• Anti-Bullying Policy

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

    Definition: Bullying is unfair and one-sided. Bullying behavior happens when someone keeps hurting, harassing, intimidating, threatening, or causing substantial emotional distress to a person. Bullying interferes with a student’s educational opportunities and can substantially disrupt the orderly operations of the school.

    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

    Students at Solana Highlands 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 Highlands 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

    Consequences for Violation of the Anti-Bullying Policy

    Bully behavior will not be tolerated. Depending on the severity and nature of the incident, Solana Highlands 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.