I.  Introduction
     Holy Family Academy acknowledges that its purpose for existence is rooted in the mission of the Church. In fulfilling its role within the educational mission of the Church, the School must share and live out, through Catholic Christian tradition, the message of Jesus Christ and be committed to providing an integrated Catholic educational environment that permeates all aspects of its daily life and operations. Each child must be challenged to reach his/her full potential by the fostering of love of learning and respect and understanding of one another. In this regard, it is essential that a safe, positive and productive educational environment be established where students can attain the highest academic achievement and where no student shall be subjected to Bullying, Cyber-Bullying or Retaliation. Bullying, Cyber-Bullying or Retaliation, or other similar disruptive or violent behaviors constitute conduct that disrupts both a student’s ability to learn and the School’s ability to educate its students in a safe and embracing environment.  The School’s Staff is expected to require that all students behave appropriately and treat others with civility and respect.  Bullying, Cyber-Bullying and Retaliation are not to be tolerated.

Accordingly, the School hereby promulgates this Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan (the “Plan”) as required by the Diocese of Worcester Bullying Prevention Policy.

II.  Definitions  
For purposes of this Plan, the following definitions shall apply:

“Bullying” is the repeated use by one or more students or by any person, including, but not limited to, an educator, administrator, school nurse, cafeteria worker, custodian, bus driver, athletic coach, advisor to an extracurricular activity, or paraprofessionals, of a written, verbal, or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at a Victim that:

• causes physical or emotional harm to the Victim or damage to the Victim’s property;

• places the Victim in reasonable fear of harm to him/herself, or of damage to his/her property;

• creates a Hostile Environment at School for the Victim;

• infringes on the rights of the Victim at the School; or

• materially and substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of the School.

• unwanted teasing
• threatening
• intimidating
• stalking
• Cyber-Stalking
• physical violence
• theft
• sexual, religious, racial or any other type of harassment
• public humiliation
• destruction of School or personal property
• social exclusion, including incitement and/or coercion
• rumor or spreading of falsehoods

• wire
• radio
• electromagnetics
• photo-electronic or photo-optical system, including, but not limited to, electronic mail, internet communications, instant messages or facsimile communications.

• On School Grounds owned, leased or used by a School;

• On property immediately adjacent to School Grounds;

• At any School-sponsored or School-related activity, function or program whether on or off School Grounds;

• At a School bus stop;

• On a School bus or any other vehicle owned, leased or used by the School; or

• Through the use of technology or an electronic device owned, leased or used by the School.

• create a Hostile Environment at School for the Victim;

• infringe on the rights of the Victim at School; or

• materially and substantially disrupt the education process or the orderly operation of the School.

Retaliation against any person who reports Bullying or Retaliation, provides information during an investigation of Bullying or Retaliation, or witnesses or has reliable information about Bullying or Retaliation is also prohibited.

V.  Training and Professional Development

A. Annual Staff Training on the Plan. [Required] Annual training on the Plan for all School Staff, and, at the discretion of the Principal, volunteers who have significant contact with students, will include Staff duties under the Plan, an overview of the steps that the Principal or his or her designee will follow upon receipt of a report of Bullying or Retaliation, and an overview of any Bullying prevention curricula to be offered at the School. Staff members hired after the start of the School year are required to participate in School-based training during the School year in which they are hired, unless they can demonstrate participation in an acceptable and comparable program within the last two years.

B. Written Notice to Staff. [Required] At the beginning of each School year, the Principal or his or her designee shall provide written notice to the School Staff of the Diocese of Worcester Policy and the Plan. Relevant sections of the Diocese of Worcester Policy and the Plan relating to the duties of School Staff shall be included in the School employee handbook.

C. On-going Professional Development. [Optional]  The goal of professional development is to establish a common understanding of tools necessary for Staff to create a School climate that promotes safety, civil communication, and respect for differences.  Professional development will build the skills of Staff members to prevent, identify, and respond to Bullying.

Professional development will also address ways to prevent and respond to Bullying or Retaliation for students with disabilities that must be considered when developing students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).  This will include a particular focus on the needs of students with autism or students whose disability affects social skills development.

Additional areas identified by the School for professional development include:
•      promoting and modeling the use of respectful language;
•      fostering an understanding of and respect for diversity and difference;
•      building relationships and communicating with families;
•      constructively managing classroom behaviors;
•      using positive behavioral intervention strategies;
•      applying constructive disciplinary practices;
•      teaching students skills including positive communication, anger management, and empathy for others;
•      engaging students in School or classroom planning and decision-making; and
•      maintaining a safe and caring classroom for all students.

VI.  Access to Resources and Services

A.  Identifying resources

Available for Use in the classrooms:
1.      The Wise Owl Bully Stopper Kit for Grades K-2
2.      The Bully Proof Kit for Grades 3-6
3.      Protecting You, Protecting Me for Grade 5
4.      Steps to Respect, Curriculum Kit for Grades 4 & 5
5.      Teaching Self Discipline to Children
6.      Creating Safe and Sacred Places
7.      Measuring Bullying, Victimization, Perpetration and Bystander Experience
8.      Kits are on site for grades 7 & 8

These resources are available to help guide decisions involving bullying:
1.      Fr. Stephen Lundrigan
2.      Gardner Police Dept. School Officers
3.      Diocese of Worcester-Dr. David Perda
4.     Attorney General’s Office: Eileen Kneeland eileen.kneeland@state.ma.us

B. Counseling and other services.  Resources available to help with counseling or other services include:
1. Gardner Public Schools for a behavioral referral
2. Crystal House, 55 Lake St., Gardner, 978-630-2794
3. Heywood Hospital, 242 Green St., Gardner, 978-632-3421
4. Lipton Center, 10 Parker St., Gardner, 978-630-4740
5. North Central Human Services, 978-632-9400
6. Westminster Counseling and Wellness Center, 16 Wyman Rd. Westminster, 978-874-6427
7 Youth Opportunities Upheld, Inc., 205 School St., Gardner,     978-632-2120
8. Hope House, 29 Pleasant St., Gardner 978-630-4752
9. Office for Healing and Prevention, Diocese of Worcester, 49 Elm St., Worcester. 508-929-4363

C.  Students with disabilities  When the School determines that the student has a disability that affects social skills development or that the student may participate in or is vulnerable to Bullying, harassment, or teasing because of his/her disability, the School should consider what reasonable accommodations should be undertaken with a view toward developing the student's skills and proficiencies so as to avoid and respond to Bullying, including working with counselors and parents to provide the best education possible.

D.  Referral to outside services  Forms are available.

VII.  Policies and Procedures for Reporting and Responding to Bullying and Retaliation

A. Reporting Bullying or Retaliation.  Reports of Bullying or Retaliation may be made by Staff, students, parents or guardians, or others, and may be oral or written.  Oral reports made by or to a Staff member shall be recorded in writing.  A School Staff member is required to report immediately to the Principal or designee any instance of Bullying or Retaliation the Staff member becomes aware of or witnesses.  Reports made by students, parents or guardians, or other individuals who are not School Staff members may be made anonymously.  The School will make a variety of reporting resources available to the School community including, but not limited to, an Incident Reporting Form (a link to which is found at the bottom of this page), a voicemail box, a dedicated mailing address, and an email address.

Use of an Incident Reporting Form is not required as a condition of making a report.  The School will: 1) include a copy of the Incident Reporting Form in the beginning of the year packets for students and parents or guardians; 2) make it available in the School’s main office, the School nurse's office, and other locations determined by the Principal or designee; and 3) post it on the School’s website.  The Incident Reporting Form will be made available in the most prevalent language(s) of origin of students and parents or guardians. 

At the beginning of each School year, the School will provide the School community, including administrators, Staff, students, and parents or guardians, with written notice of its policies for reporting acts of Bullying and Retaliation.  A description of the  reporting procedures and resources, including the name and contact information of the Principal or designee, will be incorporated in student and Staff handbooks, on the School website, and in information about the Plan that is made available to parents or guardians.

1. Reporting by Staff
A Staff member will report immediately to the Principal or designee when he/she witnesses or becomes aware of conduct that may be Bullying or Retaliation.  The requirement to report to the Principal or designee does not limit the authority of the Staff member to respond to behavioral or disciplinary incidents consistent with School policies and procedures for behavior management and discipline.

2. Reporting by Students, Parents or Guardians, and Others
The School expects students, parents or guardians, and others who witness or become aware of an instance of Bullying or Retaliation involving a student to report it to the Principal or designee.  Reports may be made anonymously, but no disciplinary action will be taken against an alleged Perpetrator solely on the basis of an anonymous report.  Students, parents or guardians, and others may request assistance from a Staff member to complete a written report.  Students will be provided practical, safe, private and age-appropriate ways to report and discuss an incident of Bullying with a Staff member, or with the Principal or designee.

B. Responding to a report of Bullying or Retaliation 

1.  Safety
Before fully investigating the allegations of Bullying or Retaliation, the Principal or designee will take steps to assess the need to restore a sense of safety to the alleged Victim and/or to protect the alleged Target from possible further incidents. 

Responses to promote safety may include, but not be limited to, creating a personal safety plan; pre-determining seating arrangements for the Victim and/or the Perpetrator in the classroom, at lunch, or on the bus; identifying a Staff member who will act as a “safe person” for the Victim; and altering the Perpetrator’s schedule and access to the Victim.  The Principal or designee will take additional steps to promote safety during the course of and after the investigation, as necessary.

The Principal or designee will implement appropriate strategies for protecting from Bullying or Retaliation a student who has reported Bullying or Retaliation, a student who has witnessed Bullying or Retaliation, a student who provides information during an investigation, or a student who has reliable information about a reported act of Bullying or Retaliation.

2. Obligations to Notify Others

a. Notice to parents or guardians.  Upon determining that Bullying or Retaliation has occurred, the Principal or designee will promptly notify the parents or guardians of the Victim and the Perpetrator of this, and of the procedures for responding to it.  There may be circumstances in which the Principal or designee contacts parents or guardians prior to any investigation.  Notice will be consistent with state regulations at 603 CMR 49.00. 

b. Notice to another School.  If the reported incident involves students from more than one School district, charter School, non-public School, approved private special education day or residential School, or collaborative School, the Principal or designee first informed of the incident will promptly notify by telephone the Principal or designee of the other School(s) of the incident so that each School may take appropriate action.  All communications will be in accordance with state and federal privacy laws and regulations, and 603 CMR 49.00.

c. Notice to Law Enforcement.  At any point after receiving a report of Bullying or Retaliation, including after an investigation, if the Principal or designee has a reasonable basis to believe that criminal charges may be pursued against the Perpetrator, the Principal will notify the local law enforcement agency.  Notice will be consistent with the requirements of 603 CMR 49.00 and locally established agreements with the local law enforcement agency.  Also, if an incident occurs on School grounds and involves a former student under the age of 21 who is no longer enrolled in School, the Principal or designee shall contact the local law enforcement agency if he or she has a reasonable basis to believe that criminal charges may be pursued against the Perpetrator.

In making this determination, the Principal will, consistent with the Plan and with applicable School policies and procedures, consult with the School resource officer, if any, and other individuals the Principal or designee deems appropriate (including, but not limited to, the Office of the General Counsel of the Diocese of Worcester). 

C. Investigation.  The Principal or designee will investigate promptly all reports of Bullying or Retaliation and, in doing so, will consider all available information known, including the nature of the allegation(s) and the ages of the students involved. 

During the investigation the Principal or designee will, among other things, interview students, Staff, witnesses, parents or guardians, and others as necessary. The Principal or designee (or whoever is conducting the investigation) will remind the alleged Perpetrator, Victim, and witnesses that Retaliation is strictly prohibited and will result in disciplinary action. 

Interviews may be conducted by the Principal or designee, other Staff members as determined by the Principal or designee, as appropriate.  To the extent possible, and given his/her obligation to investigate and address the matter, the Principal or designee will maintain confidentiality during the investigative process. The Principal or designee will maintain a written record of the investigation. 

Procedures for investigating reports of Bullying and Retaliation will be consistent with School policies and procedures for investigations.  If necessary, the Principal or designee will consult with the Office of the General Counsel of the Diocese about the investigation

D. Determinations.  The Principal or designee will make a determination based upon all the facts and circumstances.  If, after investigation, Bullying or Retaliation is substantiated, the Principal or designee will take steps reasonably calculated to prevent recurrence and to ensure that the Victim is not restricted in participating in School or in benefiting from School activities.  The Principal or designee will: 1) determine what remedial action is required, if any, and 2) determine what responsive actions and/or disciplinary action is necessary.

Depending upon the circumstances, the Principal or designee may choose to consult with the students’ teacher(s) and/or School counselor, and the Victim’s or Perpetrator’s parents or guardians, to identify any underlying social or emotional issue(s) that may have contributed to the Bullying behavior and to assess the level of need for additional social skills development.

The Principal or designee will promptly notify the parents or guardians of the Victim and the Perpetrator about the results of the investigation and, if Bullying or Retaliation is found, what action is being taken to prevent further acts of Bullying or Retaliation.  All notice to parents must comply with applicable Massachusetts and federal privacy laws and regulations.  Because of the legal requirements regarding the confidentiality of student records, the Principal or designee cannot report specific information to the Victim’s parent or guardian about the disciplinary action taken unless it involves a “stay away” order or other directive that the Victim must be aware of in order to report violations.

E.   Responses to Bullying

1.  Teaching Appropriate Behavior Through Skills-building

Upon the Principal’s or designee’s determining that Bullying or Retaliation has occurred, the law requires that the School use a range of responses that balance the need for accountability with the need to teach appropriate behavior.  Mass. Gen. Laws. Ch. 71, Section 37O (d)(v).  Skill-building approaches that the Principal or designee may consider include:

▪     offering individualized skill-building sessions based on the School’s anti-Bullying curricula;
▪     providing relevant educational activities for individual students or groups of students, in consultation with guidance counselors and other appropriate School personnel;
▪     implementing a range of academic and nonacademic positive behavioral supports to help students understand pro-social ways to achieve their goals;
▪     meeting with parents and guardians to engage parental support and to reinforce the anti-Bullying curricula and social skills building activities at home;
▪     adopting behavioral plans to include a focus on developing specific social skills; and
▪     making a referral for evaluation.

 2.  Taking Disciplinary Action
If the Principal or designee decides that disciplinary action is appropriate, the disciplinary action will be determined on the basis of facts found by the Principal or designee, including the nature of the conduct, the age of the student(s) involved, and the need to balance accountability with the teaching of appropriate behavior.  Discipline will be consistent with the Plan and with the School’s code of conduct.

Discipline procedures for students with disabilities may be governed by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), which should be read in cooperation with Massachusetts laws regarding student discipline. 

If the Principal or designee determines that a student knowingly made a false allegation of Bullying or Retaliation, that student may be subject to disciplinary action.  (As provide in the Faculty Handbook)

3.  Promoting Safety for the Victim and Others
The Principal or designee will consider what adjustments, if any, are needed in the School environment to enhance the Victim's sense of safety and that of others as well.  One strategy that the Principal or designee may use is to increase adult supervision at transition times and in locations where Bullying is known to have occurred or is likely to occur. 

Within a reasonable period of time following the determination and the ordering of remedial and/or disciplinary action, the Principal or designee will contact the Victim to determine whether there has been a recurrence of the prohibited conduct and whether additional supportive measures are needed.  If so, the Principal or designee will work with appropriate School Staff to implement them immediately.

 VIII.       Collaboration with Families

A.  Parent education and resources.  The School will offer education programs for parents and guardians that are focused on the parental components of the anti-Bullying curricula and any social competency curricula used by the School.  The programs will be offered in collaboration with the PTO or similar organizations.   Each year a bullying presentation is made available to the parents, presented by Eileen Kneeland from the District Attorney’s Office.

B.  Notification requirements.   The School will send parents written notice each year about the student-related sections of the Plan and the School's Internet safety policy.  All notices and information made available to parents or guardians will be in hard copy and electronic formats, and will be available in the language(s) most prevalent among parents or guardians.  The School will post the Plan and related information on its website.  (See Parent Handbook)

IX. Relationship to Other Laws
Consistent with Massachusetts and federal laws, and the policies of the School, nothing in the Plan prevents the School from taking action to remediate discrimination or harassment based on a person’s membership in a legally protected category under local, Massachusetts, or federal law, or School policies.   

In addition, nothing in the Plan is designed or intended to limit the authority of the School to take disciplinary action or other action under Mass. Gen. Laws. Ch. 71, Section 37O (d)(v), other applicable laws, or local School policies in response to violent, harmful, or disruptive behavior, regardless of whether the Plan covers the behavior.

In no event should the Plan be construed in any way so as to limit or modify the obligation of mandated reporters to timely make required so-called 51A Reports where appropriate.

 Last Updated 7/26/19