Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

Many other types of aggressive behavior don’t fit the definition of bullying (e.g. peer conflict, hazing, gang violence, harassment, stalking, etc.). This does not mean that they are any less serious or require less attention than bullying. Rather, these behaviors require different prevention and response strategies.

When you, your child, or someone close to you is being bullied, there are many steps to take to help resolve the situation. Make sure you understand what bullying is and what it is not, the warning signs of bullying, and steps to take for preventing and responding to bullying, including how to talk to children about bullying, prevention in schools and communities, and how to support children involved. Review our district's po 5517.01 Bullying policy.

If you need to anonymously report an instance of bullying, please utilize the STOPit app.