Alum Rock Union School District

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Bullying Prevention

ARUSD Bullying & Harassment Prevention

Alum Rock Union School District believes that all students have a right to a safe, supportive and healthy school environment free from bullying and harassment. ARUSD is committed to promoting mutual respect, tolerance, and acceptance within our school system by implementing bullying prevention procedures that encourage students to be kind, respectful and supportive with one another. Anti-bullying and conflict resolution resources are provided and easily accessible to all students, staff and parents/caregivers.  Additionally, a number of schools currently utilize Restorative Practices to mediate conflicts and create opportunities for amends to be made on behalf of those who were harmed. 

Defining Bullying Per California Educational Code

The State of California defines bullying as follows:  

"Bullying" means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or by means of an electronic act, and including one or more acts committed by a pupil or group of pupils as defined in Section 48900.2, 48900.3, or 48900.4, directed toward one or more pupils that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following: 

  1. Placing a reasonable pupil or pupils in fear of harm to that pupil's or those pupils' person or property. 
  2. Causing a reasonable pupil to experience a substantially detrimental effect on the pupil's physical or mental health. 
  3. Causing a reasonable pupil to experience substantial interference with the pupil's academic performance. 
  4. Causing a reasonable pupil to experience substantial interference with the pupil's ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school. 

Bullying is unwanted, harassment, intimidation, a hazing or initiation activity, ridicule, extortion, or any other verbal, written, electronic communication, or physical conduct, repeated over time, that causes or threatens to cause bodily harm or emotional suffering, creates a hostile learning environment, or disrupts the normal operation of a school, classroom, or school related activity. The behavior is repeated over time. Bullying behavior includes: 

  • An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people. 
  • Repetition: Bullying behaviors are pervasive, that is , the bullying acts happen more than once over time. 
  • Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, ridiculing and excluding someone from a group on purpose. 

There are different types of bullying:

  • Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes: 
    • Teasing 
    • Name-calling 
    • Inappropriate sexual comments 
    • Taunting 
    • Threatening to cause harm 
  • Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes: 
    • Leaving someone out on purpose 
    • Telling other children not to be friends with someone 
    • Spreading rumors about someone 
    • Embarrassing someone in public 
  • Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes: 
    • Hitting/kicking/pinching 
    • Spitting 
    • Tripping/pushing 
    • Taking or breaking someone’s things 
    • Making mean or rude hand gestures 
    • Throwing things at someone 
  • Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets.  
    • Cyberbullying can occur through emailing, texting or messaging online through social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content.  
    • Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else.  
    • It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. 

CYBERBULLYING 101

TIPS FOR RESPONDING TO BULLYING PREVENTIONS

EDUCATION CODES

Students who engage in bullying/cyberbullying on campus, traveling to or from school, at school activities, or in a manner otherwise related to school attendance, may be subject to disciplinary procedures. A student may be subject to disciplinary action for off-campus expressions (including via electronic means), when such expressions are obscene, libelous, or slanderous, or when such expression poses a threat to the safety of other students, staff or school property, or disrupts the educational program. Education Codes 32261(f) (g), 48900, 48900.2, 48900.3, 48900.4, 48910, 48911, 48915, 48915.5, 48918, 48918.5 

For more information on bullying, please see the resources on this web page.