Blaine School Board voted unanimously to adopt a policy prohibiting bullying, harassment and intimidation of students at its Monday board meeting.
Policy 3207 states that all students have the right to attend school without being threatened or bullied by anyone. Procedures associated with policy 3207 require that staff members appropriately deal with reports of bullying or harassment and, in ongoing or serious cases, an investigation should occur.
Families of students associated with the report should be notified by the school within two days of the report being received. Investigations should take place within five days of the report being filed, and within two days of the completion of the investigation, guardians of both the alleged aggressor and complainant will be notified of the findings of the investigation.
Procedures also state that the district will take appropriate disciplinary action when a student has been found to have been an aggressor, and that support will be provided for the targeted student(s).
The policy was adopted in a 5-0 vote among others as part of the consent agenda, motioned by Erika Creydt and seconded by Bob Feaster.
“I continue to just really want to see our district do better with bullying, in particular,” board member Chelsey Belarmino said.
During the public comment period, a woman expressed concern that her daughter, a student in the Blaine School District, has been repeatedly bullied by another student.
“We really need to hold students accountable for their actions,” she said, adding that her daughter’s no-contact order was violated numerous times in a recent week “and nothing was done.”
She said she felt encouraged by discussions the board has held about changes to how bullying is addressed in the district.
“I’m not giving up hope, obviously,” she said. “I believe in the school, I believe in the board. I believe that we can make this place safe for everyone.”
Cases of bullying, harassment or intimidation may be reported to BSD at bit.ly/4vS9zDk.
