We follow the Second Step curriculum to teach all students what bullying is and what it isn’t. There are four questions that help us identify bullying. 

If the answer is “no”, to one of these questions then we want to explore the situation a little more. Sometimes students say or do something that is hurtful, but it doesn’t mean it’s bullying. It may have happened accidentally, or they may have learned it wasn’t okay, after they were told to stop. 

One-way means that someone is being hurtful to another, and that other person isn’t saying or doing anything hurtful back. If it is not one-way, then it may be an argument, or we need to explore other ways to support both students, but this isn’t bullying. 

We teach all students the 3 R’s: Recognize, Report, and Refuse. Students go over the four components of bullying, practice how to report to a trusted adult (and to keep reporting until it stops), and practice how to say “Stop it! That’s bullying!”. Students also learn how to be a positive bystander by helping to stop bullying when they see it happen.

We want all students to feel safe physically, and emotionally. If the answer is “yes” to all four questions, then the situation is investigated further, and administration and staff work together to create a plan to make sure all students are getting the support they need.