skip to main content
A No Tolerance Policy

A No Tolerance Policy

The Elk Grove Unified School District has a no tolerance policy against bullying in all forms. Student safety is a top priority for Elk Grove Unified and the district does not allow any behaviors that infringe on the safety or emotional or physical well-being of any student. Elk Grove Unified has developed strategies for bullying prevention and intervention to help keep students safe and ensure a healthy learning environment. The district has an extensive board policy on bullying that covers a variety of areas, including cyberbullying, bullying prevention, intervention, complaints and investigation, discipline and enforcement mechanisms.

Online Incident Reporting System

The Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) online Incident Reporting System offers students, parents and community members a web accessible method to report incidents of bullying, discrimination and/or harassment, harm to school and/or property or harm to self. The Incident Reporting System can be accessed from anywhere online through a unique link located on every school’s website. For emergencies and/or urgent situations requiring immediate help, people will still be encouraged to call 911 or contact EGUSD’s Safety and Security office at (916) 686-7786.
 
When making an online report in the new Incident Reporting System, it will not be necessary to enter one’s name or identity, however, there is an option to provide identification and contact information in order to communicate with the Incident Response Team. Photos and links to video can be submitted with a report.
 
The types of issues that can be reported through the online Incident Reporting System are:
  • Bullying – Bullying includes verbal, non-verbal, physical or emotional acts against another student either in person, via electronic device or online.
  • Damage or Harm to School or Property – Damage or harm to school property includes intentional destruction to the school or school property in a harmful or malicious manner.
  • Discrimination or Harassment – Discrimination or harassment includes acts against another person on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, age, or personal beliefs either in person, via electronic device or online.
  • Harm to Self or Others – Harm includes intent or desire to injure yourself or others.
 
Incident reports made on the Incident Reporting System are received by administration when they are submitted and reports are reviewed as soon as possible. All reports are taken seriously and are acted upon in a timely manner. As each incident is different, each will warrant a different reaction and timeline for action and can be as thorough as the information provided.
 
The Elk Grove Unified School District is committed to providing a safe, secure and healthy environment that allows every Student to be learning in every classroom, in every subject, every day. The district believes that students and staff have the right to be free of bullying, threats, intimidation and harassment while on our campuses or participating in or being associated with any school/district related activity. In Elk Grove Unified, the community is encouraged that “if you see something, or know something, to say something.”
 

Digital Citizenship: Cyberbullying

In 2012, the Elk Grove Unified School District Digital Citizenship Task Force aligned our digital citizenship curriculum and programs to meet the updated  legal mandates. The new updates require educating students about “appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response.” In an effort to clarify what these requirements would look like in K-12 curriculum and programs, the task force identified main themes for the teaching of digital citizenship. As students step up and out onto the internet, the district wants to ensure that they understand the need to think before they post – to treat others with respect, to build and maintain a positive digital footprint, to protect their online privacy and the privacy of others, and to respect intellectual property boundaries.
 
 
#UnfollowBullying
In November 2012, Elk Grove Unified School District middle and high school students decided to take a stand to challenge and eliminate cyberbullying. Today’s students live in a digital world. The “#UnfollowBullying Campaign” was a student driven movement recognizing that students are in fact the ones who can and will lead the charge in their online communities to ensure that all are treated with respect and kindness.
 
Bully Prevention in PBIS

Bully Prevention in PBIS

School-wide PBIS begins with the premise that all students should have access to supports to prevent the development and occurrence of problem behavior, including bullying behavior. To avoid stigmatizing any student, school-wide PBIS emphasizes what a student does and where it occurs. Instead of negatively labeling a student as a bully, victim, perpetrator, or aggressor, the emphasis is on labeling what the student does, for example, name-calling, teasing, intimidation, verbal aggression, and cyber- harassment. Bullying behavior is always described in the context or setting in which it occurs, for example, cyberspace, hallway, dance, field trip, bus, or other “setting.”

Bullying Prevention Program – Youth Development Office

All students have a right to a safe and healthy school environment.  Our schools work hard to promote mutual respect, tolerance and acceptance, and the Youth Development Office supports our schools in this effort. The EGUSD Youth Development Office receives funding from and works in conjunction with SCOE as part of their Bullying Prevention Project. The goal of SCOE’s project is to support Sacramento County school districts and their school sites as they implement bullying prevention programs and strategies. This initial project of the countywide Student Mental Health and Wellness Plan will allow each district to focus on a school-based bullying prevention program, provide staff training, promote student mental health and provide early interventions for students and families who need them.
 
 

The Elk Grove Unified School District also has other anti-bullying education programs throughout its schools at all grades levels.

 

  • At elementary school sites, Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) are involved in anti-bullying activities on campuses, and Kaiser Permanente’s “Peace Sign” program is presented at elementary schools for both students and parents. Elementary schools also address the issue of bullying through their character education curriculum.
  • Middle school students attend “Teen Truth” assemblies and create anti-bullying clubs on campus to prevent bullying. Parent University presents sessions to middle school parents about how to notice if their child is being bullied and the signs to look for if their child is a bully.
  • High school student associations sponsor “Unity Days” to break down walls on campus and reduce bullying behaviors, and assemblies are held where speakers present about the harmful effects of bullying. Parents of high school students receive information about bullying through School Loop and school websites, pamphlets, PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) meetings, principal’s forums, “Back to School Nights” and “Take a Parent to School” days.
 

Bullying & Cyberbullying Prevention Resources