Bullying Prevention

Bullying is a serious national problem and one that Hot Springs County School District #1 takes seriously. We pledge to do our absolute best to partner with parents and the community to prevent this harmful behavior. Often times it is unclear what to do to prevent bullying in our student body. This page serves as a resource for students, parents, and our community.
 
History of Bullying
In the past bullying was characterized by a student forcing another student to “Hand over your milk money, or you’ll get hurt.” While that is still a form of bullying it is no longer the only form of bullying.
 
Bullying by Definition
“A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself.”
 
This definition includes three important components:
  1. Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions.
  2. Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time.
  3. Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength.
 
In what ways can my child be bullied
  • Physical: Physical bullying involves harmful actions against another person’s body. Examples include: biting, kicking, pushing, pinching, hitting, tripping, pulling hair, and any form of violence or intimidation. Physical bullying also involves interference with another person’s property. Examples include: damaging or stealing.
  • Verbal: Verbal bullying involves speaking to a person or about a person in an unkind or hurtful way. Examples include sarcasm, teasing, put-downs, name-calling, phone calls, spreading rumors, or hurtful gossip.
  • Emotional: Emotional bullying involves behaviors that upset, exclude, or embarrass a person. Examples include: nasty notes, saying mean things using technology (e.g. cyberbullying using emails, instant messaging), chat rooms, tormenting threatening, humiliation, or social embarrassment.
  • Sexual: Sexual bullying singles out a person because of gender and demonstrates unwarranted or unwelcome sexual behavior. Examples include sexual comments, abusive comments, and unwanted physical contact.
  • Racial: Racial bullying involves the rejection or isolation of a person because of ethnicity. Examples include gestures, racial slurs or taunts, name-calling, and making fun of customs/skin color/accent/food choices.