Anti-Bullying Statement
The Vacaville Unified School District (VUSD) believes all students have a right to a safe, healthy, nurturing learning environment. The VUSD community recognizes that schools must be physically and emotionally safe for all students to promote and support academic achievement, citizenship, student attendance, and engagement.
The VUSD will not tolerate behavior that infringes on any student or adult's safety and emotional well-being. Our schools and district will not tolerate bullying, intimidation, or harassment of any student through words and actions.
There is an expectation that all students, staff, parents, and volunteers demonstrate respectful, civil behavior and do not tolerate bullying. It is essential that adults in the Vacaville Unified School District model behaviors as positive examples of student behavior.
The VUSD expects students, staff, and parents to report any bullying incident to the principal or designee immediately. Students, parents, and staff members who observe or experience any bullying incident are encouraged to complete and submit the "Student Bullying Report Form" anonymously via the link.
Staff members are expected to intervene immediately when they observe bullying. Each complaint of bullying will be promptly investigated and logged. Students can rely on staff to promptly investigate each bullying complaint thoroughly and confidentially.
The district expects all students to conduct themselves to demonstrate the proper regard for the rights and welfare of other students, staff, parents, and community members. All teachers will discuss this policy with their students in an age-appropriate manner and should assure students that they need not endure any form of bullying.
Students who bully violate these guidelines and are subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion (Education Code 48900(r)).
District procedures for preventing and intervening in bullying behavior include, but are not limited, to the following:
- All staff, students, and parents will receive a copy of these guidelines prohibiting bullying at the beginning of the school year.
- The school's principal or designee will keep a report of bullying and the investigation results confidential.
- All staff will immediately intervene appropriately whenever they observe or become aware of bullying.
- Non-staff members who observe or become aware of bullying are strongly encouraged to report the incident to support the school's efforts to promote a safe learning environment.
This statement applies to bullying, harassment, and/or cyberbullying/harassment, whether in the classroom, on school premises, when a student travels to or from school, or at a school-sponsored event. Bullying or harassment, including cyber-bullying/harassment that is not initiated at a location defined above, is grounds for discipline if the incident results in a potentially material or substantial disruption of the school learning environment for one or more students and/or the orderly day-to-day operations of any school or school program.
Bullying Defined
To prevent the misidentification of bullying behaviors, it important to understand that according to Education Code 48900(r), bullying is defined as -- Any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or by means of an electronic act, and including one or more acts committed by a pupil or group of pupils, directed toward one or more pupils that have or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following:
(A) Placing a reasonable pupil or pupils in fear of harm to that pupil or those pupils' person or property.
(B) Causing a reasonable pupil to experience a substantially detrimental effect on his or her physical or mental health.
(C) Causing a reasonable pupil to experience substantial interference with his or her academic performance.
(D) Causing a reasonable pupil to experience substantial interference with his or her ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.
To read the entire California Education Code on Bullying, click here.
To read the VUSD Anti-Bullying Policy
Política anti-bullying de VUSD en español