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SHIPMAN-RECOMMENDED STATUTORY LANGUAGE UPDATES
5131.911P
STUDENTS
BULLYING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION
The Colchester Board of Education (the “Board”) is committed to creating and
maintaining an educational environment that is physically, emotionally, and intellectually
safe and thus free from bullying, teen dating violence, harassment, and discrimination.
In accordance with state law and the Board’s Safe School Climate Plan, the Board
expressly prohibits any form of bullying behavior on school grounds; at a
school-sponsored or school-related activity, function or program, whether on or off
school grounds; at a school bus stop; on a school bus or other vehicle owned, leased or
used by a local or regional board of education; or through the use of an electronic device
or an electronic mobile device owned, leased or used by the Board.
The Board also prohibits any form of bullying behavior outside of the school setting if
such bullying (i) creates a hostile environment at school for the student against whom
such bullying was directed, (ii) infringes on the rights of the student against whom such
bullying was directed at school, or (iii) substantially disrupts the education process or the
orderly operation of a school. Discrimination and/or retaliation against an individual
who reports or assists in the investigation of an act of bullying is likewise prohibited.
Students who engage in bullying behavior or teen dating violence shall be subject to
school discipline, up to and including expulsion, in accordance with the Board's policies
on student discipline, suspension and expulsion, and consistent with state and federal
law.
For purposes of this policy, “Bullying” means an act that the repeated use by one or
more students of a written, oral or electronic communication, such as cyberbullying,
directed at or referring to another student attending school in the same school district,
or a physical act or gesture by one or more students repeatedly directed at another
student attending school in the same school district, is direct or indirect and severe,
persistent or pervasive, which:
(1) causes physical or emotional harm to such student or damage to such
student’s property;
(2) places such student in reasonable fear of harm to himself or herself, or of
damage to his or her property;
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(3) creates a hostile environment at school for such student;
(4) infringes on the rights of such student at school; or
(5) substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a
school.
1) causes physical or emotional harm to an individual;
2) places an individual in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm; or
3) infringes on the rights or opportunities of an individual at school.
Bullying shall include, but need not be limited to, a written, verbal oral, or electronic
communication or physical act or gesture based on any actual or perceived
differentiating characteristics, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin,
gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status,
academic status, physical appearance, or mental, physical, developmental or sensory
disability, or by association with an individual or group who has or is perceived to have
one or more of such characteristics.
For purposes of this policy, "Cyberbullying" means any act of bullying through the use of
the Internet, interactive and digital technologies, cellular mobile telephone or other
mobile electronic devices or any electronic communications.
For purposes of this policy, “Teen Dating Violence” means any act of physical, emotional
or sexual abuse, including stalking, harassing and threatening, that occurs between two
students who are currently in or who have recently been in a dating relationship.
Consistent with the requirements under state law, the Board authorizes the
Superintendent or his/her designee(s), along with the Safe School Climate Coordinator,
to be responsible for developing and implementing a Safe School Climate Plan in
furtherance of this policy. As provided by state law, such Safe School Climate Plan shall
include, but not be limited to provisions which:
(1) enable students to anonymously report acts of bullying to school
employees and require students and the parents or guardians of students
to be notified at the beginning of each school year of the process by
which students may make such reports;
(2) enable the parents or guardians of students to file written reports of
suspected bullying;
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(3) require school employees who witness acts of bullying or receive reports
of bullying to orally notify the safe school climate specialist, or another
school administrator if the safe school climate specialist is unavailable,
not later than one school day after such school employee witnesses or
receives a report of bullying, and to file a written report not later than
two school days after making such oral report;
(4) require the safe school climate specialist to investigate or supervise the
investigation of all reports of bullying and ensure that such investigation
is completed promptly after receipt of any written reports made under
this section and that the parents or guardians of the student alleged to
have committed an act or acts of bullying and the parents or guardians of
the student against whom such alleged act or acts were directed receive
prompt notice that such investigation has commenced;
(5) require the safe school climate specialist to review any anonymous
reports, except that no disciplinary action shall be taken solely on the
basis of an anonymous report;
(6) include a prevention and intervention strategy for school employees to
deal with bullying and teen dating violence;
(7) provide for the inclusion of language in student codes of conduct
concerning bullying;
(8) require each school to notify the parents or guardians of students who
commit any verified acts of bullying and the parents or guardians of
students against whom such acts were directed not later than forty-eight
hours after the completion of the investigation described in subdivision
(4), above; (A) of the results of such investigation, and (B) verbally or by
electronic mail, if such parents’ or guardians’ electronic mail addresses
are known, that such parents or guardians may refer to the plain
language explanation of the rights and remedies available under Conn.
Gen. Stat. Section 10-4a and 10-4b published on the Internet website of
the Board;
(9) require each school to invite the parents or guardians of a student against
whom such act was directed to a meeting to communicate to such
parents or guardians the measures being taken by the school to ensure
the safety of the student against whom such act was directed and policies
and procedures in place to prevent further acts of bullying;
(10) require each school to invite the parents or guardians of a student who
commits any verified act of bullying to a meeting, separate and distinct
from the meeting required in subdivision (9) above, to discuss specific
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interventions undertaken by the school to prevent further acts of
bullying;
(11) establish a procedure for each school to document and maintain records
relating to reports and investigations of bullying in such school and to
maintain a list of the number of verified acts of bullying in such school
and make such list available for public inspection, and annually report
such number to the Department of Education and in such manner as
prescribed by the Commissioner of Education;
(12) direct the development of case-by-case interventions for addressing
repeated incidents of bullying against a single individual or recurrently
perpetrated bullying incidents by the same individual that may include
both counseling and discipline;
(13) prohibit discrimination and retaliation against an individual who reports
or assists in the investigation of an act of bullying;
(14) direct the development of student safety support plans for students
against whom an act of bullying was directed that address safety
measures the school will take to protect such students against further
acts of bullying;
(15) require the principal of a school, or the principal's designee, to notify the
appropriate local law enforcement agency when such principal, or the
principal's designee, believes that any acts of bullying constitute criminal
conduct;
(16) prohibit bullying (A) on school grounds, at a school-sponsored or
school-related activity, function or program whether on or off school
grounds, at a school bus stop, on a school bus or other vehicle owned,
leased or used by a local or regional board of education, or through the
use of an electronic device or an electronic mobile device owned, leased
or used by the Board, and (B) outside of the school setting if such bullying
(i) creates a hostile environment at school for the student against whom
such bullying was directed, or (ii) infringes on the rights of the student
against whom such bullying was directed at school, or (iii) substantially
disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school;
(17) require, at the beginning of each school year, each school to provide all
school employees with a written or electronic copy of the school district's
safe school climate plan; and
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(18) require that all school employees annually complete the training
described in Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 10-220a or 10-222j related to the
identification, prevention and response to bullying.; and
(19) provide on the Board’s website training materials to school administrators
regarding the prevention of and intervention in discrimination against and
targeted harassment of students based on such students’ (1) actual or
perceived differentiating characteristics, such as race, color, religion,
ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or
expression, socioeconomic status, academic status, physical appearance
or mental, physical, developmental or sensory disability, or (2) association
with individuals or groups who have or are perceived to have one or more
of such characteristics.
The notification required pursuant to subdivision (8) (above) and the invitation required
pursuant to subdivisions (9) and (10) (above) shall include a description of the response
of school employees to such acts and any consequences that may result from the
commission of further acts of bullying. Any information provided under this policy or
accompanying Safe School Climate Plan shall be provided in accordance with the
confidentiality restrictions imposed under the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act
("FERPA") and the district's Confidentiality and Access to Student Information policy and
regulations.
The Board shall submit its Safe School Climate Plan to the State Department of
Education for review and approval. Not later than thirty (30) calendar days after
approval by the Department, the Board shall make such plan available on the Board's
and each individual school in the school district's web site and ensure that the Safe
School Climate Plan is included in the school district's publication of the rules,
procedures and standards of conduct for schools and in all student handbooks.
As required by state law, the Board, after consultation with the Connecticut
Department of Education and the Connecticut Social and Emotional Learning and
School Climate Advisory Collaborative, shall provide on the Board’s website training
materials to school administrators regarding the prevention of and intervention in
discrimination against and targeted harassment of students based on such students’
(1) actual or perceived differentiating characteristics, such as race, color, religion,
ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,
socioeconomic status, academic status, physical appearance or mental, physical,
developmental or sensory disability, or (2) association with individuals or groups who
have or are perceived to have one or more of such characteristics.
As required by state law, the Board shall post on its website the plain language
explanation of rights and remedies under Connecticut General Statutes §§ 10-4a and
BULLYING PREVENTION & INTERVENTION Page 5 of 7
10-4b, as developed and provided to the Board by the Connecticut Social and
Emotional Learning and School Climate Advisory Collaborative.
Legal References:
Public Act 19-166Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-145a
Public Act 21-95
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-145o
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-220a
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222d
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222g
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222h
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222j
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222k
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222l
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222q
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222r
Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 10-233a through 10-233f
Policy adopted: January 14, 2003
Policy revised: January 13, 2009
Policy revised: December 13, 2011
Policy revised: March 9, 2021
Policy revised: November 9, 2021
COLCHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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Colchester, Connecticut
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