PARENT ED
How to Report HIB Incidents at School?
What can I do to help my child if they are experiencing racist remarks, bullying, harassment, and/ or intimidation at school? What do these terms truly mean? What is the difference between the terms? Should I report? Who should I report to? How do I report? What can I expect if I do report?
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Sometimes students face unkind and cruel behavior from other students. Last April, the Issaquah School District Family Partnership Team, School Administrators, and School Counselors offered workshops for parents who are new to the U.S. public school system or are unfamiliar with supports available for their child when incidents like these occur. Here we are sharing some of the information. Incidents such as Harassment, Intimidation, or Bullying (HIB) at school are separate but related behaviors. Each must be addressed appropriately.
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Harassment refers to any
malicious act, which causes harm to any person's physical well-being. It can be discriminatory harassment, malicious harassment, or sexual harassment. Intimidation refers to implied or overt threats of physical violence. Bullying refers to unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another student or group of students that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated. Bullying may inflict harm on the targeted youth, including physical, or creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment. Bullying can also occur through technology and is called electronic bullying or cyberbullying. It's important to realize that any behavior could fall under a variety of regulations and procedures or overlap within more than one.
SCHOOL STAFF
Whatever the incident may or may not be HIB, report socially unacceptable or negative behavior is essential. In the Issaquah School District, students are taught about the importance of bullying prevention starting in kindergarten. Elementary school counselors deliver a series of class lessons using the “Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit,” which is a Social Emotional Learning curriculum. Students in kindergarten through 3rd grade learn about the 3R’s of bullying prevention: Recognize, Report, and Refuse, as well as the importance of Bystander Power, which teaches and encourages students to be supportive bystanders. Students in 4th and 5th grade build on their existing knowledge of the 3R’s, dive deeper into bystander responsibility, and learn about cyberbullying. In middle school, 6th- and 7th-grade students continue learning from Second Step Curriculum to learn problem-solving and conflict resolution skills that they need when they have difficulties with their peers. Some of these problems may not rise to the level of bullying or harassment but can create conflict between peers and friends.
