Bullying, Harassment, and Discrimination Policies

Bullying and Harassment Policy, including Anti-Intimidation

The Grove School believes that all students have a right to a safe and healthy school environment.

The district, schools, and community have an obligation to promote mutual respect, tolerance, and
acceptance.

The Grove School will not tolerate behavior that infringes on the safety of any student. A student shall not intimidate, harass, or bully another student through words or actions. Such behavior includes:

• direct physical contact, such as hitting or shoving
• verbal assaults, including but not limited to teasing, name-calling, threatening, language that is intimidating or that degrades people
• social isolation or manipulation

The Grove School expects students and/or staff to immediately report incidents of bullying to the principal or designee. Staff who witness such acts take immediate steps to intervene when safe to do so.

Each complaint of bullying will be promptly investigated. This policy applies to students on school grounds, while traveling to and from school or a school-sponsored activity, during the lunch period, whether on or off campus, and during a school-sponsored activity.

To ensure bullying does not occur on school campuses, the Grove School provides staff development training in bullying prevention and cultivate acceptance and understanding in all students and staff to build each school’s capacity to maintain a safe and healthy learning environment.

Teachers discuss this policy with their students in age-appropriate ways and should assure them that they need not endure any form of bullying. Students who bully are in violation of this policy and are subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion.

Expectations Regarding Bullying:

• Any student who engages in bullying on school premises, or off campus in a manner that causes or is likely to cause substantial disruption of a school activity or school attendance, shall be
  subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion.
• Students are expected to immediately report incidents of bullying to the principal or designee.
• Students can rely on staff to promptly investigate each complaint of bullying in a thorough and
  confidential manner.
• If the complainant student or the parent of the student feels that appropriate resolution of the investigation or complaint has not been reached, the student or the parent of the student should contact the principal.
• The school system prohibits retaliatory behavior against any
  complainant or any participant in the complaint process.

The procedures for intervening in bullying behavior include, but are not limited, to the following:

• All staff, students and their parents will receive a summary of this policy prohibiting intimidation and bullying: at the beginning of the school year, as part of the student handbook and/or information packet, as part of new student orientation, and as part of the school
  notification to parents.
• The school will make reasonable efforts to keep a report of bullying and the results of investigation confidential.
• Staff who witness acts of bullying shall take immediate steps to intervene when safe to do so.
• People witnessing or experiencing bullying are strongly encouraged to report the incident; such reporting will not reflect on the target or witnesses in any way.
• When a student is reported to be engaging in bullying off campus, administration shall investigate and document the activity and shall identify specific facts or circumstances that explain the impact or potential impact on school activity, school attendance, or the targeted
  student’s educational performance.
• When the circumstances involve cyber bullying, individuals with information about the activity are encouraged to save and print any electronic or digital messages sent to them that they feel
  constitute cyber bullying and to notify a teacher, the principal, or other employee so that the matter may be investigated.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment includes all unwanted, uninvited and non-reciprocal sexual attention as well and any behavior that may lead to the creation of an intimidating, hostile or offensive school or work environment.  Sexually suggestive looks or gestures, sexual jokes, pictures or teasing, pressure for dates, demeaning comments, deliberate touching, or attempts to kiss or fondle, threats, demands or suggestions that favors may be granted in exchange for sex or tolerance of sexual advances must be reported immediately and will be subject to immediate discipline and reported to civil authorities.

Anti-Discrimination Statement

Respect for difference and promotion of diversity are part of The Grove School’s original charter and Montessori theory.  In addition, state and federal law prohibits discrimination.  The Grove School complies with and supports all state and federal nondiscrimination rules and regulations and does not permit discrimination against students, staff or faculty on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, age, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, social and /or economic background.  Statements that demean ethnic, religious, gender or racial groups or that tend to provoke a physical response (including gang symbols or insults to a person’s family) will result in disciplinary action.  Failure to promote a positive atmosphere of tolerance and nondiscrimination will be seen as a threat to the personal safety of others and will be subject to the same disciplinary action as for assault or fighting.

Social Media and Cyberbullying

The Grove School recognizes that many individuals, including students, use social networking and social media. “Social media” means any form of online posting, publication, or presence that allows users to engage in conversations or posting to an audience on that platform. These platforms include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, wikis, social bookmarking, instant messaging services, comment sections, podcasts and audio sharing, image or video sharing, document sharing and email. Social media also includes all platforms, regardless of their registration procedures, including those that are free or may have ease of registration via email accounts. 

Although the school’s regulation of student activities is generally confined to the boundaries of the school, while school is in session or during a school-based or school-sponsored activity, students and their parents/guardians must nevertheless be aware that inappropriate behavior at student activities can and will be given consequences by school staff, if warranted, even though the conduct occurred off school premises, not on school-time, through the use of a personally-owned computer or other device, and/or on a non-school-owned or operated Internet or social networking site.

Please also be aware of the Grove School Policies regarding social networking and social media:

1. At no time during school or upon school premises, whether using school computer equipment or a personal computing device brought to school, may students access any social networking site unless specifically authorized to do so by the student’s teacher for a legitimate educational purpose.
2. Unless specifically authorized by the administration, no student may represent himself or herself as a spokesperson for or on behalf of the school.
3. Just as the school does not tolerate bullying, cyber-bullying, intimidation, or harassment, the school also will not tolerate any student’s misuse of social media — regardless of the location of the conduct, or occurrence after school hours — if the conduct threatens another school community member, amounts to bullying and/or harassment, or otherwise substantially disrupts the school or adversely affects another member of our community. 

The Grove School includes age appropriate lessons regarding responsible internet use, including bullying and cyberbullying, into its overall curriculum and trains its staff regarding policies each year. These efforts will hopefully curtail harmful behavior, but the Grove School has a responsibility to step in when it is appropriate to do so. The potential consequence for a violation of the Grove School’s Bullying Policy via Social Media is dependent upon the nature of the posting and the severity of the offense. If the posting constitutes a serious offense such as, but not limited to, bullying or cyber-bullying, harassing or intimidating any member of the school community, or threatening students or school personnel with assault then an appropriate consequence may be imposed, including referral to law enforcement officials.

Counseling Referral Form and Grove School Tipline for Bullying, Harassment, and Concerns about Mental or Physical Well-Being

Complete this form if you or somebody you know want or need help of any kind. This can include academic problems (struggling academically, note taking, organization, time management, test taking etc.), personal problems (trouble at home, parents divorce, grief/loss, stress, social skills, trouble with friends, self-esteem, self-harm etc.), bullying or harassment at school, or  even if you want to talk about high school planning and post-secondary options.

If you think that somebody else needs help, you can also refer them anonymously.

If reporting an incident, please be sure to give the time, date, place, and persons involved in order for us to investigate and follow up effectively.

The Grove School cares about you and your well-being! Please reach out if you need help!