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High School Resources
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As of May of 2010, bullying prevention legislation mandates reporting of all incidents of bullying both in and outside of school. And if, after an investigation, an allegation of bullying is found to be true, this will go in the aggressor's permanent record. To put it simply: if your actions are found to be deliberately and repeatedly targeting another individual (including in retaliation for something someone did to you), then your school will take disciplinary action.
Bullying is serious stuff and the Newton Public Schools is taking it seriously.
As a high school student, you are a role model for your siblings, your peers, and others. More than ever, how you conduct yourself matters. How you treat others matters. The Newton Public Schools believes that a student's education extends beyond the classroom -- to the hallways, the bus, the locker room, the cafeteria and even online.
In recent months, there has been a lot of media coverage about bullying -- including the most extreme cases, is which kids were so desperate, lonely, and depressed after being bullied that they were driven to suicide.
We challenge you to consider these questions:
- What can I do to stop bullying?
- How will I reach out to kids in my school who might be targets?
- What can I do to make my school a place where everyone can feel accepted for who they are?
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Curriculum: The Bystander
Bullying is an issue we all face in our schools. In order to create a school culture that is free of harassment and bullying, students, staff, and parents all have a responsibility to recognize and report bullying when they see it. Bystanders represent 85% of the students in a school who witness acts of bullying but aren’t identified as either a target or aggressor.
That is where you come in. As a bystander, you have an obligation to act. How you act is up to you. Join us on a choose-your-own-bullyproofing-adventure to see some possibilities in action. Watch the video below to witness an act of aggression in your schools, then choose how you, the bystander, want to respond.
Sometimes the aggression is physical and easily identified as bullying. In other instances, bullying may be harder to recognize, such as issues of acceptance and inclusion. This type of bullying may seem easy to ignore, but creating an accepting and inclusive classroom environment is possible once you start to examine and identify your own behavior.
Take a look at this common classroom occurrence. Put yourself in the shoes of any one of the individuals in the class – the target, aggressors, and bystanders. How can you help make it a tolerant, accepting environment for all students?