Bullying/Cyberbullying Information and Procedures
Fresno Unified recognizes the harmful effects of bullying on student learning and school attendance. We desire to provide safe school environments that protect students from physical and emotional harm. [Article 5.5 Safe Place to Learn Act]
Student safety is the highest priority, and we shall not tolerate the bullying of any student. No individual or group of students shall, through physical, written, verbal, or other means, harass, sexually harass, threaten, intimidate, retaliate, cyberbully, cause bodily injury to, or commit hate violence against any other student or school personnel. Fresno Unified Board Policy (BP) 5131.2 Anti-Bullying
Cyberbullying includes the creation or transmission of harassing communications, direct threats, or other harmful texts, sounds, or images. Cyberbullying also includes social media forums, internet websites, applications or platforms with free registration or ease of registration, sites that offer peer-to-peer instant messaging, comment forums/sections, and or websites offering image or video posting platforms. Cyberbullying also includes breaking into another person’s electronic account and assuming that person’s identity in order to damage that person’s reputation.
Filing of Complaints and Investigation
School staff who witness an act of bullying shall immediately intervene to stop the incident when it is safe to do so. When appropriate, based on the severity or pervasiveness of the bullying, the Superintendent or designee shall notify the parent/guardian of the victim(s) and perpetrator(s) and may contact law enforcement. The Superintendent, principal, or principal’s designee may refer a victim, witness, perpetrator, or other student affected by an act of bullying to a school counselor, school psychologist, social worker, child welfare attendance personnel, school nurse, or other school support service personnel for case management, counseling, and/or participation in a restorative justice program as appropriate.
Any student, parent/guardian, or another individual who believes that a student has been subjected to bullying or who has witnessed bullying may report the incident to a teacher, the principal, the vice-principal, a compliance officer, or any other available school employee. Complaints of bullying shall be investigated and resolved in accordance with site-level procedures. When a student is reported to be engaging in bullying off campus, the Superintendent or designee shall investigate and document the activity and shall identify specific facts or circumstances that explain the impact or potential impact on school activity, school attendance, or the targeted student’s educational performance.
When a report of bullying is submitted, the principal or a district compliance officer shall inform the student or parent/guardian of the right to file a formal written complaint. The student who is the alleged victim of the bullying shall be given an opportunity to describe the incident, identify witnesses who may have relevant information, and provide other evidence of bullying.
When circumstances involve cyberbullying, individuals with information about the activity shall be encouraged to save and print any electronic or digital messages that they feel constitute cyberbullying and to notify a teacher, the principal, or other employees so that the matter may be investigated. If the student is using a social networking site or service to bully or harass another student, the Superintendent or designee also may file a request with the networking site or service to suspend the privileges of the student and to have the material removed.
If during the investigation, it is determined that a complaint is about nondiscriminatory bullying, the principal or designee shall inform the complainant and shall take all necessary actions to resolve the complaint.
Disciplinary actions for a student who commits an act of bullying of any type may include counseling, behavioral intervention, and education, and, if the behavior is severe or pervasive as defined in Education Code 48900, may include suspension or expulsion in accordance with the district policies and regulations.
Additional Resources
For additional information, please visit the California Department of Education at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/bullyres.asp This website provides Bullying prevention training materials and publications/resources for educators, parents, and community members for recognizing bullying behavior and approaches for determining how to respond.
Please also visit our IT pages for parents and students to find additional resources and free access to anti-cyberbullying resources: