SAFETY LINKS

Jason Flatt Act

Erin's Law

Jamari Terrell WIlliams Bullying Act

6 Rules For School Safety

  1. Learn the school’s emergency procedures. Emergency plans and phone numbers are usually included in school handbooks and posted in classrooms. Taking a few extra minutes to familiarize yourself and your child with emergency information can give him the confidence he needs to act quickly in emergency situations.

  2. Know travel routes to and from the school. Make sure you and your child know both primary and alternate routes. In an emergency, roads can be blocked and it’s important to have a backup plan.

  3. Know and follow school security and safety measures. These might include signing in when visiting the school, being escorted when walking through the building, or wearing a visitor pass. Following these procedures also sets a great example for your kids.

  4. Talk with your child about safety. Be specific. Talk about instinct and paying attention to funny feelings of fear. Explain what to do if she doesn’t feel safe (find a teacher, call 911, etc.). Make sure she knows how to contact you or a trusted neighbor who is likely to be at home.

  5. Inform school staff about health and emotional concerns. Whether your child has a food allergy, a physical disability, or has been subject to bullying, make sure to keep your child’s teachers and principal in the loop.

  6. Get involved. Talk with the principal about what you can do to increase school safety, such as organizing parents to form a neighborhood watch before and after school. Sometimes parent groups are highly successful in making improvements in traffic safety during drop off and pick up times.

CONTACT

Randy Thomley
Assistant Superintendent, Athletic Director
rthomley@winfield.k12.al.us

BULLYING DEFINITION

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.

In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

  • An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.

  • Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

TYPES OF BULLYING

There are three types of bullying:

  • Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes:

    • Teasing

    • Name-calling

    • Inappropriate sexual comments

    • Taunting

    • Threatening to cause harm

  • Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:

    • Leaving someone out on purpose

    • Telling other children not to be friends with someone

    • Spreading rumors about someone

    • Embarrassing someone in public

  • Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:

    • Hitting/kicking/pinching

    • Spitting

    • Tripping/pushing

    • Taking or breaking someone’s things

    • Making mean or rude hand gestures

LABELS DON'T DEFINE YOU