Anti-Bullying Policy

122.  ANTI-BULLYING POLICY

 

Date Adopted:  8/21/19

Revised: 8/17/22



The Board of Trustees (“Board”) of MaST Community Charter School III  (“MaST III”) is committed to providing a safe, positive learning environment for charter school students. The Board recognizes that bullying creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, detracts from the safe environment necessary for student learning, and may lead to more serious violence. Therefore, the Board prohibits bullying by MaST Community Charter School III students.

Bullying means an intentional electronic, written, verbal or physical act or series of acts directed at another student or students, which occurs in a school setting or during any school-related/sponsored activity, that is severe, persistent or pervasive and has the effect of doing any of the following:

1.     Substantial interference with a student’s education.

2.     Creation of a threatening environment.

3.     Substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school. 


Bullying, as defined in this policy, includes cyberbullying. 


Please see Appendix 15 - Acceptable Use and Internet Safety Policy of the Family Handbook for further clarification.

 

School setting means in the school, on school grounds, on the school’s network or computer equipment, in charter school vehicles, at any activity sponsored, supervised or sanctioned by MaST Community Charter School III.


The Board prohibits all forms of bullying by charter school students. MaST III will not tolerate known acts of bullying in all school settings.   Each student shall be responsible to respect the rights of others and to ensure an atmosphere free from bullying.


The Board encourages students who have been bullied to promptly report such incidents to the Disciplinarian, school principal or designee.


The Board directs that complaints of bullying shall be investigated promptly, and corrective action shall be taken when allegations are verified. Confidentiality of all parties shall be maintained, consistent with the legal and investigative obligations of the charter school. No reprisals or retaliation shall occur as a result of good faith reports of bullying.  For bullying/cyberbullying that occurs outside the school setting, MaST III shall take appropriate disciplinary action to the extent permitted by applicable law.

 

The Board directs the CEO/School Leader or designee to develop administrative regulations to implement this policy and ensure that this policy and administrative regulations

are reviewed annually with students.

 

The CEO/School Leader or designee, in cooperation with other appropriate administrators, shall review this policy every three (3) years and recommend necessary revisions to the Board. The administration shall annually provide the following information with the Safe School Report:


Board’s Bullying Policy.


The Code of Student Conduct, which shall contain this policy, shall be disseminated annually to students. The policy shall be posted in a prominent location within each school building and on MaST III's intranet and public website.

 

Education and Prevention

The school will develop and implement bullying prevention and intervention programs where appropriate. Such programs shall provide the charter school staff and students with appropriate training for effectively responding to, intervening in and reporting incidents of bullying. Bullying prevention strategies will be taught in the classroom, during counseling sessions, social groups, and through grade-level assemblies. Assemblies will be held throughout the year on a variety of topics including but not limited to:


The school will encourage student participation in clubs and activities in an effort to foster well-rounded and more confident individuals.The school will develop and implement a school wide positive behavior program for students and staff. The program will help to build a sense of school pride, and continuity among staff, students, and our community. The school aims to foster a safe, and nurturing environment for all students of diverse backgrounds. The program will help to promote positive behaviors and amend negative behaviors to ensure that our students feel safe and secure, and are learning to be productive members of society. Kindergarten through 12th grade students will participate in daily incentive opportunities, monthly assemblies and quarterly recognition. 


For more specific detail on education and prevention please see the school’s Bullying Prevention Plan found in the family handbook in the appendix section.


Reporting and Identification


Parents, students and witnesses are encouraged to bring any suspicion of bullying to the appropriate school administrator, the Dean of Students, the School Counselor, teacher and/or any other staff member so that the situation(s) can be investigated. The general info@mastccs.org email can also be used if a parent or child would like to communicate any type of incident or concern. 


School employees who witness or suspect that a student has been subject to conduct that constitutes a violation of this policy shall immediately report the incident to the appropriate school administrator.


The school’s SAP Team is part of a state-wide Student Assistance Program which operates in all of Pennsylvania’s school districts. SAP provides schools with the means to identify barriers to a student’s learning and success. The MaST III SAP Team is a dedicated group of school personnel who are trained to identify problems that impact the student’s ability to function in school.


The school will use a program to monitor digital activity throughout the school day. This program will alert teachers and administrators if there is suspicious digital activity.


The school will use a program to document incidents throughout the year ensuring everything is recorded and accessible to administrators.

 

Consequences For Violations

A student who violates this policy shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, which may include: