SISD is committed to protecting students and preventing bullying, harassment and discrimination on our campuses. Bullying negatively impacts the academic, emotional, and physical wellbeing of students. All people are negatively impacted when bullying is a problem in school, including targets, kids who bully, bystanders, and school staff.
The initiatives implemented by SISD to prevent bullying include PBIS, the use of classroom social skills activities, the character education program Matador Challenge as well as the enforcement of our policies and disciplinary consequences. It is important to the investigation and prevention of bullying that the inappropriate conduct be reported as soon as possible. The SISD Bully Reporting Form is available at each campus or by clicking
here.
Not all student conflict is necessarily bullying. Bullying involves an imbalance of power and intent to cause harm. The legal definition in Texas is found in the Texas Education Code (
TEC §37.0832 (a)) which defines bullying as engaging in written or verbal expression, expression through electronic means, or physical conduct that occurs on school property, at a school-sponsored or school-related activity, or in a vehicle operated by the district and that has the effect or will have the effect of physically harming a student, damaging a student's property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student's person or of damage to the student's property; or is sufficiently severe, persistent, and pervasive enough that the action or threat creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for a student. In addition, conduct must exploit an imbalance of power between the student perpetrator and the student victim through written or verbal expression or physical conduct; and interferes with a student's education or substantially disrupts the operation of a school.