Bullying
We take bullying very seriously at St. Augustin Catholic School. A team of our staff has participated in a Safe Schools training that helped us to better identify and report bullying situations. We define bullying by the statewide definition, which is as follows:
Bullying is...
...any intentional and unwanted act or conduct that is electronic, written, verbal or physical.
...and based on any of the following traits: age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference political belief, socio-economic status, familial status.
...which creates an objectively hostile school environment, defined as any one or more of the following: student's reasonable fear of harm to self or property, substantially detrimental effect on the students physical or mental health, ability to perform academically, or their ability to participate in/benefit from the school's services, activities or privileges.
...usually, except in extreme situations or cases of physical aggression, is repeated.
Reporting It
If a student feels that they have been bullied or if they are unsure whether or not it is a bullying situation, we encourage the students to speak up. They should tell their teacher, parent or counselor about the situation as soon as possible. Once the school has been informed of the incident, we do our very best to investigate by talking to witnesses of the incident and all parties involved. If the incident does meet the criteria for the definition of bullying, it will be documented and all parents will be contacted. This is our school policy. Although we encourage and teach students to speak up and tell an adult at school, many times the parents are the ones they tell first. If you, as a parent, believe that your child is being bullied, please contact the school! Below are two documents that may be helpful. The first is a chart that helps you determine whether a situation is just being mean or is actual bullying. The second tells you how to help your child by reporting the incident and also includes the legalities of what a school official can and cannot tell you regarding the incident.
Bullying Chart | What a School Official Cannot Tell You