Policy Statement Regarding Bullying

Rockingham County Schools is opposed to bullying. Bullying is behavior by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally inflicts suffering on another individual or group. Bullying is wrong and damages children. It can include intentional hurt to others, can be physical or emotional, and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups.

Rockingham County Schools recognizes the seriousness of bullying in causing psychological damage and even suicide. For this reason we seek to promote good behavior in all that the students do, rather than merely deter anti-social behavior. It is recognized that no school is likely to be completely free from incidents of bullying from time to time but the schools regard bullying as particularly serious and firm action will always be taken against it. In cases of severe and persistent bullying the more serious disciplinary sanctions as outlined in the Disciplinary Regulation Reference Guide may be imposed by the school. The school district has several policies around bullying that apply to all members of our school community.

Several Board Policies address bullying and harassment. It is important to read and know what each policy addresses and to understand the role of the RCS employee as it relates to their responsibilities in investigating acts of bullying or harassment.  RCS School Board policies are aligned with relevant legislation and governmental guidance.

• 4329/7311 - Bullying and Harassment Behavior Prohibited

• 1720/4020/7230 - Discrimination and Harassment Prohibited by Federal Law

• 1730/4022/7231 - Nondiscrimination On the Basis of Disabilities

• 4300 - Student Behavior Policies and Code of Student Conduct

Rockingham County is fully committed to ensuring that the application of this policy is non-discriminatory. Further details are available in the school’s Equal Opportunity Policy document. Rockingham County Schools seeks to implement this policy through adherence to the procedures set out in the rest of this document. Below is the Anti-Bullying Brochure for the district.

• Anti-Bullying Brochure

Say Something - Anonymous Reporting System

Rockingham County Schools is committed to creating and sustaining a comprehensive, coordinated effort to improve the overall safety and well-being of our students, educators and administrators. We believe involving community-wide programs and initiatives that include parents, teachers, administrators, local law enforcement, mental health & wellness professionals and elected officials is the best and most meaningful action toward protecting our students.

The “Say Something Anonymous Reporting System” (SS-ARS) program, which fulfills the mandate requirement under 115C-105.51 of NC Law, teaches students, teachers and administrators how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, of individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and Say Something to a trusted adult OR use its anonymous reporting system. Specifically, the program educates participants to:

• Recognize the signs and signals of at-risk behaviors – especially within social media

• Take every sign and signal seriously; act quickly to get help by talking to a trusted adult OR

• Report it anonymously through SS-ARS 24/7 Crisis Center, mobile app, or website

• Respond to and manage the submitted tip via multi-disciplinary educator and administrator teams

• Sustain the curriculum and awareness via student clubs, in-school activities and call-to-action weeks

Our students often are aware of the problems their peers are facing, so we must empower them to know the danger signs and give them the tools to help each other with the assistance of trained and caring adults. SS-ARS teaches them what to look for in text, video and photos while empowering them to act quickly to help a fellow student.  The SS-ARS program is being provided and sustained at no cost to RCS through Sandy Hook Promise (SHP), a national non-profit organization.