• Anti-Bullying Procedure
    Oakwood Windsor Elementary is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for all of our students in which they can learn, play, and grow. 
    Bullying Is: 
    Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a power imbalance, and is repeated over time. Bullying can include actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.
    What Bullying Is Not: •Mutual teasing/joking back and forth
    •A conflict between 2 students
    •An act of aggression which results in retaliation
    •Groups of students arguing or in a conflict
    Bullying is not acceptable at OWES. We want all of our students to feel empowered to tell a teacher, a counselor, or an administrator when they witness or experience any form of bullying. 
    It is critical that students, parents/guardians, teachers, and administrators work cooperatively to prevent the harmful effects of bullying on students' well-being.
    Reports of bullying may be made anonymously. All reports of bullying will be investigated, documented, and addressed appropriately in a timely manner. 
    A parent or guardian who is concerned that his/her child is dealing with a bullying situation needs to first notify the child's teacher. The child's teacher will then investigate the reported bullying incident and follow-up with the appropriate parties. 
    In justified cases, parents will be notified and/or required to meet with their child's teachers, counselors, and/or administrators to address a bullying incident and prevent future episodes. The children involved in the incident may be referred to the counselor for guidance. The student exhibiting bullying behaviors may be referred to an administrator for disciplinary action.
    If the parent/guardian feels that the bullying situation has not been resolved after contacting the child's teacher, he/she should contact the counselor who will investigate, document, and address the report in a timely manner. 
    After contacting the school counselor, if the bullying behaviors have not stopped, the parent/guardian should contact a school administrator. 
    Bullying Procedures for Students
    Step1- If you’re being bullied at school, report it to the teacher or bus driver of the location that the bullying is happening in or tell your parents. This is not tattling or snitching, it’s asking for help to a serious problem! Students may tell in a discreet way for example, writing the teacher a note to let her know what is going on.
    Step 2 - Try not to show anger or fear – bullies like to see if they can upset you.
    Step 3 - Calmly tell the bully to stop and then walk away.
    Step 4 - Continue to check in with the adult you reported the incident to. Make sure they’ve followed up on your report.
    Step 5 - Try to avoid situations where bullying likely happens:
    • Stay where teachers can see you
    • Stay with a group
    • Don’t bring expensive things or lots of money to school. If you bring these things, don’t show them off to others
    *DO NOT fight back!!!! This makes you a bully, too!!!!
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    Bullying Procedures for Parents
    Step 1 - Focus on your child – be supportive and gather as much information about
    the incident(s) as you can. When gathering facts:
    • Listen carefully to find out who was involved, where and when it happened, and get names of any witnesses.
    • Don’t place blame on your child, assuming he/she did something to provoke bullying,
    Step 2 - Ask what he/she thinks might help – if you disagree, don’t criticize your child.
    Step 3 - Reassure your child that bullying is always wrong, not his/her fault, and you’ll think about ways to help, then let him/her know what you’re going to do.
    DO NOT encourage physical retaliation, or “payback”. This will make your child a bully as well, and remember – bullying is always wrong. This type of action may result in your child becoming suspended or expelled, and will certainly escalate an already difficult situation.
    Step 4 - Contact your child’s teacher about the incident if the bullying took place at school. Contact your child’s bus driver if the bullying took place on the bus. 
    Step 5 - Give the facts as your child reported them to you so you may work with the school to help find a solution.
    Step 6 - Follow up with your child to ensure the bullying has stopped – if it hasn’t, contact the school administrative team until it does stop. 
    *Please remember to remain calm as you handle the situation.
    Getting upset may further upset your child.
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    Aiken County School Board Policy JICFAA Harassment, Intimidation or Bullying http://policy.microscribepub.com/cgi-bin/om_isapi.dll?clientID=513952252&depth=2&headingswithhits=on&hitsperheading=on&infobase=aiken.nfo&record={1CA6}&softpage=PL_frame