The Solana Santa Fe School Community is committed to making our school a safe and caring environment for all students. We will treat each other with respect and refuse to tolerate bullying of any kind.

Definition: Bullying is unfair and one-sided. It happens when someone keeps hurting, frightening, threatening, or leaving someone out on purpose.

Bullying behaviors include the following:

• Hurting someone physically by hitting, kicking, tripping, or pushing,
• Stealing or damaging another person’s things,
• Ganging up on someone,
• Teasing someone in a hurtful way,
• Using put-downs (i.e., insulting or making fun of someone),
• Name calling,
• Spreading rumors or untruths about someone,
• Leaving someone out on purpose, or trying to get other kids not to play with someone,
• Cyber-bullying is subject to the same consequences as traditional bullying. Cyber- bullying is defined as “using technologies to threaten, insult or harass; cyber-bullying is when someone repeatedly harasses, mistreats, or makes fun of another person online or while using cell phones or other electronic devices.

Students at Solana Santa Fe will do the following things
to prevent bullying:

• Treat everyone with respect and kindness.
• Refuse to bully others.
• Refuse to let others be bullied.
• Refuse to watch, laugh, or join in when someone is being bullied.
• Try to include everyone in play, especially those who are often left out.
• Report bullying behavior to an adult.

Teachers and staff at Solana Santa School will do the following things to prevent bullying and help children feel safe at school:

• Closely supervise students in all areas of the school and playground.
• Watch for signs of bullying behavior and stop it when it happens.
• Respond quickly and sensitively to bullying reports using the Four-A-Response Process
  (Affirm Feelings, Ask Questions, Assess Safety, and Act by coaching the child on what to do in the future).
• Look into all reported bullying incidents.
• Assign consequences for bullying based on the school discipline code.
• Assign immediate consequences for retaliation against students who report bullying.

Consequences for Violation of the Anti-Bullying Policy

Education Code 48900 states that a pupil my be suspended or expelled for acts that are enumerated in this section and related to school activity or attendance that occur at any time, including but not limited to, any of the following: while on school grounds; while going to or coming from school; during, or while going to or coming from, a school-sponsored activity. Additionally, if the incident happens off-campus but not at a school-sponsored event, but then disrupts school activities, the student is subject to the same consequences as outlined in Ed. Code 48900. Depending on the severity and nature of the incident, Solana Santa Fe School will take one or more of the following steps when bullying occurs:

• Intervention, Warning, and Redirection
  A teacher, principal, or staff member will ensure that the immediate behavior stops and reinforce to the student who is doing the bullying that bullying will not be tolerated. During this meeting with the student, the staff member will redirect the student and come up with a plan for success should they find themselves in a similar situation in the future.
  
  
• Notification of Parents
  School staff will notify the parents of involved students. The parents might be asked to meet with the principal or other members of the school staff, including the student’s teacher and/or the school guidance counselor.
  
  
• Resolution with the Target of the Bullying
  The student who is bullying may be required to write a letter of apology to the student who was bullied. Depending upon the nature of the incident, the students involved may meet to help resolve the problem and ensure it does not happen again.
  
  
• Referral to School Support Staff
  The student who is bullying may meet with the school guidance counselor to help prevent future violations.
  
  
• Consequences
  The student who is bullying may receive a yellow ticket, serving one or more days of afterschool detention or lose school privileges (i.e., serving on student council, participating in Jubilee and/or other end-of-year activities).
  
  
• Suspension
  In cases of severe and/or repeated bullying, the student will be suspended.

ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO READ AND SIGN
THE ANTI-BULLYING CONTRACT