Pioneer Board Policies – Bullying 

The Board of Trustees recognizes the harmful effects of bullying on student well-being, student learning, and school attendance and desires to provide a safe school environment that protects students from physical and emotional harm. No individual or group shall, through physical, written, verbal, visual, or other means, harass, sexually harass, threaten, intimidate, cyberbully, cause bodily injury to, or commit hate violence against any student or school personnel, or retaliate against them for filing a complaint or participating in the complaint resolution process. 

Examples of Prohibited Conduct 

Bullying is an aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived imbalance of power between individuals with the intent to cause emotional or physical harm. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or social/relational and may involve a single severe act or repetition or potential repetition of a deliberate act. Bullying includes, but is not limited to, any act described in Education Code 48900(r). 

Cyberbullying includes the electronic creation or transmission of harassing communications, direct threats, or other harmful texts, sounds, or images. Cyberbullying also includes breaking into another person’s electronic account or assuming that person’s online identity in order to damage that person’s reputation. 

Examples of the types of conduct that may constitute bullying and are prohibited by the district include, but are not limited to: 

  1. Physical bullying: An act that inflicts harm upon a person’s body or possessions, such as hitting, kicking, pinching, spitting, tripping, pushing, taking or breaking someone’s possessions, or making cruel or rude hand gestures
  2. Verbal bullying: An act that includes saying or writing hurtful things, such as teasing, name-calling, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, or threats to cause harm
  3. Social/relational bullying: An act that harms a person’s reputation or relationships, such as leaving a person out of an activity on purpose, influencing others not to be friends with someone, spreading rumors, or embarrassing someone in public
  4. Cyberbullying: An act such as sending demeaning or hateful text messages or emails, spreading rumors by email or by posting on social networking sites, or posting embarrassing or sharing photos, videos, websites, or fake profiles

Pioneer Incident Reporting System 

Students, parents, or community members may email the school site principal directly to report incidents of bullying/cyberbullying, discrimination and/or harassment, harm to school and/or property or harm to self. Principal email addresses can be found on each schools’ website. 

For emergencies and/or urgent situations requiring immediate help, people will still be encouraged to call 911. 

In Pioneer District, the community is encouraged that “if you see something, or know something, to say something.”

Measures to Prevent Bullying 

The District has implemented measures to prevent bullying in district schools, including, but not limited to, the following: 

  1. Ensuring that each school establishes clear rules for student conduct and implements strategies to promote a positive, collaborative school climate 
  2. Providing information to students, through student handbooks, district and school websites and social media, and other age-appropriate means about district and school rules related to bullying, mechanisms available for reporting incidents or threats, and the consequences for engaging in bullying 
  3. Encouraging students to notify school staff when they are being bullied or when they suspect that another student is being bullied, and providing means by which students may report threats or incidents confidentially and anonymously 
  4. Conducting an assessment of bullying incidents at each school and, if necessary, increasing supervision and security in areas where bullying most often occurs, such as playgrounds, hallways, restrooms, and cafeterias
  5. Annually notifying district employees that, pursuant to Education Code 234.1, any school staff who witnesses an act of bullying against a student has a responsibility to immediately intervene to stop the incident when it is safe to do so 

Statewide Resources: Bullying and Cyberbullying 

  • Bullying & Hate-Motivated Behavior Prevention (California Department of Education)
  • Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
    This site addresses creating a safe environment for youth with disabilities and federal civil rights laws.
  • Bullying at School (PDF)
    This CDE publication addresses bullying behavior and hate-motivated behavior, including definitions, effects, and prevention strategies.
  • Cyberbullying – Definition, Prevention, and Reporting
    Cyberbullying happens when children bully each other through electronic technology. Find out why cyberbullying is different from traditional bullying, what you can do to prevent it, and how you can report it when it happens.
  • Cyberbullying Research Center
    The Cyberbullying Research Center is a clearinghouse of information about cyberbullying among adolescents. It provides information on the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying, as well as resources on how to prevent and respond to online aggression.
  • GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network)
    This network provides resources and support for schools to implement effective and age-appropriate anti-bullying programs to improve school climate for all students.
    Massachusetts Bullying Prevention and Intervention Resources
    Massachusetts law led to the Model Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan and implementation of model practices in school staff professional development in bullying prevention.
  • National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)
    Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students. Bullying is defined as a form of unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-age children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance and that is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. This site describes physical, verbal, social bullying, and cyberbullying and features resources.
  • National Criminal Justice Reference Service
    Select A-Z Topics, and then select Bullying.
  • National Crime Prevention Council
    The National Crime Prevention Council’s mission is to be the nation’s leader in helping people keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from crime.
  • Organizations and Resources that Support Youth 
    A list of California organizations providing support to youth and their families who have been subjected to school-related discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying/cyberbullying, including resources for youths affected by gangs, gun violence, and psychological trauma caused by violence at home, school, and in the community.
  • PACER National Bullying Prevention Center
    The organization provides classroom, family, and community resources and materials related to bullying and cyberbullying prevention, activities and events, and stories. Spanish language materials are available.
  • Stop Bullying
    Stopbullying.gov is a national organization that provides information for students and adults defining bullying/cyberbullying, and offering advice on how to address the issues, resources, and materials.

Please visit the U.S. Department of Education–Disability Bullying and Harassment web page at: https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/civil-rights-laws/protecting-students/disability-bullying-and-harassment

Please visit the California Department of Education Position Statement on Language Access web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ss/dh/positionstmnt.asp 

Please visit the PACER National Bullying Prevention Center–Bullying and Harassment of Students with Disabilities web page at http://www.pacer.org/bullying/resources/students-with-disabilities/ 

Please visit the Stopbullying.gov–Keeping Students with Disabilities Safe from Bullying web page at: https://www.stopbullying.gov/blog/2013/08/23/keeping-students-disabilities-safe-bullying. html 

Please visit the Stopbullying.gov–Keeping Students with Special Needs Safe from Bullying web page at https://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/groups/special-needs/index.html

A printed copy of this District Policies Prohibiting Bullying shall be available free of charge via our website at
https://www.pioneerunion.org/importantnotices/district-policies-prohibiting-bullying/
or from the District Office, located at 1888 North Mustang Drive, Hanford, CA, 93230.