Radnor Schools Proactive In Anti-Bullying Efforts

RADNOR, PA — In commemoration of National Bullying Prevention Month in October, the Radnor Township School District is one of several local districts getting involved in anti-bullying activities.

At RTSD, a strict bullying policy is in effect after being adopted in 2013.

The policy is specific to student-on-student bullying and includes cyberbullying.

See the policy below:

Bullying shall mean harassment, attack(s), or intentional electronic, written, verbal, or physical act(s), perpetrated by a student or group of students on another student or students, which meet all of the following criteria:

1. Occur during the school day, on school property, on a school bus, at a school-sponsored activity or event, going to and from school, as well as any other location where the school has legal jurisdiction over a student's conduct (including cyberbullying as defined below);
2. Are severe, persistent or pervasive; and
3. Include any written, verbal, or physical act including but not limited to:
   1. Physical - hitting, kicking, spitting, pushing, stealing and/or damaging personal belongings, sexual acts, and invasion of another's personal space in an aggressive manner.
   2. Verbal/Written - taunting, malicious teasing, name calling, making threats, and sexual innuendo/remarks including via phone or a part of cyberbullying as defined below.
   3. Emotional - spreading rumors, manipulating social relationships or environment, engaging in social exclusion, extortion, ridiculing, and intimidation.

Cyberbullying is defined as engaging in a continuing course of conduct with the intent to harass, annoy or alarm, by making any of the following, by electronic means, directly to another student or by publication through an electronic social media service; (a) a seriously disparaging statement or opinion about the student's physical characteristics, sexuality, sexual activity or mental or physical health or condition; or (b) a threat to inflict harm that is severe, persistent or pervasive and has the effect of doing any of the following:

1. Substantially interfering with a student's education;
2. Creating a threatening environment; or
3. Causing substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school.

Authority

The District prohibits bullying as defined above.

Guidelines

The District expects teachers and other employees responsible for student supervision who observe or become aware of an act of bullying to take immediate, appropriate steps to intervene. If the teacher or other employee believes that his/her intervention has not resolved the matter, or if the bullying persists, s/he shall report the bullying to the school principal or his/her designee in a timely manner for further investigation.

All other employees who observe or become aware of an act of bullying shall immediately report the bullying to the school principal or his/her designee in a timely manner for further investigation.

If proper intervention, when applicable or reporting does not occur by an employee in a position to observe the conduct, the District reserves the right to impose discipline on the employee as deemed appropriate under the circumstances.

Intervention and Reporting by Others

Parents/guardians, school volunteers, student teachers and other non-employee adults who observe or become aware of an act of bullying shall immediately report the bullying to the school principal or his/her designee in a timely manner for further investigation.

The bullying problem goes far beyond the suburbs of Philadelphia, however.

National statistics vary, but an aggregate of 80 different studies on bullying suggests one in five American students between 12 and 18 is bullied at some point during their middle or high school years.

The studies cited by the PACER Center, which established National Bullying Prevention Month, show that 15 percent of kids surveyed report being cyberbullied, while around 35 percent of students had been bullied in more "traditional," in-person ways.

Among the marquee National Bullying Prevention Month activities is Unity Day, observed on Wednesday, Oct. 24, when everyone is encouraged to wear and show orange to send a message that no child should ever experience bullying.

"Orange provides a powerful, visually compelling expression of solidarity," Paula Goldberg, the executive director of the PACER Center, said in a statement. "Whether it's hundreds of individuals at a school wearing orange, store owners offering orange products or a community changing a landmark to orange, the vibrant statement becomes a conversation starter, sending the supportive, universal message that bullying is never acceptable behavior."

THE MENACE OF BULLIES: PATCH ADVOCACY REPORTING PROJECT

As part of a national reporting project, Patch has been looking at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying.

Do you have a story to tell? Email us at bullies@patch.com, or share your views in the comments.

Here's more about Unity Day: