Student Safety
It is the policy of the State of California to ensure that all local education agencies continue to work to reduce discrimination, harassment, violence, intimidation, and bullying. It is further the policy of Belmont-Redwood Shores School District to improve student safety at schools and the connections between students and supportive adults, schools, and communities. As such, our adopted policies and procedures address the following:
Uniform Complaint Procedures AR 1312.3 - Click to View | BP 1312.3 - Click to View
Anti-Bully BP 5131.2 - Click to View
Sexual Harassment BP 5145.7 - Click to View
Hate-Motivated Behavior BP 5145.9 - Click to View
Non-Discrimination
The District programs, activities, and practices shall be free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression; or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying, you should immediately contact the school site principal and/or Director of Administrative Services (CCR Title V and Title IX Officer) Julie Eastburn, at 650-637-4800, jeastburn@brssd.org
To report an incidence and/or receive further information on the district’s anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, anti-bullying policies, please contact the school principal.
Bullying Resources
StopBullying.gov (Developed by the U.S. Health and Human Services, Education Department, (Centers for Disease Control, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
Bullying Resources for Parents
How can I support my child if he or she is bullied at school?
Avoid blaming your child for the harassment. Think twice before giving advice - your child may have already tried the strategies you are going to suggest. Get as much information as you can. Talk with your child’s teacher, principal, or counselor and ask them to help your child be safe. Their intervention may include consequences for the bully, increased supervision, and helping your child make more friends if he or she is isolated. Ask your child what she has already tried to resolve the problem. Praise her for all the things she has tried. Give him permission to stop doing the things that haven't worked to stop the bullying. Encourage him to keep telling you and other adults. Help him to think about what has worked- or what might work. If your child is isolated, help her make connections through activities, hobbies, or clubs.
Parents of Kids being bullied
Observe your child for signs they might be being bullied
Children may not always be vocal about being bullied. Signs include: ripped clothing, hesitation about going to school, decreased appetite, nightmares, crying, or general depression and anxiety. If you discover your child is being bullied, don’t tell them to “let it go” or “suck it up”. Instead, have open-ended conversations where you can learn what is really going on at school so that you can take the appropriate steps to rectify the situation. Most importantly, let your child know you will help him/her and that they should try not to fight back
Teach your child how to handle being bullied
Until something can be done on an administrative level, work with your child to handle bullying without being crushed or defeated. Practice scenarios at home where your child learns how to ignore a bully and/or develop assertive strategies for coping with bullying. Help your child identify teachers and friends that can help them if they’re worried about being bullied.
Set boundaries with technology
Educate your children and yourself about cyberbullying and teach your children not to respond or forward threatening emails. “Friend” your child on Facebook or Myspace and set up proper filters on your child’s computer. Make the family computer the only computer for children, and have it in a public place in the home where it is visible and can be monitored. If you decide to give your child a cell phone think carefully before allowing them to have a camera option. Let them know you will be monitoring their text messages. As a parent, you can insist that phones are stored in a public area, such as the kitchen, by a certain time at night to eliminate nighttime bullying and inappropriate messaging. Parents should report bullying to the school, and follow up with a letter that is copied to the school superintendent if their initial inquiry receives no response.
Parents should report all threatening messages to the police and should document any text messages, emails or posts on websites.
Parents of kids engaged in bullying
Stop bullying before it starts
Educate your children about bullying. It is possible that your child is having trouble reading social signs and does not know what they are doing is hurtful. Remind your child that bullying others can have legal consequences.
Make your home “bully free”
Children learn behavior through their parents. Being exposed to aggressive behavior or an overly strict environment at home makes kids more prone to bully at school. Parents/caregivers should model positive examples for your child in your relationships with other people and with them.
Look for self esteem issues
Children with low self-esteem often bully to feel better about themselves. Even children who seem popular and well-liked can have mean tendencies. Mean behavior should be addressed by parents and disciplined
Make Time to Listen, Time to Talk (conversation starters with children) (PDF)
Bullying and Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, or Bisexual (LGBT) Youth
Prevent Cyberbullying
Technology and Youth: Protecting your Child from Electronic Aggression (PDF) For bullying and harassment using social media (such as Facebook, MySpace, Tumblr and Formspring), parents can follow the social media site's "Help" link to report abuse or policy violations such as imposter accounts, bullying, hate speech, pornography, etc.
Bullying Resources for Youth
There is a good chance that you have experienced bullying yourself, or that you have been the bully yourself. Probably, you have seen someone else being bullied. Bullying can take the form of words or deeds. It can be done from electronic devices. It includes repeatedly calling someone names, or repeatedly excluding someone from the group, or physically harassing someone. If you feel like you are being mistreated or isolated and it is happening again and again, talk to an adult. Know there is help. If you find yourself bullying someone else, stop the behavior and make it right. Apologize. Focus on doing things differently from now on. Ask for help with your behavior. If you see someone being bullied, take a stand and support that person. If you feel safe, tell the person doing the bullying to stop. If you don't feel safe, walk away and try to bring the victim with you. Whether you are being bullied, being the bully, or seeing someone being bullied, know that there is help. Start by talking to an adult you can trust.