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Assistant
Superintendent Erin Perkins, Senior Director of Student Support Services
Maura Papile, and Principals Nicholas Ahearn, Daniel Gilbert, and Courtney
Mitchell presented on the update to the Quincy Public Schools Bullying
Prevention and Intervention Plan. The
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provided a model plan which
Ms. Papile has integrated with analysis of policies and best practices from
other districts to create the revised Quincy Public Schools plan which
reflects the updated state regulations.
The regulations were first passed in 2010 and updated in 2014 and
require that each school district have a Bullying Intervention and Prevention
Plan, with specific components including procedures for reporting and
investigation, including collecting data.
The plan should have input from stakeholders and include a public
comment period.
By
definition, bullying is the repeated use by one or more students or a member
of the school staff of a written, verbal, or electronic expression or a
physical act or gesture or any combination thereof, directed at a victim that
(a) causes physical or emotional harm to the victim or damages the victim’s
property; (b) places the victim in reasonable fear of harm or damage to
property; (c) creates a hostile environment at school for the victim; (d)
infringes on the rights of the victim at school; or (e) materially and
substantially disrupts the education process or orderly operation of a
school. Bullying is a repeated pattern
of behavior that often involves an imbalance of power; it is not the same as
a quarrel. Mediation can be an
effective intervention when handling conflict, but is not effective in
resolving bullying. Retaliation is
prohibited against a person who reports bullying or provides information
during an investigation.
Implementation
of the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan includes Professional
Development for staff on identifying and reporting incidents of bullying and
supporting parents if they wish to report incidents. Bullying or retaliation may be reported
anonymously, but no disciplinary action can occur solely based on an
anonymous report. Investigations must
be done by administrators in a timely fashion, communication with parents of
all students involved about the investigation and the determination, and
written records of the investigation must be kept. The first step is to establish a safety
plan and protect the potential target of bullying, harassment, or
retaliation. A range of disciplinary
actions may be employed, balancing the need for accountability with the need
to teach appropriate behavior.
Students in protected categories may be more vulnerable to becoming a
target of bullying or harassment, and schools must take specific steps to
prevent or respond to any bullying or harassment, including students with
disabilities.
New
reporting requirements include (1) the number of reported allegations of
bullying or retaliation; (2) the number and nature of substantiated incidents
of bullying and retaliation; (3) the number of students disciplined for
engaging in bullying or retaliation.
This information will be reported to DESE through the SSDR application
in June. Preliminary data was shared
for each of these categories, with 2 of 28 reports substantiated at
elementary schools; 4 of 23 at middle schools; and 1 of 24 at the high school
level. All school staff reviewed the
tools available for reporting incidents at today’s Professional Development.
Clifford
Marshall Elementary School Principal Nicholas Ahearn reviewed that at
elementary school, the approach is proactive to educate students and parents
about bullying, using a number of resources including PBIS, Social-Emotional
Learning curriculum through Open Parachute, DEI team-led initiatives to teach
inclusivity, restorative practices, and community building. In the Open Parachute curriculum, units of
focus include understanding feelings; overcoming worries and doubt; anger,
self-soothing, asking for help; bullying and boundary setting; siblings and
friendship; and defining bullying vs. conflict. Outside resources include the New England
Sports Museum Boston vs. Bullies program and the Massachusetts Aggression
Reduction Center from Bridgewater State University.
South~West
Middle School Principal Courtney Mitchell agreed that the proactive approach
is important for students, weekly community circles during the Student
Support Block, monthly PBIS character trait focus, monthly community meetings
by grade and daily announcements recognize student accomplishment in academics
and social-emotional learning. Middle
school students are also taught about personal safety and boundaries,
appropriate behaviors for inside and out of school, and have the opportunity
to participate in the Principal’s Council where student representatives will
talk about the school’s culture and climate.
Outside resources include presentations from MARC and DOVE. Social-emotional learning topics include
worries, anxiety, and resilience; learning challenges/motivation and
overcoming trauma; leadership; overcoming objectification. As with all grades, communication with
parents and guardians is important to ensure that concerns are addressed.
North
Quincy High School Principal Daniel Gilbert said that high school builds on
the lessons of elementary and middle school, often students are faced with
challenges and opportunities to put these lessons into practice in real-life
situations. Student groups include
mentoring groups, restorative circles, student groups focused on making
positive changes and healthy choices.
Health curriculum and Health Interventionists are supports for
students, along with the Open Parachute curriculum.
At
all levels, Staff Professional Development reinforces the established
protocols for reporting/investigating, supporting students by responding
sensitively, increasing support for socially-responsible behavior and adult
supervision in less-structured areas.
Equally important is improving parental awareness and involvement,
ensuring students and parents understand the consequences of behavior, inside
and outside of school. Restorative practices
are employed to mitigate the damage from incidences and
With
the assistance of Digital Communications Specialist Kelly Powers, a new page
has been created on the Quincy Public Schools website. The draft revision to the Quincy Public
Schools Bullying Intervention and Prevention Plan was shared on the website
for public comment in December and January.
The plan is very dense and detailed, so a summary brochure was also
created to make the information more accessible for students and
parents/guardians. In conclusion, Ms.
Papile said that if a report is not substantiated as bullying, it can still
indicate a conflict or situation that needs attention within a building.
Mr.
Gutro asked about the anonymous submission of a bullying report. Ms. Papile said sometimes parents will call
or email and request anonymity, but it cannot be substantiated based on an
anonymous report. Mr. Gutro said the
VOCAL survey reflects students’ perception about the rate of bullying. Ms. Mitchell said that there is confusion
between conflict and bullying, the word is frequently used incorrectly. Mr. Ahearn said schools are always looking
to resolve conflict as well, these are problems, even if not substantiated as
bullying.
Ms.
Papile said that we want to help students and families no matter whether it
is conflict or bullying. Parents are
concerned about their children, sometimes have only one side of a situation,
and are less privy to the back and forth of a conflict. Mr. Gilbert said that closure of the
investigation vs. resolution for the students involved are different, each
situation is unique.
Mr.
Gutro asked about social media, Ms. Papile said most of the middle and high
school issues involve social media. At
the elementary level, there are more verbal conflicts. Ms. Mitchell said some times the problem
starts at school and spills over to social media.
Mr.
Gutro asked about stakeholder feedback, Ms. Papile said the plan was posted
on the QPS website for six weeks, was presented at the Citywide Parent
Council meeting, and principals and staff reviewed. The feedback was incorporated into the
version presented to School Committee and pending further feedback, the plan
will be finalized.
Mrs.
Hubley asked for clarification, the data shared is for this school year. Mrs. Hubley said that parents need
education on the terminology, students can get labeled at a young age as
“bullies” and it follows them through their school career. Ms. Perkins said that this information will
be integrated in the Welcome to Kindergarten presentation to parents in
May. Mrs. Hubley suggested that the
website have information about social maturity for the youngest students.
Mrs.
Lebo said the professional development is important to ensure consistent
reporting and investigation across the district. Mrs. Lebo agreed that the term “bullying”
is now a buzzword, when more of the issues are conflicts.
Mrs.
Lebo asked who would determine if criminal charges would be filed. Ms. Perkins and Ms. Papile said that it
would be the parent/guardian’s right to file charges. Mrs. Lebo said that the restorative circles
are an opportunity to emphasize that most situations are conflicts.
Mrs.
Lebo asked about the supervision of restrooms, Ms. Perkins said that staff
members are responsible, sometimes as a teacher duty (at the high school
level). Mrs. Lebo suggested removing
“peer mediation” as a conflict resolution strategy.
Mr.
Gutro is concerned about ensuring that parents and guardians don’t feel
intimidated about reporting concerns, either due to cultural reasons or
language barriers. Mr. Ahearn said
that the additions of the Family Liaisons and the on-call interpretation services
have greatly assisted with communication.
Mr.
Bregoli said that there are varying levels of sensitivity among students,
something that might bother one student, might not bother another. Staff members are also likely to be
subjective, so emphasizing consistency in reporting is important. Ms. Papile said the staff development is
about training them to not make a determination, but to file the report upon
disclosure.
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