Bullying has become a significant issue with young people nationwide. It affects students at every level, from elementary to high school. To proactively address the issue of bullying the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has created a Bullying Prevention Policy. The policy clearly outlines the definition of bullying and the steps required by schools to address it.
The definition for bullying in DCPS is:
“Bullying,” means any severe, pervasive, or persistent act or conduct, whether physical, electronic, or verbal that:
May be based on a person's actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, intellectual ability, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, disability, source of income, status as a victim of an intrafamily offense, place of residence or business, or any other distinguishing characteristic, or on a youth’s association with a person, or group with any person, with one or more of the actual or perceived foregoing characteristics; and
Shall be reasonably predicted to:
Place a student in reasonable fear of physical harm to his or her person or property;
Cause a substantial detrimental effect on the student’s physical or mental health;
Substantially interfere with the student’s academic performance or attendance; or
Substantially interfere with the student’s ability to participate in or benefit from school activities or services; or
Materially and disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school.
Bullying also occurs when a student or group of students organize a campaign against another student or when a student or group of students maliciously spread rumors about another student.
Please read the DCPS Bullying Prevention Policy in
English or in
Spanish. Should you have questions or need to report an issue related to bullying, please contact Brent's Bullying Point of Contact, Assistant Principal Sara Ewbank at
[email protected].