Bullying and cyberbullying of a student, whether by other students, staff, visitors, Board
\nmembers, parents, guests, contractors, vendors and volunteers, is prohibited. All pupils are
\nprotected under this policy, and bullying and cyberbullying are prohibited without regard to its
\nsubject matter or motivating animus.<\/p>\n
\u201cBullying\u201d means any written, verbal, or physical act, or any electronic communication, including,
\nbut not limited to, cyberbullying, that is intended or that a reasonable person would know is
\nlikely to harm one (1) or more pupils either directly or indirectly by doing any of the following:
\nA. Substantially interfering with the educational opportunities, benefits, or programs of one<\/p>\n
A. Substantially interfering with the educational opportunities, benefits, or programs of one
\n(1) or more pupils.
\nB. Adversely affecting the ability of a pupil to participate in or benefit from the school
\ndistrict\u2019s or public school\u2019s educational programs or activities by placing the pupil in
\nreasonable fear of physical harm or by causing substantial emotional distress.
\nC. Having an actual and substantial detrimental effect on a pupil\u2019s physical or mental
\nhealth.
\nD. Causing substantial disruption in, or substantial interference with, the orderly operation
\nof the school.
\n\u201cCyberbullying\u201d means any electronic communication that is intended or that a reasonable
\nperson would know is likely to harm one (1) or more pupils either directly or indirectly by doing
\nany of the following:
\nA. Substantially interfering with the educational opportunities, benefits, or programs of one
\n(1) or more pupils.
\nB. Adversely affecting the ability of a pupil to participate in or benefit from the school
\ndistrict\u2019s or public school\u2019s educational programs or activities by placing the pupil in
\nreasonable fear of physical harm or by causing substantial emotional distress.
\nC. Having an actual and substantial detrimental effect on a pupil\u2019s physical or mental
\nhealth.
\nD. Causing substantial disruption in, or substantial interference with, the orderly operation
\nof the school.
\nSince \u201cbullying\u201d also includes \u201ccyberbullying,\u201d any reference in this policy to \u201cbullying\u201d shall also
\nbe deemed to refer to \u201ccyberbullying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bullying and cyberbullying are prohibited at school. \u201cAt school\u201d is defined as on school
\npremises, at school- sponsored activities or events, in a school-related vehicle, or using
\ntelecommunications access device or a telecommunications service provider if the
\ntelecommunications access device or telecommunications service provider is owned by or
\nunder the control of the school district. \u201cTelecommunications access device\u201d and
\n\u201ctelecommunications service provider\u201d mean those terms as defined in Section 219a of the
\nMichigan Penal Code (MCL \u00a7 750.219a).<\/p>\n
Bullying and cyberbullying that does not occur \u201cat school,\u201d as defined above, but that causes a
\nsubstantial disruption to the educational environment may be subject to disciplinary action in
\naccordance with this policy and applicable law.<\/p>\n
Every student is encouraged to report any situation that he or she believes to be bullying
\nbehavior directed toward a student to a teacher, a counselor, administrator, or other staff
\nmember. Staff members shall report any reports made by students or situations that they
\nbelieve to be bullying behavior directed toward a student to the School Leader. Complaints
\nagainst the School Leader shall be reported to the Board.<\/p>\n
Under state law, a school employee, school volunteer, student, or parent or guardian who
\npromptly reports in good faith an act of bullying to the appropriate school official designated in
\nthis policy and who makes this report in compliance with the procedures set forth in this policy is
\nimmune from a cause of action for damages arising out of the reporting itself or any failure to
\nremedy the reported incident. This immunity does not apply to a school official responsible for
\nimplementing this policy or for remedying the bullying, when acting in that capacity.<\/p>\n
Retaliation or false accusation against a target of bullying, a witness, or another person with
\ninformation about an act of bullying is prohibited. Suspected retaliation should be reported in the
\nsame manner as suspected bullying behavior. Making intentionally false accusations of bullying
\nis likewise prohibited. Retaliation and making intentionally false accusations of bullying may
\nresult in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion.<\/p>\n
All complaints about bullying that may violate this policy shall be promptly investigated and
\ndocumented. The School Leader or designee is responsible for the investigation. If the
\ninvestigation results in a finding that bullying has occurred, it shall result in prompt and
\nappropriate disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion for students, up to and including
\ndischarge for employees, and up to and including exclusion from school property for parents,
\nguests, volunteers, and contractors. Individuals may also be referred to law enforcement
\nofficials.<\/p>\n
The Board may utilize restorative practices that emphasize repairing the harm to the victim and
\nschool community in the correction of bullying behavior, which may include victim-offender
\nconferences that:
\nA. Are initiated by the victim;
\nB. Are approved by the victim’s parent or legal guardian or, if the victim is at least
\n15, by the victim;
\nC. Are attended voluntarily by the victim, a victim advocate, the offender, members
\nof the school community, and supporters of the victim and the offender (the
\n“restorative practices team”); and
\nD. Would provide an opportunity for the offender to accept responsibility for the
\nharm caused to those affected, and to participate in setting consequences to
\nrepair the harm, such as requiring the student to apologize; participate in
\ncommunity service, restoration of emotional or material losses, or counseling;
\npay restitution; or any combination of these. The selected consequences and
\ntime limits for their completion will be incorporated into an agreement to be
\nsigned by all participants.<\/p>\n
Where the investigation results in a finding that bullying has occurred, both the parent or legal
\nguardian of a victim of bullying and the parent or legal guardian of a perpetrator of the bullying
\nshall be notified promptly in writing. In addition, administrators investigating alleged bullying may
\nnotify parents of the victim or perpetrator of bullying sooner than the conclusion of the
\ninvestigation if circumstances dictate such earlier notification.<\/p>\n
The School shall document any prohibited incident that is reported and shall document all
\nverified incidents of bullying and the resulting consequences, including the required notification
\nof parents or guardians and any discipline and referrals.
\nThe School Leader is the school official responsible for ensuring that this policy is implemented.<\/p>\n
The School will comply with all applicable laws regarding confidentiality of personally identifiable
\ninformation within education records. In addition, the identity of an individual who reports an act
\nof bullying or cyberbullying shall be and remain confidential. The School Leader, or the School
\nLeader\u2019s designee, shall ensure that the name of an individual who reports an act of bullying or
\ncyberbullying is withheld from the alleged perpetrator and the perpetrator\u2019s parent(s), legal
\nguardian(s) and representative(s), and is redacted from any report of bullying or cyberbullying
\nthat is publicly disclosed.<\/p>\n
This policy will be annually circulated to parents and students, and shall be posted on the
\nSchool website.<\/p>\n
As required by state statute, the School shall provide a report of all verified incidents of bullying
\nand other required information to the Michigan Department of Education on an annual basis,
\naccording to the form and procedures established by the Department.
\nAs required by state statute, the School\u2019s procedures with respect to bullying are contained
\nwithin this policy, and thus no administrative guidelines accompany this policy.<\/p>\n