Manatee County Safe Schools

Safe Schools

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No Bullies

Not in My School! is a comprehensive framework developed by the Manatee County Safe Schools program which seeks to address the issue of bullying within our schools. At the end of the 2004-’05 school year, our district formed a middle school committee to study the problem of bullying and to help provide our schools with a common set of strategies to effectively address it. By the beginning of the 2005-‘06 year, an elementary committee was also formed to look at the specific dynamics of bullying in the k-5 setting. The work of both groups has resulted in an updated district definition of bullying, the establishment of proven prevention and intervention guidelines, and all the materials schools may need to carry out this mission. The passage of the Jeffrey Johnston Stand-up for all Students Act in 2008 provided our district with the impetus to adopt a far-reaching policy, which seeks to protect all Manatee County students and employees from bullying and harrassment.

Definition of bullying and a definition of harassment:
Bullying is the mistreatment of an individual or group due to a perceived advantage in power and a willful intent to cause harm. These acts can be socially, emotionally, or physically damaging in nature to include, but not limited to: Teasing; Name Calling; Rumor Spreading; Exclusion; Intimidation; Threats; Personal Property Damage or Theft; Public Humiliation; Stalking; Pushing; Shoving; or other Physical Assaults.

Harassment involves any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture which
places a student or school employee in reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property; Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student's educational performance, opportunities, or benefits; or; Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of a school.

Bullying or harassment of any student or employee of The School District of Manatee County is prohibited:

1. During any education program or activity conducted by a district school.
2. During any school-related or school-sponsored program/ activity; or on a school district bus;
3. Through the use of computers or other electronic devices which is initiated or accessed by any school district data system; or
4. Through the use of any off-campus data system which disrupts the academic environment of any district school or activity.

To lessen the effects of bullying in our schools, the Not in My School!framework seeks to apply a holistic approach which involves every member of the school community. Administration, faculty, staff, bus drivers, parents, and especially the students all play a critical role in creating an atmosphere free from worry and conducive to academic success. These roles are played out in several programmatic and procedural recommendations that together will provide schools with a comprehensive game plan. While piece-mail approaches may achieve moderate results, schools which incorporate the framework in its entirety will experience the most success in reducing bullying.
The recommendations outlined in the Not in My School! framework are a collection of best practices from several of the most recognized programs in use throughout the country. Comprehensive approaches such as the Olweus bully prevention program have shown to produce a 50% reduction in bullying behaviors when implemented with full fidelity. Additionally, the policies of dozens of school districts as well as recommendations from top bully prevention organizations were evaluated for inclusion in this framework. The result has been a multi-tiered prevention model and intervention guidelines for all school staff.

Manatee County Sheriff's PD Workshop on Bullying

Report Bullying Now!

School bullying contacts for 2012-2013 - Contact these individuals at your school to report bullying

Remember each district school has customized posters and brochures available to them.

Check out the anonymous reporting posters which have been placed in each school.

View the "Not in My School!" framework

View the complete SDMC policy on bullying and harassment

Parent Tips for dealing with bullying

More Tips for Parents on how to help their kids cope with bullying

Tips for kids on how to respond to bullying

Video tips from the author of The Bully Vaccine

Staff Training PowerPoint on Bullying Prevention & Intervention