Rationale:
Frankston SDS values a caring, respectful environment where students are challenged to be the best they can be. A safe environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve to their best ability. Cyber-bullying by a student/staff member in the school directed toward another school student or staff member is conduct that disrupts both a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate its students in a safe environment.
Aim:
Frankston SDS aims to provide a safe, healthy environment to ensure the educational, social and emotional well-being of staff and students.
Definitions:
Cyber bullying is direct verbal or indirect bullying behaviours using digital technologies. This includes harassment via a mobile phone, setting up a defamatory personal website or deliberately excluding someone from social networking spaces that: Deliberately threatens, harasses, intimidates an individual or group of individuals Places an individual in reasonable fear of harm to the individual or damage to the individual’s property Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.
Implementation:
Frankston SDS will promote and support safe and respectful learning environments where bullying is not tolerated. Frankston SDS will be pro-active in preventing cyber bullying through explicit teaching of appropriate use of social networking technologies.
Reporting Procedure and Investigation
Any student or school staff member who believes he/she has is being subjected to cyber-bullying, as well as any person who has reason to believe a student, or school staff member has knowledge or reason to believe another student or school staff member is being subjected to or has been subjected to cyber-bullying shall immediately make a report to the Principal.
The Principal will investigate all reports of such conduct. In the event the investigation indicates cyber-bullying was committed by a school student using non-school technologies away from school grounds, the Principal may report the investigation results to child protection.
Consequences
Some acts of cyber-bullying may be isolated incidents requiring the school to respond appropriately to the individual committing the acts. Other acts may be so serious, or part of a larger pattern of cyber-bullying that they require a more in-depth response. This response could include one, more or all of the following:
- Exclusion from activities
- Counselling
- A positive behaviour plan
- Mandatory report to child protection
- Suspension /Expulsion
Reprisal or Retaliation
The school prohibits reprisal or retaliation against any person who reports an act of cyber-bullying. The consequence and appropriate remedial action for a person who engages in reprisal or retaliation shall be determined by the Principal after consideration of the nature and circumstances of the act, in accordance with DEECD policies and guidelines
Evaluation:
This policy will be reviewed triennially as part of the school’s cycle of policy review, or as deemed necessary.
This policy was ratified by School Council in.... NOT FINISHED- 2013
