our goal is to raise awareness of bullying as an unacceptable form of behavior and to have measures in place to deal with bullying behavior when it occurs.

District Bullying Policy 7.180

• Put everything behind password protected walls, where only friends can see.

• Protect your password and make sure you really know who someone is before you allow them onto your friend’s list.

• Blur or morph your photos a bit so they won’t be abused by cyberbullies or predators.

• Don’t post anything your parents, principal or a predator couldn’t see.

• What you post online stays online - forever!!!! So ThinkB4UClick!

• Don’t do or say anything online you wouldn’t say offline.

• Protect your privacy and your friends’ privacy too...get their okay before posting something about them or their pics online.

• Check what your friends are posting/saying about you. Even if you are careful, they may not be and may be putting you at risk.

• That cute 14-year old boy may not be cute, may not be 14 and may not be a boy! You never know!

• And, unless you’re prepared to attach your blog to your college/job/internship/scholarship or sports team application...don’t post it publicly!

• Stop, Block and Tell! (don’t respond to any cyberbullying message, block the person sending it to you and tell a trusted adult).

• R-E-S-P-E-C-T! (use good netiquette and respect the feelings and bandwidth of others).

• Keep personal information private (the more information someone has about you, the more easily they can bully you).

• Google yourself! (conduct frequent searches for your own personal information online and set alerts ... to spot cyberbullying early).

• Take 5! (walk away from the computer for 5 minutes when something upsets you, so you don’t do something you will later regret).

For more information, visit www.WiredSafety.org; www.stopcyberbulling.org.

Reprinted with permission from “Parry Aftab’s Guide to Keeping Your Kids Safe Online, MySpace, Facebook and Xanga, Oh! My!” Parry Aftab, Esq., www.aftab.com.

• Federal Trade Commission - Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm

• Connect Safely - Social Web Tips for Teens www.connectsafely.com/Safety-Tips/social-web-tips-for-teens.html (2008).

• Life online (Girls Scouts and Windows) - lmk.girlscouts.org/Online-Safety-Topics/Social-Networking/Is-It-Safe-/Test-Your-Knowledge-on-Social-Networking-Safety.aspx. Test for knowledge of networking safety.

Report Form for Bullying and School Violence

Who reports? YOU, if you have information about bullying, harassment, school violence, and/or a threat of one of these actions. It doesn’t matter whether you are the target of bullying or think someone is being bullied, please report it!

What do I report? Any activity that targets someone to be hurt. Bullying, harassment, school violence, and threats take many forms. One thing they have in common – someone is targeted to be hurt. Examples of these hurtful behaviors include unwanted teasing, intimidation, physical violence, humiliation, spreading false rumors, social exclusion, or theft or destruction of property.
Bullying, harassment, school violence, and threats may occur almost anywhere students go – in school buildings, on school grounds or busses, at bus stops, for example. Bullying or harassing may also occur using social networking sites or cell phones.

When should I report? As soon as possible.

Where or how do I report? Tell any school staff member. You may do this in person, by phone, or by email. You may be asked to complete 7:180-AP1, E5, Report Form for Bullying and School Violence. You may make an anonymous tip.

Why should I report? Fear and abuse have no place in our school. Be a hero and report bullying. If you are being bullied, a report will help you and other students who may also be targeted for bullying.

What will happen after I report? An Administrator will:

1. Acknowledge and review your report.

2. Treat your report with privacy and respect.

3. Investigate your report. The school will not bring students who bully and those they bully into the same room to confront each other. All interviews will be private.

4. Take appropriate action that may include increased monitoring and supervision, restructuring schedules, additional resources, and disciplinary action for conduct code violations, among others.

5. Provide you with feedback, if appropriate.