HAZCOM
The board of education values the health and safety of its employees and students, and the
district will comply with all state and federal laws regarding the presence of hazardous
chemicals at school. The board expects all individuals to use non-hazardous materials at
school when feasible, to follow established safety procedures at all times, and to promptly
report any suspected violations of this commitment to the superintendent.
The superintendent will develop, implement and maintain a comprehensive HazCom
Program for use throughout the district. All district employees are required to participate in
appropriate training on the new HazCom Program.
ASBESTOS
In accordance with the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), the
district has identified all asbestos materials present within the district and has developed
appropriate plans related to asbestos within the district. The district complies with all
AHERA regulations, including periodic public advertisements and walk-through inspections.
The district has selected the superintendent to be its “AHERA Designated Person” for each
site within the district. The AHERA Designated Person can be contacted at 918-674-2501.
All required documentation for an individual site is on file and available for inspection in the
building principal’s office. A copy of the documentation for each site in the district is on file
and available for inspection in the superintendent’s office.
STUDENT BULLYING
Statement of Legislative Mandate and Purpose
This policy is a result of the legislative mandate and public policy embodied in the School
Safety and Bullying Prevention Act, 70 OKLA. STAT. § 24-100.2 et seq. (“Act”). The district
intends to comply with the mandates of the Act and expects students to refrain from
bullying. Bullying is expressly forbidden and students who bully are subject to disciplinary
consequences as outlined in the district’s policy on student behavior. Bullies may also be
provided with assistance to end their unacceptable behavior, and targets of bullies may be
provided with assistance to overcome the negative effects of bullying.
Definition of Terms
A. Statutory definition of terms:
“Bully” means any pattern of harassment, intimidation, threatening behavior,
physical acts, verbal or electronic communication directed toward a student or group
of students that results in or is reasonably perceived as being done with the intent to
cause negative educational or physical results for the targeted individual or group
and is communicated in such a way as to disrupt or interfere with the school’s
educational mission or the education of any student.
“Threatening behavior” means any pattern of behavior or isolated action, whether or
not it is directed at another person, that a reasonable person would believe indicates
potential for future harm to students, school personnel, or school property.
“Electronic communication” means the communication of any written, verbal,
pictorial information or video content by means of an electronic device, including,
but not limited to, a telephone, a mobile or cellular telephone or other wireless
telecommunication device, or a computer.
Note: Bullying by electronic communication is prohibited whether or not such
communication originated at school, or with school equipment, if the communication
is specifically directed at students or school personnel and concerns bullying at
school.
“At school” means on school grounds, in school vehicles, at school-sponsored
activities, or at school-sanctioned events.
B. The “Reasonable Person” Standard
In determining what a “reasonable person” should recognize as bullying, staff will
consider the point of view of the intended target, including any characteristics
unique to the intended target. Staff may also consider the discipline history and
physical characteristics of the alleged bully.
C. Types of Bullying
“Physical Bullying” includes harm or threatened harm to another’s body or property,
including but not limited to threats, tripping, hitting, pushing, pinching, pulling hair,
kicking, biting, starting fights, daring others to fight, stealing or destroying property,
extortion, assaults with a weapon, other violent acts, and homicide.
“Emotional Bullying” includes the intentional infliction of harm to another’s self-
esteem, including but not limited to insulting or profane remarks or gestures, or
harassing and frightening statements.
“Social Bullying” includes harm to another’s group acceptance, including but not
limited to gossiping; spreading negative rumors to cause a targeted person to be
socially excluded, ridiculed, or otherwise lose status; acts designed to publicly
embarrass a targeted person, damage the target’s current relationships, or deprive
the target of self-confidence or the respect of peers.
“Sexual Bullying” includes harm of a sexual nature, including but not limited to
making unwelcome sexual comments or gestures to or about the targeted person;
creating or distributing vulgar, profane or lewd words or images about the target;
committing a sexual act at school, including touching private parts of the target’s
body; engaging in off-campus dating violence that adversely affects the target’s
education opportunities; making threatening sexual statements directed at or about
the target; or gossiping about the target’s sexuality or sex life. Such conduct may
also constitute sexual harassment which is prohibited by the district.
Understanding and Preventing Bullying
A. Student and Staff Education and Training
A full copy of this policy will be posted on the district’s website and included in all
district handbooks. Parents, guardians, community members, and volunteers will be
notified of the availability of this policy through the district’s annual written notice of
the availability of the district’s anti-bullying policy. Written notice of the policy will
also be posted at various places in all district school sites.
Students and staff will be periodically reminded throughout the year of the
availability of this policy, the district’s commitment to preventing bullying, and help
available for those affected by bullying. Anti-bullying programs will be incorporated
into the district’s other violence prevention efforts.
All staff will receive annual training regarding preventing, identifying, reporting, and
managing bullying. The district’s bullying coordinator and individuals designated as
school site investigators will receive additional training regarding appropriate
consequences and remedial action for bullies, helping targets of bullies, and the
district’s strategy for counseling and referral for those affected by bullying.
Students will receive annual education regarding behavioral expectations,
understanding bullying and its negative effects, disciplinary consequences for
infractions, reporting methods, and consequences for those who knowingly make
false reports. Parents and guardians may participate in a parent education
component.
B. Safe School Committees
Each Safe School Committee has the responsibility of studying and making
recommendations regarding unsafe conditions, strategies for students to avoid harm
at school, student victimization, crime prevention, school violence, and other issues
which interfere with and adversely affect school safety.
With respect to student bullying, each Committee shall assist the board in promoting
a positive school climate. The Committee will study the district’s policy and
currently accepted bullying prevention programs (available on the state department
website) to make recommendations regarding bullying. These recommendations
must be submitted to the principal and cover: (i) needed staff development,
including how to recognize and avoid bullying; (ii) increasing student and
community involvement in addressing bullying, (iii) improving individual student-
staff communication, (iv) implementing problem solving teams which include
counselors and/or school psychologists, and (v) utilizing behavioral health
resources.
Student Reporting
Students are encouraged to inform school personnel if they are the target of or a witness to
bullying. To make a report, students should notify a teacher, counselor, or principal. The
employee will give the student an official report form, and will help the student complete the
form, if needed.
Students may make an anonymous report of bullying, and such report will be investigated as
thoroughly as possible. However, it is often difficult to fully investigate claims which are
made anonymously and disciplinary action cannot be taken against a bully solely on the
basis of an anonymous report.
Staff Reporting
Staff members will encourage students to report bullying. All employees are required to
report acts of bullying to the school principal on an official report form. Any staff member
who witnesses, hears about, or suspects bullying is required to submit a report.
Bullying Investigators
Each school site will have a designated individual and an alternate to investigate bullying
reports. These individuals will be identified in the site’s student and staff handbooks, on the
district’s website, and in the bullying prevention education provided annually to students
and staff. The district’s anti-bullying program is coordinated at the district level by its
Investigating Bullying Reports
For any alleged incidents of bullying reported to school officials, the designated school
official will investigate the alleged incident(s) and determine (i) whether bullying occurred,
(ii) the severity of the incident(s), (iii) the potential for future violence, and (iv) the reason
for the actual or perceived bullying.
In conducting an investigation, the designated official shall interview relevant students and
staff and review any documentation of the alleged incident(s). School officials may also
work with outside professionals, such as local law enforcement, as deemed appropriate by
the investigating official. In the event the investigator believes a criminal act may have been
committed or there is a likelihood of violence, the investigator will immediately call local
law enforcement and the superintendent.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the designated employee will document the steps
taken to review the matter, the conclusions reached and any additional action taken, if
applicable. Further, the investigator will notify the district’s bullying coordinator that an
investigation has occurred and the results of the investigation. In the event the investigation
reveals that bullying occurred, the district’s bullying coordinator will refer the student who
committed the act of bullying to a delinquency prevention and diversion program through
the Office of Juvenile Affairs.
Upon completion of an investigation, the school may recommend that available community
mental health care or substance abuse options be provided to a student, if appropriate. The
school may provide a student with information about the types of support services available
to the student bully, target, and any other students affected by the prohibited behavior.
These resources will be provided to any individual who requests such assistance or will be
provided if a school official believes the resource might be of assistance to the
student/family. The district is not responsible for paying for these services. No school
employee is expected to evaluate the appropriateness or the quality of the resource
provided, nor is any employee required to provide an exhaustive list of resources available.
All school employees will act in good faith.
The school may request the disclosure of information concerning students who have
received substance abuse or mental health care (pursuant to the previous paragraph) if that
information indicates an explicit threat to the safety of students or school personnel,
provided the disclosure of the information does not violate the requirements and provisions
of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act of 1996, OKLA. STAT. tit. 12 § 1376, OKLA. STAT. tit. 59 §1376 of the
Oklahoma Statues, or any other state or federal laws regarding the disclosure of confidential
information. The school may request the disclosure of information when it is believed that
the student may have posed a danger to him/herself and having such information will allow
school officials to determine if it is safe for the student to return to the regular classroom or if
alternative education arrangements are needed.
Parental Notification
The assigned investigator will notify the parents of a target within one (1) school day that a
bullying report has been received. Within one (1) school day of the conclusion of the
investigation, the investigator will provide the parents of a target with the results of the
investigation and any community resources deemed appropriate to the situation.
If the report of bullying is substantiated, within one (1) school day of the conclusion of the
investigation, the investigator will contact the parents of the bully to discuss disciplinary
action and any community resources deemed appropriate to the situation.
The timelines in this parental notification section may be reasonably extended if individual
circumstances warrant such an extension.
Parental Responsibilities
All parents/guardians will be informed in writing of the district’s program to stop bullying
and will be given a copy of this policy upon request. An administrative response to a
reported act of bullying may involve certain actions to be taken by parents. Parents will be
informed of the program and the means for students to report bullying acts toward them or
other students. They will also be told that to help prevent bullying at school they should
encourage their children to:
▪ Report bullying when it occurs;
▪ Take advantage of opportunities to talk to their children about bullying;
▪ Inform the school immediately if they think their child is being bullied or is
bullying other students;
▪ Watch for symptoms that their child may be a target of bullying and report
those symptoms; and
▪ Cooperate fully with school personnel in identifying and resolving incidents.
Student Transfers
Students who are victims of bullying, and who report the incident(s) to school
administrators, may choose to transfer to another school district. Any application for
transfer must be made in accordance with the receiving school district’s transfer policy.
Monitoring and Compliance
In order to assist the State Department of Education with compliance efforts pursuant to the
School Safety and Bullying Prevention Act, 70 OKLA. STAT. § 24-100.2 et seq., the district will
identify a Bullying Coordinator who will serve as the district contact responsible for
providing information to the State Board of Education. The Bullying Coordinator shall
maintain updated contact information on file with the State Department of Education and the
school district will notify the State Department of Education within fifteen (15) days of the
appointment of a new Bullying Coordinator.
A copy of this policy will be submitted to the State Department of Education by December
10th of each school year as part of the school district’s Annual Performance Report.
Reference: OKLA. STAT. tit. 70 § 24-100.2