Safe Positive Schools

Anti-Bullying

ST. BERNARD SCHOOL

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY

"Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God" – Matthew. 5:9

St. Bernard School and Community will not tolerate bullying behaviour. Guided by Gospel Virtues, bullying behaviour will be dealt with in a serious and timely manner. The school will be taking proactive actions such as teaching our students the Second Step Social Skills Program, and following a set of guidelines that deal with incidents of bullying in order to foster a safe and bully free environment at St. Bernard School.

DEFINITION OF BULLYING

Bullying occurs when a child is the target over time of repeated negative actions by one or more students. Bullying means there is an imbalance of power so that the child being victimized has trouble defending him or herself. These negative actions are intentional and hurtful.

TYPES OF BULLYING

The three types of bullying include:

• Physical Bullying – the victim is threatened or attacked by a bully in an aggressive way.
• Reactive Bullying – the victim reacts to excessive teasing and bullying and is caught in the act of retaliation.
• Verbal Bullying – the victim is teased, harassed or embarrassed by racial slurs or gossip.                            
• Cyberbullying falls into this category as well.

ST. BERNARD SCHOOL CODE OF CONDUCT

We, the students, staff and parents of St. Bernard School believe that every child has the right to strive and attain their full potential in a Christian environment.

In order to maintain a safe, caring and positive place to learn, we expect everyone to adhere to the following principles:

• EACH PERSON HAS THE RIGHT TO BE RESPECTED
• THE CLASSROOM IS A PLACE WHERE STAFF HAVE THE RIGHT TO TEACH AND STUDENTS HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LEARN
• RESPECT SCHOOL PROPERTY, THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS AND THEIR RIGHT TO PRIVACY

The staff of St. Bernard School is entrusted with the responsibility of teaching, caring for, correcting and

protecting our students in ways that reflect and support Christ's teachings.

PROCEDURE

This procedure is the response to bullying:

Step 1: Ask the person to stop because they are hurting you

Step 2: Ask the person to stop or you will report them to a staff member

Step 3: Report to a staff member

IF THERE IS A PHYSICAL  ATTACK, GO DIRECTLY TO A STAFF MEMBER;

SKIP STEP 1 AND STEP 2!

Step 4: If bullying behaviour is evident, a Bullying Incident Report will be completed, followed up by parent meetings and a strategy for action. Each incident will be dealt with in a consistent manner that is grade appropriate and empowers the victim to feel secure knowing that there is no fear of retaliation for informing adults.