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Bullying & Harassment

Bullying & Harassment

Often, the most critical element in school safety and security is awareness. All members of a school community, including students, staff, administrators, and families, are encouraged to let us know of anything that does not look, sound, or feel right, including situations of bullying, harassment, mental health, and safety and security concerns. Receiving tips and information allows us to investigate and take steps to prevent situations from occurring.

What is bullying?

Bullying includes aggressive or hostile behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power between the bully and the bullied. It is typically repeated over time.

Bullying takes many forms, including, but not limited to, physical or verbal assaults, nonverbal or emotional threats or intimidation, social exclusion and isolation, extortion, and the use of a computer or telecommunications to send embarrassing, slanderous, threatening, or intimidating messages. Bullying is a form of victimization and is not necessarily a result of or part of an ongoing conflict. Bullying can also be characterized by teasing, put-downs, name-calling, cruel rumors, false accusations, and hazing.

The Mequon-Thiensville School District takes allegations of bullying seriously and will respond promptly to complaints and allegations of bully.

What is harassment?

Harassment includes any unwelcome verbal or physical conduct, contact or communication that is motivated in whole or in part on their sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability or any other characteristic protected under State, Federal, or local law, which substantially interferes with the student's school or academic performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive school environment.

The Mequon-Thiensville School District takes allegations of harassment seriously and will respond promptly to complaints and allegations of harassment.

Bullying Prevention - Skills by Grade

The Mequon-Thiensville School District has established a set of instructional practices and opportunities for students to develop and practice bullying prevention skills. These practices align specifically with MTSD’s efforts in workforce readiness skills and student wellness.

Grade Topic Specific Skill
K-1 Resolving Conflict
  • Identify problem and nonexamples of a problem
  • Understanding the size and severity of a problem
  • Learning how to communicate their needs to students or adults
K-1 Making Choices & Understanding Consequences
  • What it means to make a choice
  • How to identify choices in different situations
2-3 Resolving Conflict
  • Identify a variety of strategies for resolving conflict
  • Identify examples of healthy and unhealthy conflict
  • Match size of the problem to size of the reaction
2-3 Making Choices & Understanding Consequences
  • Reflect on the potential impacts of choices
  • Identify what is within our control when making choices
2-3 Social Rules & Safety
  • Internet safety
4-5 Resolving Conflict
  • Understanding cause and effect of conflict
  • Understand and apply the characteristics of healthy conflict resolution
  • Identify the differences between rude, mean, conflict, and bullying
4-5 Making Choices & Understanding Consequences
  • Understanding the impact of individual choices on others
  • Evaluate potential outcomes of choices
4-5 Social Rules & Safety
  • Internet safety
6-7 Managing Emotions
  • Identify personal emotional triggers (anger, sadness)
  • Apply coping/regulation strategies across context
  • Follow steps to identify a best-fit strategy (self-awareness of identification of needs)
6-7 Making Choices & Understanding Consequences
  • Apply self-regulation strategies before making decisions
  • Identify best-fit process for making a decision
  • Apply steps to decision-making in real-life scenarios
  • Identify natural and formal consequences
6-7 Social Rules & Safety
  • Identify expected behaviors and safety in community
  • Understand and be able to demonstrate behavioral expectations across different school environments
  • Understand implications of cell phone and social media interactions
6-7 Recognize & Respond to the Feelings of Others
  • Define and provide examples of empathy and compassion through practice
  • Understand skills related to encouraging others
  • Know when to seek adult support for peer conflicts and concerns around self-harm
8 Managing Emotions
  • Identify personal emotional triggers (anxiety, depression)
  • Application of coping/regulation strategies across context
  • Use steps to identify a best-fit strategy (self-awareness or crisis-coping)
8 Making Choices & Understanding Consequences
  • Apply self-regulation strategies before making decisions
  • Identify best-fit process for making a decision
  • Apply steps to decision-making in real-life scenarios
  • Identify natural and formal consequences (within social constructs/friendship advice)
8 Social Rules & Safety
  • Identify expected behaviors and safety in community
  • Understand the characteristics of healthy relationships
  • Understand the warning signs and actions related to suicide prevention
  • Understand implications of cell phone and social media interactions
8 Recognize & Respond to the Feelings of Others
  • Demonstrate skills related to encouragement across context
  • Identify when encouragement of others is appropriate
  • Know when to seek adult support for peer conflicts and concerns around self-harm
9-10 Identifying & Expressing Emotions
  • Expression of thoughts and feelings will be shared in a respectful manner, both verbally, and with body language
9-10 Recognize & Respond to the Feelings of Others
  • Employ active and reflective listening skills
  • Recognize another's perspective, thoughts, and feelings
9-10 Self-Advocacy
  • Identify and utilize school-based academic support and resources
  • Identify county and community-based academic and social-emotional learning resources
11-12 Identifying & Expressing Emotions
  • Engage in effective exchanges utilizing verbal and non-verbal communication skills
  • Demonstrate awareness and utilize appropriate language for the situation
11-12 Recognize & Respond to the Feelings of Others
  • Demonstrate active listening skills
  • Demonstrate flexibility in thinking by being open to change and new ideas
11-12 Self-Advocacy
  • Engage in effective exchanges utilizing verbal and non-verbal communication skills while advocating for personal, professional, and educational needs

Frequently Asked Questions

    • Peer Conflict: Verbal teasing, name calling, put-downs, or low intensity disrespectful comments directed towards peers.
    • Bullying: "Any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths, who are not siblings or current dating partners, that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated. Bullying may inflict harm or distress on the targeted youth including physical, psychological, social, or educational harm.” (Gladden et al., 2014, p. 7)
    • Harassment: Harassment means behavior toward a student or group of students based, in whole or in part, on their sex, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual or transgender orientation or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability or any other characteristic protected under State, Federal or local law, which substantially interferes with the student’s school or academic performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive school environment.
    • Examples of bullying and non bullying: Please see pages 4-8 of the DPI bullying prevention tool kit.

  • Rather than utilizing a pre-packaged purchased program, we have established a set of instructional practices and opportunities for students to develop and practice bullying prevention skills (in the table above). These practices align specifically with MTSD’s efforts in workforce readiness skills and student wellness.  

  • Staff are formally trained in bullying/harassment identification and reporting. This training happens one a year, as a minimum. Topics include identification of bullying and harassment, reporting procedures, immediate response procedures, how to talk with students about bullying, investigation roles and responsibilities, and communication practices and procedures. 

  • To report a bullying or harassment situation, please contact your building administrator (principal or assistant principal), or fill out the MTSD Safety Reporting Form.

  • Once an incident is reported, a school or district administrator will launch an investigation with steps that may include:

    1. Parent interviews
    2. Student interviews
    3. Staff interviews
    4. Incident evidence review

  • School administration will be in contact to explain the potential outcome of the situation. If the outcome is determined to not be bullying or harassment, you may be contacted by a student services professional on the administrator’s behalf. Please note that student confidentiality will limit what information can be shared about students other than your own. 

  • Please see the MTSD Parent-Student Handbook, pages 22-28.

  • Student and family confidentiality is governed by federal and state privacy laws. Any identifying information or disciplinary outcomes of other parties involved are not subject to disclosure.

  • Resources:

    1. My child has been bullied. What can I do?
    2. Caregiver-Child Bullying Talk 

    You can also contact your school’s social emotional coach, school counselor, or school psychologist for additional resources and support.

    Additional Resources:

    1. A Comprehensive Approach to Bullying Prevention
    2. Bullying 101 Guide for Middle & High School Students
    3. Board Policy 5516 HARASSMENT AND OTHER PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR

  • While your school staff will do everything they can to prevent bullying through preventative strategies, we cannot control or engage with student behaviors outside of school. We are here to help problem solve, but cannot address student behavior outside of the educational environment or school-sponsored activities. We encourage you to reach out to the activity’s leaders, such as coaches, supervisors, before and after school teachers, care coordinators, and/or wraparound coordinators.