Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Caraga Administrative Region
Division of Agusan del Norte
Tubay District II
SANTA ANA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Prepared by:
CHRISTINE RICHIE M. FELISILDA
GRADE SIX -ADVISER

Noted :
DINAH A. ANINO
PRINCIPAL II
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Caraga Administrative Region
Division of Agusan del Norte
Tubay District II
SANTA ANA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY 2014

Rationale:
 All children and young people have the right to go about their daily lives without the fear of
being threatened, assaulted or harassed. No one should underestimate the impact that bullying can
have on a person’s life. It can cause high levels of distress, affecting young people’s well-being,
behaviour, academic and social development right through into adulthood.
At Santa Ana Elementary School, we are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe
environment for all of our pupils so they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere free from
oppression and abuse. Bullying is an anti social behaviour and affects everyone. All types of bullying
are unacceptable at our school and will not be tolerated. All pupils should feel able to tell and when
bullying behaviour is brought to our attention, prompt and effective action will be taken. We are a
TELLING school. This means that anyone who is aware of any type of bullying that is taking place
is expected to tell a member of teaching staff immediately.

The Santa Ana Elementary School that is physically and emotionally safe and secure for all
students promotes good citizenship, increases student attendance and engagement, and supports
academic achievement. To protect the rights of all students and groups for a safe and secure
learning environment, the board of education prohibits acts of bullying, harassment, and other forms
of aggression and violence. Bullying or harassment, like other forms of aggressive and violent
behaviors, interferes with both a school’s ability to educate its students and a student’s ability to
learn. All administrators, faculty, staff, parents, volunteers, and students are expected to refuse to
tolerate bullying and harassment and to demonstrate behavior that is respectful and civil. It is
especially important for adults to model these behaviors (even when disciplining) in order to provide
positive examples for student behavior.
“Bullying” or “harassment” is any gesture or written, verbal, graphic, or physical act (including
electronically transmitted acts – i.e., cyberbullying, through the use of internet, cell phone, personal
digital assistant (pda), computer, or wireless handheld device, currently in use or later developed and
used by students) that is reasonably perceived as being dehumanizing, intimidating, hostile,
humiliating, threatening, or otherwise likely to evoke fear of physical harm or emotional distress and
may be motivated either by bias or prejudice based upon any actual or perceived characteristic, such
as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or
expression; or a mental, physical, or sensory disability or impairment; or by any other distinguishing
characteristic, or is based upon association with another person who has or is perceived to have any
distinguishing characteristic. Bullying and harassment also include forms of retaliation against
individuals who report or cooperate in an investigation under this policy. Such behaviors are
considered to be bullying or harassment whether they take place on or off school property, at any
school-sponsored function, or in a school vehicle or at any time or place where a child’s imminent
safety or over-all well being may be at issue.

Mission Statement:
Everyone at Santa Ana Elementary School is committed to making our school a safe and
caring place for all students. For that reason we prohibit harassment against students in school,
including harassment based on real or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group,
religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and
expression) and sex, and to prohibit discrimination based on these same characteristics. We will
treat each other with respect, and we will refuse to tolerate bullying in any form. It is our belief that
“Bullying is participation in any intentional behavior that causes physical, emotional or social damage
through the abuse of power.” This can be done either through physical size, social status,
intelligence, or other factors that make the bully powerful.

Principles:
Bullying hurts. No one deserves to be bullied. Everybody has the right to be treated with
respect. Pupils who are bullying need to learn different ways of behaving.
Schools have a responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to issues of bullying.
Objectives of this Policy
• All governors, teaching and non-teaching staff, pupils and parents should have an understanding of
what bullying is
• All governors and teaching and non-teaching staff should know what the school policy is on
bullying, and follow it when bullying is reported
• All pupils and parents should know what the school policy is on bullying, and what they should do if
bullying arises
• As a school we take bullying seriously. Pupils and parents should be assured that they will be
supported when bullying is reported
• Bullying will not be tolerated

Our school defines bullying as follows:

“Bullying behaviour abuses an imbalance of power to repeatedly and intentionally cause emotional
or physical harm to another person or group of people. Isolated instances of hurtful behaviour,
teasing or arguments between individuals would not be seen as bullying" (Torfaen definition 2008)
Bullying generally takes one of four forms:
• Indirect being unfriendly, spreading rumours, excluding, tormenting (e.g. hiding bags
or books)
• Physical pushing, kicking, hitting, punching, slapping or any form of violence
• Verbal name-calling, teasing, threats, sarcasm
• Cyber All areas of internet misuse, such as nasty and/or threatening emails, misuse
of blogs, gaming websites, internet chat rooms and instant messaging
Mobile threats by text messaging & calls
Misuse of associated technology , i.e. camera and video facilities
Although not an exhaustive list, common examples of bullying include:
• Racial bullying
• Homophobic bullying
• Bullying based on disability, ability, gender, appearance or circumstance
Examples of bullying include:
�Hurting someone physically by hitting, kicking, tripping, pushing and so on.
�Stealing or damaging another person’s things.
�Ganging up on someone.
�Teasing someone in a hurtful way.
�Using put-downs, such as insulting someone’s race or making fun of
someone for being a boy or girl, tall, short, heavy, thin, wearing glasses, etc.
�Touching, showing, or making reference to private body parts.
�Spreading rumors about someone.
�Leaving someone out on purpose or trying to get other kids not to play
with someone.
Staff at our school will do the following things to prevent bullying and help
children feel safe at school:
�Closely supervise students in all areas of the school and playground.
�Watch for signs of bullying and stop it when it happens.
�Respond quickly and sensitively to bullying reports using the following
coaching model(The Four A-Response Process):
1. Affirm the child’s feelings.
2. Ask questions.
3. Assess the child’s safety.
4. Act.
Bullying is unfair and one-sided. It happens when someone keeps hurting,
frightening, threatening, teasing or leaving someone out on purpose.
�Take seriously students and parents’ concerns about bullying.
�Look into all reported bullying incidents.
�Assign appropriate consequences for bullying based on the school discipline
code.
�Provide immediate consequences for retaliation against students who report bullying.
Students at our school will do the following things to prevent bullying:
�Treat each other respectfully.
�Refuse to bully others.
�Refuse to let others be bullied.
�Bystanders have a responsibility to assist victims in a variety of ways, including
but not limited to the following:
• Refuse to watch, laugh, or join in when someone is being bullied.
• Try to include everyone in play, especially those who are often left out.
• Report bullying to an adult.
• Remove victim from bullying situation by inviting him/her to join a different
activity with you.
• Distract bully by inviting him/her to join you in a positive activity.
Parents at our school will do the following to prevent or address bullying:
A. Parents will become integral members of the process in order to ensure a
bully-free environment. When a child reports bullying, utilize the following
coaching model (Four A-Response):
1. Affirm the child’s feelings
Ideas:
� “You were right to report/get help from an adult.”
� “I’m glad you asked for help with this.”
2. Ask questions.
Ideas:
� “Tell me more about what happened.”
� “Has this happened before?”
� “Did anyone try to help you?”
� “Are you telling me this to get someone in trouble or to keep someone
safe?”
3. Assess the child’s safety.
� Determine what the child needs to feel safe now.
4. Act.
� Refer the child to school personnel for coaching.
� Be sure to contact school personnel to report the situation.
� Tell the child what will happen next.
B. In the event the school becomes aware that a child has engaged in
bullying behaviors:
� The parent of the child will be notified by school personnel.
� Parental assistance will be sought to address the situation
Prevention
We will use some or all of the following to help raise awareness of and prevent bullying. As and
when appropriate, these may include:
• Writing and implementing a set of school rules
• Signing a behaviour contract
• Using Art, Drama or Music to reinforce awareness
• Reading stories about bullying or having them read to a class or assembly
• Having regular discussions about bullying and why it matters
• Setting up and sustaining a Student Support Scheme
(Implementation)Procedures for Dealing with Incidents of Bullying Beahvior
Schools
The following steps may be taken when dealing with incidents:
• If bullying is suspected or reported, the incident will be dealt with immediately by the
member of staff who has been approached
• A clear and precise account of the incident will be recorded and given to the head teacher
• The head teacher will interview all concerned and will record the incident
• Form tutors will be kept informed and if it persists the form tutor will advise the appropriate
subject teachers
• Parents will be kept informed
• Punitive measures will be used as appropriate and in consultation with all parties concerned
• If necessary and appropriate, police will be consulted
Pupils
Pupils who have been bullied will be supported by:
• Offering an immediate opportunity to discuss the experience with a form tutor or a member
of staff of their choice
• Reassuring the pupil
• Offering continuous support
• Restoring self-esteem and confidence
Pupils who have bullied will be helped by:
• Discussing what happened
• Discovering why the pupil became involved
• Establishing the wrong doing and the need to change
• Informing parents or guardians to help change the attitude and behaviour of the child
The following disciplinary steps can be taken:
• Official warnings to cease offending
• Detention
• Exclusion from certain areas of school premises
• Minor fixed-term exclusion
• Major fixed-term exclusion
• Permanent exclusion
Within the curriculum the school will raise the awareness of the nature of bullying through inclusion
in assemblies and subject areas, as appropriate, in an attempt to eradicate such behaviour.

Monitoring, evaluation and review

The school will review this policy annually and assess its implementation and effectiveness. The
policy will be promoted and implemented throughout the school.

Prepared by :
_____________________
Reviewed by :
__________________ _________________ _______________

Noted:
AVELINA C. DOQUESA
District Supervisor

Approved:
ARSENIO T. CORNITES JR. CESO V
Schools Division Superintendent