September 26 is Bullying Awareness Day. The Appleton Area School District and the staff of Wisconsin Connections Academy are committed to providing a safe, secure, and healthy environment that allows all students to maximize their learning potential. The Board of Education and staff consider bullying to be detrimental to the health and safety of students and disruptive to the educational process.
What is bullying?
Bullying includes aggressive and hostile behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power between the bully and the bullied. This behavior may include but is not limited to physical and verbal assaults, nonverbal or emotional threats or intimidation, harassment, social exclusion and isolation, extortion, and the use of computer or telecommunications to send messages or images that are embarrassing, slanderous, threatening, or intimidating (cyber-bullying). Bullying may also include teasing, put-downs, name calling, rumors, false accusations, and hazing.
What can parents do?
To be most effective, bullying prevention efforts are the shared responsibility of parents, staff, and community. Parental pride and involvement in the school sets a positive example for children. As adults, we can:
· Teach self-respect.
· Discuss the seriousness and negative effects of bullying behaviors.
· Work together with your child’s school to develop a consistent approach to bullying behaviors.
· Set a good example. Children learn more by actions than from words.
What is the AASD’s policy on bullying?
Click on -- Series 400: Students and go to Policy 443.71, Bullying
