Guidelines

» Definition

» Prohibitions

» Complaint
    procedures

» Sanctions &
    support

» Disclosure
    & public
    reporting

» Conclusion

Important news! WI State Assembly passed Senate Bill 154 Thursday, April 15.

View Senate Bill 154

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School districts must provide a safe, secure, and respectful learning environment for all students, in school buildings, on school buses, and at school-sponsored events. While the majority of Wisconsin high school students report feeling safe at school, 12 percent of them also reported being bullied (i.e., picked on or harassed) in the past year.*

Bullying is not a rite of passage that must be endured by young people. Instead, it is a behavior that schools must address because of its harmful social, physical, psychological, and academic impact on the bullies, the victims, and the bystanders. For example:

• Victims of bullying may suffer depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, and feelings of isolation, as well as school absenteeism and low academic achievement.
• Victims may develop risk factors for violent acts.
• Sixty percent of children identified as bullies in middle school go on to have arrest records.**
• Bullying incidents may create a negative school climate impacting the learning environment of all students.

The research suggests that comprehensive school and community bullying prevention programs are effective. One component of a comprehensive bullying prevention program is a well-written and consistently implemented school board policy.The guidelines on this site provide elements of policies that might be considered for inclusion.

* Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2005). 2005 Wisconsin youth risk behavior survey: Executive summary.
** Sampson, R. (2002). The problem of bullying in schools. Center for Problem-Oriented Policing. www.cops.usdoj.gov

Safe and Respectful Schools is an anti-bullying program of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and sponsored by the WEA Trust, a not-for-profit insurance organization created by public school employees, for school employees.