PROCEDURE

This section describes who shall respond to and record bullying incidence may it be written, verbal or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof at the school level. Reports may come from the victim, classmate, parents/guardians, bystander or anyone who witnesses the incident.
A. JurisdictionComplaints of bullying and other acts under this IRR shall be within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Department or the private school and shall not be brought for amicable settlement before the Barangay, subject to the existing laws, rules and regulations. Complaints for acts covered by other laws shall be referred to the appropriate authorities.
B. ProceduresConsistent with the Sections 3 and 4

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE

As soon as the bullying scenario or a knowledge of such incidence exists, the following steps should be undertaken:

the victim or anyone who witnesses or has personal knowledge of a bullying incident or retaliation shall immediately call the attention of any school personnel.
the school personnel who was notified of a bullying incident or retaliation shall intervene, by:
stopping the bullying or retaliation immediately;
separating the students involved;
removing the victim or, in appropriate cases, the bully or offending student, from the site;
ensuring the victim’s safety, by:
determining and addressing the victim’s immediate safety needs; and
ensuring medical attention, if needed, and securing a medical certificate, in cases of physical injury.
bringing the bully to the Guidance Office or the designated school personnel.

If there are bruises, scratches, dislocation, fracture, or oozing blood, the witness should call or seek medical help from the school health personnel or to the nearest hospital. In cases of riot or any worst form of physical violence, the witness should call the help of the police or the Civilian Voluntary Officer (CVO) to normalize the situation.

REPORT TO THE TEACHER/ADVISER

Reports of incidents of bullying or retaliation initiated by persons who prefer anonymity shall be entertained, and the person who reported the incident shall be afforded protection from possible retaliation; provided, however, that no disciplinary administrative action shall be taken against an alleged bully or offending student solely on the basis of an anonymous report and without any other evidence.

The school personnel shall report the incident to the teacher-adviser.

ACCOMPLISHING THE INTAKE SHEET

The teacher-adviser shall then accomplish the CPC Form 1 (Intake Sheet) after receiving the bullying incident report. He or she has to consider the prohibition as stressed in the anti-bullying policy consistent with the Section 3 of RA 10627:

Bullying at the following:
1. school grounds;
2. property immediately adjacent to the school grounds;
3. school-sponsored or school-related activities, functions or programs whether on or off school grounds;
4. school bus stops;
5. school buses or other vehicles owned, leased or used by a school;
6. school buses or school services privately-owned but accredited by the school

Bullying through the use of technology or an electronic device or other forms of media owned, leased or used by a school.
Bullying at a location, activity, function or program that is not school-related and through the use of technology or an electronic device or other forms of media that is not owned, leased or used by a school; and
Retaliation against a person who reports bullying, who provides information during an investigation of bullying, or who is a witness to or has reliable information about bullying.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION/INTERVENTION

If after the fact finding activity the teacher found out that the report was true, the CPC shall:

directs the teacher-adviser to call the attention of the bully, the bullied, and the parents/guardians through CPC Form 3 – Letter to Parents Form. Then, conduct a parent-teacher conference to address and prevent the acts of bullying;
proceeds to provide the conflict resolution/disciplinary measures/interventions.
if the incident of bullying or retaliation involves students from more than one school, the school that was first informed of the bullying or retaliation shall promptly notify the appropriate administrator or school head of the other school so that both schools may take appropriate action through CPC Form 6A - Referral Letter.
Determine the severity of the case and its equivalent consequences.

MODERATE

Any or a combination of the following acts done repeatedly by one or more students directed at another student/s:
Any slanderous statement or accusation that causes the victim undue emotional distress like directing foul language or profanity at the target, name-calling, tormenting and commenting negatively on victim’s looks, clothes and body;
Any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the victim like punching, pushing, shoving, kicking, slapping, tickling, headlocks, inflicting school pranks, teasing, fighting and the use of available objects as weapons;
Any act that causes damage to a victim’s psyche and/or emotional well-being;
“Cyber-bullying” or any bullying done through the use of technology or any electronic means. The term shall also include any conduct resulting to harassment, intimidation, or humiliation, through the use of other forms of technology, such as, but not limited to texting, email, instant messaging, chatting, internet, social media, online games, or other platforms or formats as defined in DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012;
Name calling in person or in social media, and
Any act disrespecting the religious rights, practices and rituals

SEVERE

Blows such as, but not limited to, beating, kicking, hitting, slapping, or lashing, of any part of a child’s body, with or without the use of an instrument such as, but not limited to a cane, broom, stick, whip or belt.
Striking of a child’s face or head, such being declared as a “no contact zone”.
Pulling hair, shaking, twisting joints, cutting or piercing skin, dragging, pushing or throwing of a child.
Tying up a child.
Verbal abuse or assaults, including intimidation or threat of bodily harm, swearing or cursing, ridiculing or denigrating the child;
Forcing a child to wear a sign, to undress or disrobe, or to put on anything that will make a child look or feel foolish, which belittles or humiliates the child in front of others.
Permanent confiscation of personal property of pupils, students or learners, except when such pieces of property pose a danger to the child or to others.
Other analogous acts.

Implement the intervention in the form of penalty to the erring party and counseling of bothe parties.
If the mediation process goes well, he/she prepares the CPC Form 4 and let them read and affix their signature in the form. The form may or may not be signed by the guidance counselor.

DISCIPLINARY MEASURES

All public and private schools shall include in the school’s child protection or an ti-bullying policy a range of disciplinary administrative actions that may be taken against the perpetrator of bullying or retaliation.
Bullying incidents or retaliation shall be treated according to their nature, gravity or severity and attendant circumstances.

The school head, considering the nature, gravity or severity, previous incidents or bullying or retaliation and attendant circumstances, may impose reasonable disciplinary measures on the bully or offending student that is proportionate to the act committed.
Written reprimand, community service, suspension, exclusion or expulsion, in accordance with existing rules and regulations of the school or of the Department for public schools, may be imposed, if the circumstances warrant the imposition of such penalty, provided that the requirements of due process are complied with.
In addition to the disciplinary sanction, the bully shall also be required to undergo an intervention program which shall be administered or supervised by the school’s Child Protection Committee. The parents of the bully shall be encouraged to join the intervention program.

If after the fact finding activity the teacher found out that the report was not true for any underlying motives of the source of the fallacious report, the teacher/adviser shall then:

call for a conference with the parent/s and the student/s who make the false news using CPC Form 3A. Witnesses may be included in the conference, if necessary.
decide with the parent/s of the erring students on the appropriate disciplinary action or impose disciplinary measures defined in the school handbook, if available.
implement the agreed disciplinary action.
monitor the students while disciplinary action is implemented.
furnish the guidance counselor and the parents a copy of duly accomplished CPC Form 4 (Parents–Teacher Agreement).
refer the incident to the Guidance Counselor/Coordinator/School Head through CPC Form 6A–Teacher’s Referral Slip and CPC Form 1 (Intake Sheet) whenever the classroom level mediation is unsuccessful.

DUE PROCESS

In all cases where a penalty is imposed on the bully or offending student, the following minimum requirements of due process shall be complied with:

the student and the parent or guardians shall be informed of the complaint in writing;
the student shall be given the opportunity to answer the complaint in writing, with the assistance of the parents or guardian;
the decision of the school head shall be in writing, stating the facts and the reasons for the decision; and
the decision of the school head may be appealed to the Division Office, as provided in existing rules of the Department.

If the bullying incident or retaliation resulted in serious physical injuries or death, the case shall be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 9344 or the “Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act,” as amended, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, in connection with other applicable laws, as may be warranted by the circumstances attendant to the bullying incident.
If the student, after an investigation, is found to have knowingly made a false accusation of bullying, the said student shall be subjected to disciplinary actions or to appropriate interventions in accordance with the existing rules and regulations of the Department or the private school.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

In the implementation of the interventions, the school head, or his/her delegated CPC member shall:

monitor the implementation of the agreed intervention as well the effectiveness of the agreed intervention and accomplish Form 8.
communicate with the CPC the result of the monitoring on the implementation of the agreed intervention, as well as the effectiveness of the agreed intervention.
lead the CPC in coming up with enhanced processes on addressing bullying incidence.
conduct a research on the efficiency of the mechanisms in handling bullying.

RECORDING AND REPORTING

After implementing the conflict resolution, disciplinary measures, interventions and/or accomplishing the referral forms for cases that need the attention of other agencies handled in the CPC level, the documentation in-charge who could be any school personnel designated by the school head shall enter the case to CPC Form 9 and all the other cases handled by the CPC for the month.
The guidance counselor/designate shall consolidate all the reports coming from the teacher advisers captured through CPC Form 9 (School Based Report on Incidents of Bullying).
The guidance counselor/designate shall then submit the accomplished CPC Forms 9 to the school head on the first or second day of the fourth week of every month.
The school head shall then encode the report to the division office using CPC Forms 9 through the link https://bit.ly/3vHrn7V within the fourth week of every month. In an instance no bullying case is encountered in the school that month, the school head shall still submit Forms 9 marked with “No case reported”.

PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION PROGRAM TO ADDRESS BULLYING

Section 6 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 directs all public and private schools to adopt bullying prevention programs applicable to all students regardless of the risk level of vulnerability. The programs shall be comprehensive, multi-faceted and collaborative where personnel and education stakeholders shall be involved. Among others, these programs may contain:

School-wide initiatives centered on:
1. 1. positive school climate and environment conducive to the attainment of learning objectives, the development of healthy relationships and the understanding of and respect for individual differences;
  2. periodic assessment and monitoring of the nature, extend, and perceptions of bullying behaviors and attitudes of students;
  3. periodic review and enhancement of the students’ and personnel’s manual or code of conduct in relation to bullying;
  4. conduct of activities for students, school personnel and service providers on how to recognize and respond to bullying;
  5. continuing personnel development to sustain bullying prevention programs; and
  6. coordination with Local Government Units, barangay (Barangay Council for the Protection of Children) and other stakeholders.

Classroom-level initiatives that focus on:
1. 1. reinforcing school-wide rules pertaining to bullying;
  2. building a positive sense of self and interpersonal relationships through the development of self-awareness and self-management, interpersonal skills and empathy, and responsible decision-making and problem-solving;
  3. discussion of issues related to bullying, and strategies for responding to and reporting of incidents of bullying;
  4. teaching positive online behavior and safety and how to recognize and report cyber-bullying; and
  5. providing an inclusive and caring learning environment for students.

Involving parents in bullying prevention activities, such as:
1. 1. discussions of the anti-bullying policy of the school, emphasizing bullying prevention during Parents-Teachers Association meetings and seminars; and
  2. conducting or sponsoring education sessions for parents to learn, teach, model, and reinforce positive social and emotional skills to their children.
Monitoring students who are vulnerable to committing aggressive acts or who are perpetrators of bullying, or who are possible targets or victims, for the purpose of early intervention. This activity shall be conducted with utmost confidentiality and respect for all parties concerned.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION/INTERVENTION

INTERVENTION PROGRAMS
There shall be intervention programs to promote the continuity of comprehensive anti-bullying policies. Intervention refers to a series of activities which are designed to address the following:

issues that influence the student to commit bullying;
factors that make a student a target of bullying; and
effects of bullying.

Interventions may include programs such as counseling, life skills training, education, and other activities that will enhance the psychological, emotional and psycho-social well-being of both the victim and the bully. Such programs may:

involve activities that will address acts of bullying;
emphasize formative and corrective measures rather than punishment;
conform to principles of child protection and positive and non-violent discipline;
help the victim, the bully, and the bystanders understand the bullying incident and its negative consequences; and
provide opportunities to practice pro-social behavior.

All schools shall develop intervention strategies involving all parties, such as bullies, victims, bystanders, parents, school personnel, service providers and all other persons who may be affected by the bullying incident.

CONFIDENTIALITY
Any information relating to the identity and personal circumstances of the bully, victim, or bystander shall be treated with utmost confidentiality by the Child Protection Committee and the school personnel, provided, that the names may only be available to the school head or administrator, teacher or guidance counselor designated by the school head, and parents or guardians of students who are or have been victims of the bullying or retaliation.
Any school personnel who commits a breach of confidentiality shall be subject to appropriate administrative disciplinary action in accordance with the existing rules and regulations of the Department of Education or the private school, without prejudice to any civil or criminal action.

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