Uplift Education Board Policy defines bullying as a single significant act or a pattern of acts by one or more scholars directed at another scholar that exploits an imbalance of power and involves engaging in written or verbal expression, expression through electronic means, or physical conduct and that has the effect (or will have the effect) of physically harming a scholar, damaging a scholar's property, or placing a scholar in reasonable fear of harm to the scholar's person or of damage to the scholar's property. 

The action must be sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive enough that the action or threat creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for a scholar; materially and substantially disrupts the educational process or the orderly operation of a classroom or school; or infringes on the rights of the victim at school.  The definition of bullying includes cyberbullying; which is bullying that occurs online or through other electronic media or technology.

Click here to download the complete Uplift Education Board Policy.  

I believe that another scholar said something mean to my child.  Are they being bullied?

It depends on details surrounding the incident, but it’s important to recognize that not every peer conflict or “mean moment” meets the definition of bullying.  To be classified as bullying, a behavior must meet the exact definition listed above, as specified by state law and Uplift Education Board Policy.  Regardless of the label applied to a scholar incident, Uplift Education provides a variety of resources to assist with any and all scholar issues or peer conflicts.  Sometimes these issues can be addressed quickly in the classroom, while other times they may be addressed by the Social/Behavioral Counselor or Campus Administration. 

How do I make a report of suspected bullying?

Bullying can be reported by any parent or scholar to any Uplift Education staff member at any time.  Should a parent/student wish to submit a report online, they may do so by accessing the “Report a Concern” tip line on the Uplift Education website by clicking here.    

What happens after I make a report of bullying?

All reports of suspected bullying are taken seriously and investigated promptly.  Parents of both an alleged victim and/or alleged bullying are notified if an investigation is underway.  A determination is made after each report by campus leaders as to whether or not an incident meets the legal definition of bullying and then interventions are applied to stop the behavior.  It is important to note that, regardless of whether or not a scholar issue meets the definition of bullying, steps are always taken to problem-solve and intervene.   

How does Uplift Education prevent bullying from occurring in the first place? 

Bullying is prohibited at Uplift Education schools.  Uplift implements a wide array of programs designed to reduce and prevent bullying.  For example, all Uplift scholars, K-12, receive an anti-bullying training from the Social/Behavioral Counselor assigned to their school.  Other programs that focus on anti-bullying include (but are not limited to) a Safe Space program run network-wide which encourages all scholars to feel comfortable reporting incidents of suspected bullying, and various SEL programs. Additionally, all Uplift staff are trained annually on how to recognize, report and intervene in suspected bullying situations.