.
Anti Bullying Policy
- We at Indo American Children’s Academy are committed to making our school a safe and caring environment for all students. We will treat each other with respect and refuse to tolerate bullying of any kind.
- Definition: Bullying is unfair and one-sided. Bullying behaviour happens when someone keeps hurting, harassing, intimidating, threatening, or causing substantial emotional distress to a person. Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication media (cell phones, text messages, instant messaging, social networks, etc.) to bully another student in the ways described above. Bullying and cyberbullying interfere with a student’s educational opportunities and can substantially disrupt the orderly operations of the school.
.
Bullying behaviours include the following:
-
Hurting someone physically by hitting, kicking, tripping, or pushing.
-
Stealing or damaging another person’s things.
-
Ganging up on someone.
-
Teasing someone in a hurtful way.
-
Using put-downs (i.e., insulting or making fun of someone).
-
Spreading rumours or untruths about someone.
-
Leaving someone out on purpose, or trying to get other kids not to play with someone.
-
Using any electronic communication device (texting, cell phones, social networks, etc.) to insult, threaten, or post untrue information or embarrassing photos about another student.
.
Students are expected to do the following things to prevent bullying:
-
-
Refuse to bully others.
-
Refuse to let others be bullied.
-
Refuse to watch, laugh, or join in when someone is being bullied.
-
Try to include everyone in play, especially those who are often left out.
-
Report bullying behaviour to an adult.
-
- Teachers and staff at Indo American Children’s Academy will do the following things to prevent bullying and help children feel safe at school:
-
-
Closely supervise students in all areas of the school and playground.
-
Watch for signs of bullying behaviour and stop it when it happens.
-
Respond quickly and sensitively to bullying reports using the Four-A-Response Process (Affirm Feelings,Ask Questions, Assess Safety, and Act by coaching the child on what to do in the future).
-
Look into all reported bullying incidents.
-
Assign consequences for bullying based on the school discipline code.
-
Assign immediate consequences for retaliation against students who report bullying.
-
.
Consequences for Violation of the Anti-Bullying Policy:
- Bully behaviour, including cyberbullying, will not be tolerated. If cyberbullying occurs outside of school hours, but the repercussions are brought to school and disrupt the school and/or interfere with a student’s emotional/social well being, consequences will be given. Depending on the severity and nature of the incident, School will take one or more of the following steps when bullying occurs:
-
-
Intervention, Warning, and Redirection: A teacher, principal, or staff member will ensure that the immediate behaviour stops and reinforce to the student who is doing the bullying, that bullying will not be tolerated. During this meeting with the student, the staff member will redirect the student and come up with a plan for success should they find themselves in a similar situation in the future.
-
Notification of Parents: School staff will notify the parents of involved students. The parents might be asked to meet with the principal or other members of the school staff, including the student’s teacher .
-
Resolution with the Target of the Bullying: The student who is bullying may be required to write a letter of apology to the student who was bullied. Depending upon the nature of the incident, the students involved may meet to help resolve the problem and ensure it does not happen again.
-
Referral to School Support Staff: The student who is bullying may meet with the school guidance counsellor to help prevent future violations.
-
Consequences: The student who is bullying may not be allowed to participate in any school event till one year.
-
Suspension: In cases of severe or repeated bullying, the student will be suspended for 3 months.
-