We Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at Vernon Hills Montessori Academy. We take bullying very seriously and are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment in which the needs of the individual are respected and appreciated. This policy is posted on our website, on our bulletin board and in our office. We will hand this policy out every year to parents as well as new employees and students.

​

​

WHAT IS BULLYING?​​

Bullying is the willful, conscious and persistent desire to cause, often planned, emotional, verbal and/or physical hurt to another. This hurt may be caused by actual or anticipated actions which put the victim under stress. These actions are accompanied by an awareness of the impact of the behavior on the child who is the victim. The characteristics of bullying suggest that the child who is bullying has reached a state of cognitive development where they are able to plan to cause distress in another. But it is sometimes hard to distinguish bullying from hurtful and/or inconsiderate behavior. 

​

Bullying can take many forms, but the main types are: 

​

Emotional

Emotional being unfriendly or unkind, excluding from groups, tormenting (hiding objects, threatening gestures).

​

Physical

hitting, pushing, punching, pinching, kicking, hiding, taking or defacing belongings, or any use of violence.

​

Racist/Intolerant

Taunts, slurs and/or physical threats directed around a victim’s race, religion or ethnicity.

 

Verbal

name-calling, teasing, sarcasm, writing unkind notes, spreading rumors, making prejudiced remarks and comments against one’s religion.

​

Cyber-bullying

the use of technology or any electronic communication, including without limitation any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic system, photo electronic system, or photo-optical system, including without limitation electronic mail, Internet communications, instant messages, or facsimile communications.

 

includes the creation of a webpage or weblog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person or the knowing impersonation of another person as the author of posted content or messages if the creation or impersonation creates any of the effects enumerated in the definition of bullying. 

 

also includes the distribution by electronic means of a communication to more than one person or the posting of material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons if the distribution or posting creates any of the effects enumerated in the definition of bullying.

 

Please note that an instance of bullying may fall into more than one ‘category’ listed above. 

 

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO RESPOND TO BULLYING?

Bullying hurts. No one deserves to be a victim of bullying. Everybody has the right to be treated with respect. Children who are bullying need to learn different ways of behaving.

​

We have a responsibility to ensure that children are protected and an obligation to respond promptly and effectively to issues of bullying.

 

POLICY OBJECTIVES

All members of staff (employed and voluntary) have a responsibility to be vigilant at all times, so that incidents of bullying can be dealt with as quickly and effectively as possible. It is important that we establish an atmosphere where children who are being bullied, or others who know about specific incidents of bullying, feel that they will be listened to and believed. Everyone must feel confident that action taken will be swift but sensitive and appropriate to the circumstances.

​

When people feel unable to communicate their fears, those who are bullying are protected and the message is given that their unacceptable behavior can continue. 

​

• All committee, staff, volunteers, parents, carers and children should have an understanding of what bullying is. 

• All committee, staff and volunteers should know what the pre-school policy is on bullying, and follow it when bullying is reported or observed. 

• All parents and carers should know what the pre-school policy is on bullying and what they should do if bullying arises. 

•  As pre-school takes bullying very seriously, children, parents and carers should be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported or observed. 

• Bullying will not be excused, permitted or tolerated under any circumstances. 

• This policy is based on the engagement of a range of school stakeholders, including students and parents or guardians.

 

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF BULLYING

Children may indicate by signs or behavior that they are being bullied. Everyone should be aware of these possible signs and that they should investigate if someone:

​

• is unwilling to go to pre-school 

• becomes withdrawn anxious, or lacking in confidence 

• cries themselves to sleep at night or has nightmares 

• feels ill in the morning 

• has unexplained cuts, scrapes or bruises 

• becomes aggressive, disruptive or unreasonable 

• begins bullying or showing unusual aggression with siblings, playmates or other children 

• suddenly loses appetite, stops eating 
   

These signs and behaviors could indicate other problems, but bullying should be considered a possibility and should be investigated.

 

PROCEDURES 

• all bullying incidents will be reported immediately to the director 

• Staff members will record all reported bullying incidents (Incident Report Form) and share them with the director and assistant director. Overviewed within 10 days to ensure it’s handled in a timely manner.

• In serious cases parents should be informed and will be asked to come into a meeting to discuss the problem.

• The bullying behavior or threats of bullying will be investigated quickly and fully, and the bullying stopped immediately. 

• An attempt will be made to help the bully (bullies) change their behavior. 

• An attempt will be made to help the bully (bullies) change their behavior. The interventions may include, but not limited to, school social work services, restorative measures, social-emotional skill building, counseling, school psychological services, and community-based services.

• All staff members will maintain a log of all bullying training and keep up to date on what is bullying, different forms of bullying, how to handle when it happens, what to do if it happens and steps to follow to ensure it is properly handled.

 

PREVENTION 

Through work or activities in the session we can support this policy in two ways:

• dealing with the topic of bullying by exploring why it happens and giving alternative ways of behaving and coping with difficulties 

• using teaching methods that encourage cooperative work and a variety of grouping.sIf a chil

 

POLICY EVALUATION PROCESS

• Policy evaluation process will take place to assess the outcomes and effectiveness of the policy that includes, but is not limited to, factors such as the frequency of victimization; student, staff, and family observations of safety at a school; identification of areas of a school where bullying occurs; the types of bullying utilized; and bystander intervention or participation.

• Data and information collected during daily in-school or in-class observations or during parent-teacher conferences will be used in the policy evaluation.

• The information developed as a result of the policy evaluation will be made available to school administrators, school board members, school personnel, parents, guardians, and students

 

SUMMARY 
If a child bullies another child or children: 

• we intervene to stop the child harming the other child or children; 

• we explain to the child doing the bullying why her/his behavior is inappropriate; 

• we give reassurance to the child or children who have been bullied; 

• we help the child who has done the bullying to say sorry for her/his actions

• we make sure that children who bully receive praise when they display acceptable behavior; 

• we do not label children who bully; 

• when children bully, we discuss what has happened with their parents and work out with them a plan for handling the child’s behavior; and 

• When children have been bullied, we share what has happened with their parents, explaining that the child who did the bullying is being helped to adopt more acceptable ways of behaving. 

• When a person falsely accuses another of bullying as a means of retaliation or a form of bullying we address the issue with both their parents, ensure that the falsely accused child understands why these accusations were made, and refrain from further attention or judgment to this child that can be a form of bullying back. We talk to the child who falsely accused the other about why it was done, what made them mad or sad to have done this, and how we can move forward in a positive direction to fix what the child broke. whether it is other children who hurt feelings, the child's reputation, etc. Help both children come out of this in a positive, not negative light.

• This policy is consistent with federal and State laws and rules governing student privacy rights, includes procedures for promptly informing parents or guardians of all students involved in the alleged incident of bullying and discussing, as appropriate, the availability of social work services, counseling, school psychological services, other interventions, and restorative measures.

• The policy is consistent with the policies of the school board, charter school, or non-public, non-sectarian elementary or secondary school.

 

Margarita Shvets, Executive Director

Telephone: (847) 918-0342

e-mail: Margarita@rhythmoflearning.com
 

 

Revised March 1, 2023

 

 

 

​