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Bullying

Current Bully Prevention Policy

Gateway's Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan was developed in response to Massachusetts legislation and has been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on May 11, 2011. It defines bullying and cyberbullying, reporting requirements, procedures for investigating and documenting bullying, and the consequences for bullies, and the protections to be instituted for victims of bullying. An investigation begins with the filing of an Incident Report Form. Documentation is kept to record repeated acts of bullying.

The process for reporting and investigating bullying is complex. A flow chart has been developed to help guide students, parents and staff through the process.

The tragic suicides of Phoebe Prince and Carl Walker led to statewide and national attention to the issue of bullying. Legislation was passed in 2010 requiring that all public school districts in Massachusetts develop a Bullying Plan that met specific standards in the law. Gateway's Bullying Plan was developed and disseminated with input from the School Climate PAC.

In 2011, Gateway produced a booklet called "What Students and Their Families Need to Know About Bullying", which was distributed to all students and has been available at several open forums and workshops held for the public.

An updated listing of Bullying Prevention Resources can be found below. 

Parents, youth coaches, scout leaders, school volunteers--many adults want to know how they should respond if they see children in a bullying situation; in fact, they often aren't even be sure if what they are seeing is actually "bullying". This is called a "grey zone" behavior. The Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) has a simple 9-second response for any adult who witnesses questionable behavior in kids.

Cyberbullying is another big issue for today's young people. We will have tips for students, and tips for parents on this website in the near future.

Finally, it is important for our school community to understand that Gateway has a Hazing Policy in use for all clubs and athletic teams.
 

Bullying Prevention Resources

www.olweus.org  From Dan Olweus, creator of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

www.MARCcenter.com    The Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, with excellent resources for parents, schools and communities

www.paxis.org   Dr. Dennis Embry's site about the kernels approach; good information

www.antibullying.net   Anti-bullying network, with specific tips for school staff and parents

www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov  Stop Bullying Now! website for children, parents, adults

http://ncpc.org/  National Crime Prevention Council

www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv  Center for Prevention of School Violence - statistics, funding sources

http://allstarsprevention.com/  All-Stars, a model middle school curriculum

www.teachingtolerance.org   Southern Poverty Law Center's website includes tips on what can be done at school, in the community, and within families to model and teach tolerance

www.rosalindwiseman.com  Author of "Queen Bees & Wannabees", Wiseman's site includes information about the "Owning Up" middle/high school prevention curriculum

www.netlingo.com/  Link to website on cell phone and social media acronyms   

Books:

"Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls" by Rachel Simmons (2002), Harcourt Press

"The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander" by Barbara Coloroso (2003), Harper Collins

"Schools Where Everybody Belongs" by Stan Davis (2005), Research Press



 

Cyberbullying

Hurting someone with a simple click

Spreading rumors and bullying is nothing new. Kids have always found ways to be cruel to one another. But today’s kids are dealing with something much more sinister: cyberbullying. Kids are now using their cell phones and computers to hurt, humiliate, and harass each other. And it’s reaching epidemic proportions. They’re not just receiving nasty comments, but also getting demeaning text messages, embarrassing photos, and snide opinion polls. This type of bullying is especially disturbing because it is constant, pervasive, and very, very public.

Some facts

The most commonly experienced form of cyber-bullying is when someone takes a private email, IM, or text message and forwards it to someone else or posts the communication publicly.

  • 38% of girls online report being bullied, compared with 26% of online boys.
  • Nearly 4 in 10 social network users (39%) have been cyberbullied, compared with 22% of online teens who do not use social networks (all from Pew, 2007).
More information on several forms of cyberbullying:
 
 
 


The Gateway Regional School District also has a Facebook and Social Media Policy, that guides on-line interactions between staff and students.