How to Report Bullying

We encourage students, staff, and parents to contact building principals, outreach workers, or counselors directly when cases of bullying are known. Every K-12 school has a bullying report form located on individual building pages.

Select a school below to initiate a report of bullying:

• Report Bullying at Mable Woolsey Elementary School

• Report Bullying at Knoxville Junior High School

• Report Bullying at Knoxville High School

Legal Requirements

The General Assembly passed Public Act 95-0349, which deals with bullying prevention education.

This bill requires each school district to create, maintain, and file a policy on bullying with the State Board of Education beginning 180 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act. The bill was signed by the Governor on August 23, 2007. Each school district must communicate its policy on bullying to its students and their parents or guardians on an annual basis. The policy must be updated and then filed every two years with ISBE.

A school board is required to have a student discipline policy that includes provisions to address students who have demonstrated behaviors that put them at risk for aggressive behaviors, “including without limitations, bullying as defined in the policy”. The policy must include procedures for notifying parents or legal guardians and early intervention procedures based on available community-based and district resources.

Board Policy on Bullying:

View 2023 Bullying Policy

Bullying Defined

INTIMIDATION / HARASSMENT / TAUNTING / BULLYING / CYBERBULLYING: repeated aggression in which a student or group of students physically or psychologically (mentally) harasses a victim.

a. The action could include but is not limited to hitting, pushing, kicking, tripping, destroying things, name-calling, ridiculing, verbal threats, gossip, rumors, isolating others, and making sexual comments or gestures.

b. This policy prohibits any person from harassing or intimidating a student based on a student’s sex, color, race, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or other protected group status.

c. Inappropriate Written / Electronic Materials:

i. Accessing and/or distributing at school any written or electronic material, including material from the Internet that will cause substantial disruption of the proper and orderly operation and discipline of the school or school activities.

ii. Creating and/or distributing written or electronic material, including Internet material and blogs, that causes substantial disruption to school operation or interferes with the rights of other students or staff members.

Bullying Definition

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.

In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

• An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.

• Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, cyberbullying, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

StopBullying.gov

How The District Handles Bullying

Public Act 103-0047.

Section 27-23.7 Effective the first day of school:

Upon the administration learning of an incident, the school has 24 hours to inform the parents of all students involved in the incident; the school must make diligent efforts to notify a parent or guardian utilizing all contact information the school has available OR that can be reasonably obtained by the school within the 24-hour period.

Building Level Student Service Teams

Staff designated to support students including building administrators, social workers, psychologists and counselors are available at each building to support teaching, reteaching, review and reinforcement of explicit school-wide and classroom behavioral expectations. These staff members are also available to talk with students about situations related to bullying/cyberbullying as needed. 

The School Complaint Manager is the Principal at each school.

How can students be helped with bullying? 

Dealing With Bullies
If your student feels bullied, help us reinforce these three steps to deal with bullying or cyber bullying:

STOP
Do not respond to the bully. Bullies enjoy controlling the behavior of others. The first step to beating a bully is showing them they can't control you or your responses. Ignore the bully whenever possible. 

BLOCK
Avoid situations where you might be subjected to a bully's controlling behavior when possible or appropriate. You are in control of your digital world. Use email, social media, & cell phone tools to block the bully's attempts. "Un-friend" and "un-follow" the bully so their social media messages are removed from view. The less you are exposed to the bully's messages, the more power you have over the bully. Your internet service providers and your cellular service providers can also help you block bullies if needed.

TELL
Contact your parents, teachers, school principal, or another trusted adult and tell them what is happening. Teachers and principals are trained to help in these situations but remember that there are legal limitations to what they can do and tell you about. You can report the bully to your internet service provider or your cellular service provider so they can take action. Report abuses to social media networks so the bully's account can be examined for possible suspension. Sometimes it is appropriate to contact local law enforcement for help as well. You don't have to be silent - report the bullying behavior so something can be done to help you.