Fort Wayne Community Schools Bullying Prevention
Indiana law defines bullying as overt, unwanted, repeated acts or gestures, including verbal or written communications or images transmitted in any manner (including digitally or electronically), physical acts committed, aggression, or any other behaviors, that are committed by a student or group of students against another student with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate or harm the targeted student and create for the targeted student an objectively hostile school environment that: (1) places the targeted student in reasonable fear of harm to the targeted student’s person or property; (2) has a substantially detrimental effect on the targeted student’s physical or mental health; (3) has the effect of substantially interfering with the targeted student’s academic performance; or (4) has the effect of substantially interfering with the targeted student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities and privileges provided by the school.
The Fort Wayne Community Schools Board of School Trustees Policy 5601 prohibits acts of harassment, intimidation and bullying of or by students. Students require a safe and civil school environment to learn and bullying disrupts the District’s ability to educate all students to high standards. Students and staff shall treat others with civility and respect.
Are you being bullied or do you know someone who is? Report it!
The Board delegates to the Superintendent the authority to develop procedures for reporting and investigating incidents of bullying in the District. The procedures shall define bullying, with recognition that bullying can be verbal or physical, and can occur in social/relational or electronic/written forms. The District shall train staff and volunteers who have direct, on-going contact with students about the procedures and will provide age-appropriate, research-based instruction to students on bullying prevention.
Further the District shall adopt disciplinary rules in the FWCS Community and Support Guide to assure appropriate consequences and remedial responses for incidents of bullying. Reprisal or retaliation against individuals who report bullying activity or who are victims, witnesses, bystanders or others with reliable information about an act or instances of bullying is prohibited.
State Requirements
- Ind. Code § 20-26-5-34.2 states: “A school corporation shall provide training to the school corporation’s employees and volunteers who have direct, ongoing contact with students concerning the school’s bullying prevention and reporting policy adopted under IC 20-33-8-13.5.”
- Ind. Code § 20-30-5-5.5 states “(a) Not later than October 15 of each year, each public school shall provide age appropriate, research based instruction as provided under IC 5-2-10.1-12(d)(1) focusing on bullying prevention for all students in grades 1 through 12. (b) The department, in consultation with school safety specialists and school counselors, shall prepare outlines or materials for the instruction described in subsection (a) and incorporate the instruction in grades 1 through 12. (c) Instruction on bullying prevention may be delivered by a school safety specialist, school counselor, or any other person with training and expertise in the area of bullying prevention and intervention.
- State Required Training for School Employees