Bullying Prevention & Intervention Plan

The Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan is a comprehensive approach to addressing bullying including cyberbullying (cyberbullying is included in all references to bullying). Kaneland is committed to working with students, staff, families, law enforcement agencies, and the community to prevent issues of violence. In consultation with these constituencies, we have established this plan for preventing (The prevention and education for staff and students is a work in progress and will be implemented into the policy in 2012), intervening, and responding to incidents of bullying and retaliation.

Kaneland School District is committed to educating the whole child, ensuring that each child in the district is healthy, safe, engaged, challenged, and supported. To this end, Kaneland School District is committed to providing all students with a safe learning environment that is free of bullying. This commitment is an integral part of our comprehensive efforts to promote learning, and to prevent and eliminate all forms of bullying and other harmful and disruptive behaviors that can impede student learning.

Kaneland School District will take specific steps, outlined in this plan, to create a safe, supportive environment for all students in the school community, and provide them with the skills, knowledge, and strategies to prevent or respond to bullying, harassment, or teasing. Kaneland School District will not tolerate any unlawful or disruptive behavior, including any form of bullying or retaliation, in our school buildings, on school grounds, or in school-related activities. We will investigate promptly all reports and complaints of bullying and take prompt action to end that behavior and restore the target’s sense of safety.

The Kaneland School District is also committed to ensuring that there are proactive and therapeutic responses available to the aggressors involved as well as to the targets because we believe that as a community we must not forget that aggressors are victims in their own way and that we must reach out to them proactively while at the same time holding them responsible for their behavior.

Bullying is the repeated (Though the word “repeated” is used to define bullying, the school will act upon any observed or reported hurtful behavior immediately via our standard code of conduct outlined in the student handbook.) use by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression or a physical act or gesture or any combination thereof, directed at a target that:

• Causes physical or emotional harm to the target or damage to the target's property.
• Places the target in reasonable fear of harm to himself or herself or of damage to his or her property.
• Creates a hostile environment at school for the target. Infringes on the rights of the target at school.
• Materially and substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school.

Kaneland School District separates bullying into 3 separate levels. Each level takes into account not only the intensity and severity of the specific incident(s) but also the appropriate intervention.

At this level, the aggressor is performing a bullying action versus displaying a bullying personality. The aggressor shows genuine empathy and demonstrates signs of guilt as a result of his/her actions. Acts of bullying at Level I are not often repeated and the target has not been threatened with permanent or long lasting harm. At this level, there is a certain type of unconscious awareness in the aggressor that can be easily accessed with brief counseling intervention. Actions that are included within Level I have a lesser degree of intensity with less intent to harm. Some of the primary examples of Level I bullying are:

• Exclusion
• Rumors; Gossip
• Physical Contact with no harm or intent to harm such as poking or invasion of space
• Verbal Comments and Attacks/Teasing
• Cyberbullying between one aggressor and target
• Can Be Multiple Aggressors and One Target

Level II bullying includes all of Level I but with more of a malicious intent towards the target. The aggressor is convinced that his/her actions are justified and initially not able to empathize with target. Level II also encompasses aggressors who have received more than a single Level I intervention. Some of the primary examples of Level II bullying are:

• Aggressor enjoys popularity from participating in hurtful actions and feels a sense of accomplishment when the target is hurt.
• More of a group mentality protecting a selective group where group bullies one or multiple targets.
• Aggressor feels the target deserved the actions.
• Physical Aggression
• Cyberbullying with intent to incite group mentality
• Aspects of incident that demonstrate the aggressor having a break from reality
• Aggressor feels superior and authoritative over target as well as adults
• Racist remarks and/or demonstrated hatred towards diversity

At this level, a one-time incident can be acknowledged as an advanced case depending on how extreme the actions were and the effect it had on the target or those surrounding the target. The aggressor at Level III is typically manipulative, repetitively lies, has little to no affect, and continually fails to accept responsibility for their actions. They may possess an inability to get emotionally attached to people and lack human empathy. They have a lack of conscience, make poor decisions and usually do not respond to fear or discipline. Some of the primary examples of Level III bullying are:

• Verbal and physical attacks
• Multiple acts on one target or separate targets
• Aggressor perceives others are against them
• Termination of important relationships; a severe lack of trust in peers and family
• Acts alone; manipulative; hides intentions; schemes and plans; intention is serious harm to target.
• Feels superior with intentional harm towards diverse groups
• Enjoys status of being feared

Reporting Any member of the school community, including students, who wish to file a report regarding bullying and/or harassment behavior, can do so by accessing the Safety Tips page on the Kaneland CUSD #302 website at https://www.kaneland.org/safety-tip, by calling/texting the Safety Tip Hotline at (630) 465-0293 or emailing safetytip@kaneland.org.

Anyone who wishes to make a report anonymously may do so by filling out the standard reporting form without including their name. Reports may be made anonymously, but no disciplinary action will be taken against an alleged aggressor solely on the basis of an anonymous report.

Any school community member who retaliates against another for reporting bullying/harassment, or who knowingly makes a false accusation of bullying/harassment or retaliation, shall be subject to strong disciplinary action as designated in the handbook.

The district understands that good intervention work requires several skills: ability to discern relational and power dynamics between and among children and adolescents (i.e., distinguishing friendships from strictly peer relationships, knowledge of social hierarchy and peer culture); ability to sort out normal conflict from bullying; knowledge and use of appropriate consequences that will prevent an escalation of aggressive behavior.

Interventions will be conducted by the school social worker/the school counselor or administrator or a combination of a school social worker/school counselor and administrator. Once an allegation of bullying is made, the first staff responder will assure and restore safety of the target and/or reporter. Once safety considerations are addressed, a determination is initially made as to which level of bullying the incident falls under based on the bullying definitions described above. If Level I or Level II, the incident is initially referred to the school social worker or counselor. If Level III, the incident is referred to school Dean, Principal or other designated administrative staff.

While the aggressor should be held accountable, accountability does not involve punitive consequences at this level. It is vital to understand that the heart of the problem is not always what is perceived by staff, but rather what the aggressor perceives. If the aggressor does not understand how his/her actions were inappropriate and demonstrates an insensitivity and lack of empathy towards the target, s/he may not understand that s/he have to change his/her actions, perceptions, attitudes and sometimes beliefs. Providing an equal balance in intervening with both target and aggressor helps the aggressor to break down defenses.

Counselor/Social Worker first assesses for the safety of the target and determines if the target feels stable enough to discuss the incident at the current time. When stable, counselor/social worker first begins to empathize and establish a rapport with the target while listening to their full account of incident(s) and events that may have led to incident(s). Counselor/Social Worker attempts to empower target that they are strong and healthy for reporting the incident(s).

Validate and determine if this is the first time the target has reported the incident. If the target reports that s/he has reported the incident(s) at other times and feels that nothing has been done, then the intervention moves to Level II. If this is a first report, then the Counselor/Social Worker continues counseling.

Target is given the option of having the Counselor/Social worker call down the aggressor individually or with the target in the room. Advantages and disadvantages of each option are discussed.

It is then emphasized to both target and aggressor, whether together or individually, that the purpose of the intervention for all parties is not to seek any form of retribution or for the school to deliver punitive consequences, but rather that the bullying stops. Kaneland School Districts believes that the aggressor is far less likely to continue bullying when s/he is listened to and assured that the target’s intention is for peace rather than retribution.

Aggressor is given opportunity to share his/her account of incident(s). Counselor/Social Worker assists aggressor in considering other ways of interpreting the events, including techniques aimed at helping aggressor gain perspective and insight about target. Some Level I intervention techniques are:

• Role Play
• Empty Chair
• Education on Difference between “Kidding Around” and Bullying
• Emotion Management
• Insight into Aggressor and Target Family and Recent History/Major Life Events
• Insight into Self-Esteem

It is believed that with these interventions, the aggressor is most likely to break down defenses, showing humility if not empathy. Counselor/Social Worker then praises aggressor for mature response and states confidence that the intervention was successful and a strong belief that the bullying will not continue.

Counselor/Social Worker further validates that because of aggressor’s positive response; there will be no disciplinary investigation. Counselor/Social Worker then informs aggressor that if the intervention was not as successful as believed and aggressor were to continue bullying then they would be intervened with at Level II and likely disciplinary action.

Finally, aggressor and target are encouraged to keep the intervention confidential and resist any temptation to share with friends what occurred. Some suggestions are given to target and aggressor of healthy responses to share with friends who might inquire about the incident. Target is urged to report any further incidents directly to Counselor/Social Worker and assured that future interventions, if necessary, would be at Level II or Level III. Counselor/Social Worker will then document incident as well as intervention used.

If the aggressor stays stuck in being defensive and is incapable or unwilling to see their role, intervention moves to Level II.

If only negative punishment is utilized for a bullying act, the effect it can have on the aggressor and target can have an opposite effect. The aggressor is more likely to retaliate against the target with increased malice and manipulation. They are also more likely to retaliate against the reporters and/or friends of the target creating a larger group problem. It is important that even at Level II the aggressor still be intervened with the same degree of empathy and care as in a Level I intervention. Therefore, all steps in Level I intervention are included in a Level II intervention. (*except for the step where the aggressor is informed that if bullying continues, intervention moves to Level II).

The first step at Level II is to inform an administrator of incident, if they are not yet aware and begin to get statements from target(s), aggressor(s) and bystanders. Then repeat all steps in Level I (*).

At Level II there is a greater exploration into the vulnerabilities of the aggressor which may have been the source of the violent actions they chose. When exploring vulnerabilities, it is hoped that the Counselor/Social Worker may help the aggressor find the motivation needed to begin changing what it is that is influencing them to perform violent acts.

Counselor/Social Worker should also explore with aggressor to discover what is important to them and what they might be afraid of losing…mostly in an effort to help them see how they can get their needs met in a healthier way. The biggest difference between a Level I and Level II intervention is not just that at Level II the aggressor is referred to the appropriate administrative staff for disciplinary investigation, but that there is more follow up from Counselor/Social Worker in an effort to help them internalize social norms, beliefs and values so they may gain a different perspective and develop proper coping skills to resist the urge to go back to what is familiar. Some of the interventions used by counselor/social worker at Level II are:

• Education and Identification of Anger Levels
• Scenario Based Role Plays- “What Would You Do?”
• Weekly or Bi-Weekly Meetings
• Group Counseling (i.e. Anger Management, Social Skills)
• Journaling
• Self-Acceptance and Peer Acceptance Activities
• Peer Mentoring
• Identification of Adult Advocate
• Prevention Plan or Contract for Safety
• No Contact Contract
• Listing Pros and Cons of Actions
• Discussions of Reality Versus Fantasy World
• Exploration into Positive Support Systems
• Exploration into Positive Outlets during Free Time

Counselor/Social Worker Intervention collaborates with Administrative disciplinary intervention as aggressor is investigated and, if culpable, given disciplinary consequences per student handbook.

Follow-up with the target, the aggressor, and their families will occur within a reasonable amount of time to ensure that further incidents have not re-occurred and to determine if additional supportive measures are needed.

*except for the step where the aggressor is informed that if bullying continues, intervention moves to Level II

When determining an incident as Level III bullying, the incident is immediately referred to Administration to conduct a thorough investigation.

Upon returning to school after disciplinary consequences, aggressor at Level III meets with counselor/social worker before returning to first class. All Level II interventions are utilized as well as:

• Identify and develop a contract for personal and others safety (which is likely to include a pass to leave class at any time to see counselor/social worker)
• Research support system including outside medical and psychological interventions
• Invite outside support systems to meet in school
• Continue to gather information from students who were targets or may have been affected by the incident(s)…counsel these students if necessary.
• Mandatory Anger Management Training

Each school shall document any incident of bullying that is reported and substantiated. Formal documentation reports shall be maintained by the principal and/or designee.