Report Bullying

Report Bullying

Buncombe County Schools strives to foster a climate of respect and personal responsibility among students, and does not tolerate bullying in any form. Anyone with knowledge of a situation involving bullying can either report the incident to school officials, or if preferred, may report the situation anonymously by calling our Anti-Bullying Hotline at 225-5292 to leave a message, or by completing the online form at the link below.
 
All calls or completed forms will be addressed by school officials within two business days. Thank you for your concern and assistance in providing our students with a positive learning experience.

Click here to report bullying
 
 

Avery’s Creek Elementary School

Bullying Protocol


Definition of Bullying
  • Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the target has a hard time defending himself or herself. Usually, bullying happens over and over. It often involves an imbalance of power, which can be physical or social, between the bully and the target.
  • Examples: Punching, shoving, and other acts that hurt people physically; Spreading bad rumors about people; Keeping certain people out of a "group"; Teasing people in a mean way; Getting certain people to "gang up" on others.
  • Bullying also can happen online or electronically. Cyberbullying is when children bully each other using the Internet, mobile phones or other cyber technology. This can include: Sending mean text, email, or instant messages; Posting nasty pictures or messages about others in blogs or on Web sites; Using someone else's user name to spread rumors or lies about someone


Prevention
  • A schoolwide foundation: a value system based on caring, respect, and personal responsibility; clear behavioral expectations and consequences; skills development; and increased adult supervision and parental involvement.
  • Teachers will explain protocol to all students at the beginning of the year in their classrooms. Set up a “No Tolerance” policy for bullying. We will all sign a school-wide promise to not tolerate bullying.
  • School staff will encourage students to: be kind to others, report bullying if they see it, and help the victim.
  • Bullying protocol will be available to families on the school website.


Protocol
For all instances of bullying every teacher will do the following:
  1. Explain to the bully why what they did was inappropriate.
  2. Teach the bully the appropriate way to handle a similar situation.
  3. If the bully was physically violent with another student, staff members will complete a discipline referral for the bully to see an administrator.
  4. Request a written and/or face-to-face apology from the bully to their target.
  5. Follow the child’s classroom model for discipline issues (flipping the card, etc).
  6. If the bullying is serious or continues after initial discipline then the staff member will call, email, or write to the parents of BOTH the bully and their target to report the incident(s).
  7. Encouraged, but optional: Be creative! As a consequence for their behavior, what should they miss out on until they can be trusted to be kind? What would better help them to learn how they made their victim feel? (Example: carrying books for victim)
  8. If the bullying continues, the teacher will report this to a counselor or school social worker first.  If bullying still persists, administrators will be informed and then consequences will be decided at that time.

  • Specialists, resource teachers,  cafeteria staff, custodians, office staff, Title I teachers, and assistants are expected to report instances to a bully’s classroom teacher and figure out together how to proceed.
  • Bus drivers should report bullying to the assistant principal.



Extra Support

  • Counselors will provide counseling to bullies and victims, providing social skills as needed. Counselors can assist teachers with behavior plans as needed. School Counselors will do at least one guidance lesson on bullying in every class. The counselors will also do multiple lessons on anger management and empathy training in grades K-5.
  • Anonymous reporting: School Counselors will maintain an anonymous reporting system (the bullying box) in the library. When it is clear that the bullying is serious, a counselor will meet with one or both of the students involved to help them work out a solution. If appropriate, a counselor may contact parents.