The Barbereux School Bullying Policy

created 9/1/22    revised 5/15/23

“Bullying” includes “cyber-bullying” and means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student or students that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following:

• Placing the student or students in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s or students’ person or property;
• Causing a substantially detrimental effect on the student’s or students’ physical or mental health;
• Substantially interfering with the student’s or students’ academic performance; or
• Substantially interfering with the student’s or students’ ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.

Bullying may take various forms, including without limitation one or more of the following: harassment, threats, intimidation, stalking, physical violence, sexual harassment, sexual violence, theft, public humiliation, destruction of property, or retaliation for asserting or alleging an act of bullying. This list is meant to be illustrative and non-exhaustive.

“Cyber-bullying” means bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication, including without limitation any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic system, photoelectronic system, or photo-optical system, including without limitation electronic mail, Internet communications, instant messages, or facsimile communications. “Cyber-bullying” includes the creation of a webpage or weblog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person or the knowing impersonation of another person as the author of posted content or messages if the creation or impersonation creates any of the effects enumerated in the definition of bullying in this Section. “Cyber-bullying” also includes the distribution by electronic means of a communication to more than one person or the posting of material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons if the distribution or posting creates any of the effects enumerated in the definition of bullying in this Section.

Bullying is contrary to Illinois state law and the policies of the Barbereux School and is consistent with subsection (a-5) of this Section [free exercise of religion].

Incidents of bullying should be reported directly to the classroom teachers or to the School Director at 847-864-3215 or [email protected].   All incidents of bullying will be investigated by the classroom teachers and/or director.  Anonymous reporting may be done (however, this shall not be construed to permit formal disciplinary action solely on the basis of an anonymous report.)

Parents/guardians will be contacted by the Director and/or Classroom Teachers to discuss alleged incident of bullying and discussing, as appropriate, interventions restorative measures that will be used within the classroom to eliminate the alleged behavior.  If more extensive intervention is deemed appropriate, families will be guided to outside social service/counseling resources.

“Restorative measures” means a continuum of school-based alternatives to exclusionary discipline, such as suspensions and expulsions, that

(i) are adapted to the particular needs of the school and community,

(ii) contribute to maintaining school safety,

(iii) protect the integrity of a positive and productive learning climate,

(iv) teach students the personal and interpersonal skills they will need to be successful in school and society,

(v) serve to build and restore relationships among students, families, schools, and communities, and

(vi) reduce the likelihood of future disruption by balancing accountability with an understanding of students’ behavioral health needs in order to keep students in school.

(vii) increase student accountability if the incident of bullying is based on religion, race, ethnicity, or any other category that is identified in the Illinois Human Rights Act.

When a report of bullying is received an investigation will be completed and include:

(A) Making all reasonable efforts to complete the investigation within 10 school days after the date the report of the incident of bullying was received and taking into consideration additional relevant information received during the course of the investigation about the reported incident of bullying.

(B) Involving appropriate school support personnel and other staff persons with knowledge, experience, and training on bullying prevention, as deemed appropriate, in the investigation process.

(C) Notifying the Director of the incident of bullying as soon as possible after the report is received.

(D) Consistent with federal and State laws and rules governing student privacy rights, providing parents and guardians of the students who are parties to the investigation information about the investigation and an opportunity to meet with the Director to discuss the investigation, the findings of the investigation, and the actions taken to address the reported incident of bullying.

As the children we serve are very young, we are consistently working with the children on appropriate social emotional behavior and peer interactions.  When a bullying incident is reported we will implement additional interventions which may include, but are not limited to, restorative measures, social-emotional skill building, counseling, and community-based services.

There will be no reprisal or retaliation against any person who reports an act of bullying and the consequences and any acts of reprisal or retaliation will be disciplined by the Board of Directors.  Any person found to have falsely accused another of bullying as a means of retaliation or as a means of bullying will also be disciplined by the Board of Directors.

This policy will be reviewed annually to assess outcomes and effectiveness.  Components used to evaluate this policy will include, but are not limited to:  frequency of victimization; student, staff, and family observations of safety at a school; identification of areas of a school where bullying occurs; the types of bullying utilized; and bystander intervention or participation.

In accordance with ISBE regulations- this policy will be posted on the Barbereux School website.