Tulsa Public Schools Policy 2119: Student Bullying Prevention and Intervention
PURPOSE: To address student bullying behavior effectively through a multi-faceted approach that includes education and the promotion of a positive school atmosphere.
The Board expressly prohibits any form of bullying behavior by students at school as well as active or passive support for acts of bullying. In addition, the Board prohibits bullying behavior by students outside of the regular school day if it causes a substantial and material disruption at school or an interference with rights of students and personnel to be secure. This includes but is not limited to bullying through electronic communication, whether or not such communication originated at school or with school equipment, if the communication is specifically directed at students or school personnel and concerns bullying at school.
The Superintendent or his/her designee will develop a regulation to support and provide specific procedures for implementation of this policy. The Superintendent or designee will also ensure that each site principal implements administrative regulations in furtherance of this policy. Students who engage in bullying behavior shall be subject to school discipline, up to and including suspension out of school in accordance with the policies, rules and regulations of the District’s Board of Education.
Student and Staff Education and Training
The District is committed to providing appropriate and relevant training annually to students and staff regarding preventing, identifying, responding to and reporting incidents of bullying. A full copy of this policy will be posted on the District’s website and included in all District handbooks. Parents, guardians, community members, and volunteers will be notified of the availability of this policy through the District’s annual written notice of the availability of the district’s anti-bullying policy. Written notice of the policy will also be posted at various places in all District school sites.
Students and staff will be periodically reminded throughout the year of the availability of this policy, the District’s commitment to preventing bullying, and help available for those affected by bullying. Anti-bullying programs will be incorporated into the District’s other violence prevention efforts.
All staff will receive annual training regarding preventing, identifying, reporting, and managing bullying. The district’s bullying coordinator and individuals designated as school site investigators will receive additional training regarding appropriate consequences and remedial action for bullies, helping targets of bullies, and the District’s strategy for counseling and referral for those affected by bullying.
Students will receive annual education regarding behavioral expectations, understanding bullying and its negative effects, disciplinary consequences for infractions, reporting methods, and consequences for those who knowingly make false reports. Any person who knowingly makes false accusations against another person will be appropriately disciplined pursuant to District policy. Any accusations confirmed to be false will be removed from the falsely-accused student's file. Parents and guardians may participate in a parent education component.
Student Reporting
Students are encouraged to inform school personnel if they are the target of or a witness to bullying. To make a report, students should notify a teacher, counselor, or principal. The employee will give the student an official report form, and will help the student complete the form, if needed. Reports can also be made by any student, parent, or patron through the District’s TIPS (Threat Assessment, Incident Management and Prevention Services) online reporting system found on the District’s website or by telephone at 918-746-6868.
Students may make an anonymous report of bullying, and such report will be investigated as thoroughly as possible. However, it is often difficult to fully investigate claims which are made anonymously and disciplinary action cannot be taken against an alleged bully solely on the basis of an anonymous report.
Staff Reporting
Staff members will encourage students to report bullying. All employees are required to report acts of bullying to the school principal or his/her designee on an official report form. Any staff member who witnesses, hears about, or has reliable information that would lead a reasonable person to suspect that a student is a target of bullying is required to submit a report.
Bullying Investigators
Each school site will have a designated individual and an alternate to investigate bullying reports. These individuals will be identified in the site’s student and staff handbooks, on the District’s website, and in the bullying prevention education provided annually to students and staff. The District’s anti-bullying program is coordinated at the District level by the District’s Safe School Coordinator.
Investigating Bullying Reports
For any alleged incidents of bullying reported to school officials, the designated school official will investigate the alleged incident(s) and determine (i) whether the bullying conduct occurred, (ii) the severity of the incident(s), and (iii) the potential for future violence.
In conducting an investigation, the designated official shall interview relevant students and staff and review any documentation of the alleged incident(s). School officials may also work with outside professionals, such as local law enforcement, as deemed appropriate by the investigating official. In the event the investigator believes a criminal act may have been committed or there is a likelihood of violence, the investigator will immediately call local law enforcement and the superintendent or his/her designee.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the designated employee will document the steps taken to review the matter, the conclusions reached and any additional action taken, if applicable. Further, the investigator will notify the district’s bullying coordinator that an investigation has occurred and the results of the investigation.
Upon completion of an investigation, the school may recommend that available community mental health care or substance abuse options be provided to a student, if appropriate. The school may provide a student with information about the types of support services available to the student bully, target, and any other students affected by the prohibited behavior. These resources will be provided to any individual who requests such assistance or will be provided if a school official believes the resource might be of assistance to the student/family. No school employee is expected to evaluate the appropriateness or the quality of the resource provided, nor is any employee required to provide an exhaustive list of resources available. All school employees will act in good faith.
The school may request the disclosure of information concerning students who have received substance abuse or mental health care (pursuant to the previous paragraph) if that information indicates an explicit threat to the safety of students or school personnel, provided the disclosure of the information does not violate the requirements and provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, OKLA. STAT. tit. 12 § 1376, OKLA. STAT. tit. 59 §1376 of the Oklahoma Statues, or any other state or federal laws regarding the disclosure of confidential information. The school may request the disclosure of information when it is believed that the student may have posed a danger to him/herself and having such information will allow school officials to determine if it is safe for the student to return to the regular classroom or if alternative education arrangements are needed.
Parental Notification
The assigned investigator will notify the parents of a target within two (2) school days that a bullying report has been received. Within two (2) school days of the conclusion of the investigation, the investigator will provide the parents of a target with the results of the investigation and any community resources deemed appropriate to the situation.
If the report of bullying is substantiated, within two (2) school days of the conclusion of the investigation, the investigator will contact the parents of the bully to discuss disciplinary action and any community resources deemed appropriate to the situation.
Parental Responsibilities
All parents/guardians will be informed in writing of the District’s program to stop bullying and will be given a copy of this policy upon request. An administrative response to a reported act of bullying may involve certain actions to be taken by parents. Parents will be informed of the program and the means for students to report bullying acts toward them or other students. They will also be told that to help prevent bullying at school they should encourage their children to:
- Report bullying when it occurs;
- Take advantage of opportunities to talk to their children about bullying;
- Inform the school immediately if they think their child is being bullied or is bullying other students;
- Watch for symptoms that their child may be a target of bullying and report those symptoms; and
- Cooperate fully with school personnel in identifying and resolving incidents.
Monitoring and Compliance
In order to assist the State Department of Education with compliance efforts pursuant to the School Safety and Bullying Prevention Act, 70 OKLA. STAT. § 24-100.2 et seq., the district will identify a bullying coordinator who will serve as the District contact responsible for providing information to the State Board of Education. The bullying coordinator shall maintain updated contact information on file with the State Department of Education and the School District will notify the State Department of Education within fifteen (15) days of the appointment of a new bullying coordinator.
A copy of this policy will be submitted to the State Department of Education by December 10th of each school year as part of the District’s Annual Performance Report.
The Administration recognizes that there are many motivations behind the act of bullying, one of which may be for a discriminatory purpose. If the bullying behavior constitutes discriminatory harassment, intimidation or bullying (i.e., it is targeted toward an individual because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity age, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or genetic information), the misconduct is prohibited pursuant to District Policy 4902 regarding Discriminatory Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying and is subject to the procedure and protections specified in 4902 in addition to this policy. Retaliation is expressly prohibited against any person who participates in reporting, investigating or addressing any incident of bullying behavior.