Shelbyville Central Schools sent a letter late Friday afternoon to parents and guardians detailing responses to a March 30 school board meeting regarding bullying issues within the school system.
Based on common concerns, the school system has enacted new strategies to be implemented.
Many that spoke at the March 30 meeting expressed concerns over how bullying was initially reported and the follow-up communication regarding incidents.
The school district currently uses the STOPit reporting system which allows for anonymous reports. According to the SCS letter, “The administration is investigating other reporting systems to ensure that this mechanism meets all suggested functions, such as privacy and ease of use.”
SCS also will add more training for students on how to report bullying and different intervention strategies that can be used.
SCS bullying policy will now include a parental or guardian notification within 24 hours of a bullying allegation and details of their student’s involvement.
The letter stated, “Immediate supportive measures during the bullying investigation will be put into place to protect the alleged victim.”
And no later than seven days after the initial bullying report, parents will receive information as to whether the incident was a substantiated case of bullying or how the outcome of the investigation will affect students.
SCS will now contract with an outside agency to conduct a student bullying/safety audit that will help guide future anti-bullying measures.
SCS was questioned on the accuracy of reporting substantiated cases of bullying. Schools will now report annually how many allegations of bullying were documented, how many of the cases were substantiated or unsubstantiated, and if the unsubstantiated cases would have a numerical breakdown of their categorization as outlined on bullying allegation reports, such as peer conflict, horseplay, fighting, hazing, harassment or stalking.
The school board will monitor policy to ensure school administrators comply with state legislation to investigate alleged bullying incidents.
The district bullying policy, C200, can be found on the district’s website (scs.shelbycs.org) under the “Parents” tab. It is reviewed annually for any legislative or district amendments.
All bullying investigative reports are sent to the Central Office and reviewed by the superintendent and assistant superintendent.
The school board reviews corporation data for each school in the district and disciplinary data, which includes bullying incidents or harassment.
The letter closes with, “Shelbyville Central Schools is continually evaluating the district’s responses to student safety. When the school district and the school community work together to acknowledge areas of concern, solutions and progress take place, as it has in this case. The Board will keep the community apprised as we progress through this process of enhanced, proactive anti-bullying measures.”
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