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.
A updated listing of Bullying Prevention Resources can be found on the right.
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.