BULLYING

The Itawamba County School District does not condone and will not tolerate bullying or harassing behavior.

Bullying or harassing behavior is any pattern of gestures or written, electronic or verbal communications, or any physical act or any threatening communication, or any act reasonably perceived as being motivated by any actual or perceived differentiating characteristic that

(a) places a student or school employee in actual and reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property, or

(b) creates or is certain to create a hostile environment by substantially interfering with or impairing a student’s educational performance, opportunities or benefits.

A “hostile environment” means that the victim subjectively views the conduct as bullying or harassing behavior and the conduct is objectively severe or pervasive enough that a reasonable person would agree that it is bullying or harassing behavior.

Bullying or harassing behavior will not be condoned or tolerated when it takes place on school property (including a school bus), at any school-sponsored function or when it takes place off school property when such conduct, in the determination of the school superintendent or principal, renders the offending person’s presence in the classroom a disruption to the educational environment of the school or a detriment to the best interest and welfare of the pupils and/or teacher of such class as a whole.

The Itawamba County School District will make every reasonable effort to ensure that no student or school employee is subjected to bullying or harassing behavior by other school employees or students. Likewise, the District will make every reasonable effort to ensure that no person engages in any act of reprisal or retaliation against a victim, witness or a person with reliable information about an act of bullying or harassing behavior.

The District encourages anyone who has witnessed or has reliable information that a student or school employee has been subjected to any act of bullying or harassing behavior to report the incident to the appropriate school official.

The Itawamba County School District directs the superintendent or designee to design and implement procures for reporting, investigating and addressing bullying and harassing behaviors.

The discipline policies and procedures must recognize the fundamental right of every student to take “reasonable actions’ as may be necessary to defend himself or herself from an attack by another student who has evidenced menacing or threatening behavior through bullying or harassing.

Furthermore, the Itawamba County School District defines “reasonable action” as promptly reporting the behavior to a teacher, principal, counselor, or other school employee.