"No bullying" is the law as of January 1, 2011 in the State of NH

Responsibilities are: Any student who believes he/she has been the victim of bullying should report it to an adult immediately (principal, assistant principal, counselor, teacher, or para-professional) If you see another student being bullied, report it immediately. The administration will follow the law's procedures and timelines when an act of bullying is reported.

As a school we must ensure that all our students have a safe, secure, and peaceful educational environment, and that all of our students have an equal opportunity for an education. Bullying interferes with these basic rights.

Bullying is defined as a single significant or a pattern of incidents involving written, verbal, or electronic communication, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination directed at another student.

Forms of bullying include: Physically harming a student or damaging a student's property, Causing emotional distress to a student, Interfering with a student's educational opportunities, Creating a hostile educational environment, Substantially disrupting the orderly operation of a school, and Cyberbullying Bullying also includes intentional acts motivated by an imbalance of power.

An imbalance of power consists of using one's power of intellect, popularity, exclusion, intimidation, or control to make someone feel bad about themselves on purpose.

Cyberbullying is using electronic devices in and out of school to bully. Out of school behaviors can cause a disruption to the educational process, and are considered bullying.

Over 25 percent of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or on the Internet. Well over half of young people do not tell their parents when cyber bullying occurs. Over 80 percent of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most popular form of technology and a common medium for cyber bullying.

Only 15% of parents are "in the know" about their kids' social networking habits, and how these behaviors can lead to cyberbullying.

Electronic devices and technologies that can be used for cyberbullying include telephones, cellphones, computers, email, instant messaging, text messaging, and social networking sites. Cyberbullying can take place from the comfort of one's home.

Alleged bullying can be reported to a school official if it happens on or off school grounds. Once reported, the school administration will follow the guidelines for investigating an alleged act of bullying.

Following are bullying reference sheets for conducting an investigation in to an alleged act of bullying.

Step 1: within 48 hours of the bullying incident being reported, the administration will notify parents or guardian of a victim of bullying and the parents or guardian of the perpetrator of bullying. The content of the notification shall comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20, 20 U.S.C. 1232g.

Step 2: The administration will complete a written procedural report of the investigation within 5 school days of the reported incident. A maximum of 10 school days shall be the limit for the initial filing of incidents and completion of the investigative report.

Step 2a: Within two school days of completing an investigation, the Principal will notify the students involved in person of his/her findings and the result of the investigation.

Step 2b: The Principal will notify via telephone the parents of the alleged victim and alleged perpetrator of the results of the investigation. The Principal will also send a letter to the parent within 24 hours again notifying them of the results of the investigation.

Step 3: The administration will develop a response to remediate any substantiated incident of bullying, including imposing a student consequence if appropriate, to reduce the risk of future incidents and, where deemed appropriate, to offer assistance to the victim or perpetrator.

Remedial measures may include mediation, peer support groups, corrective instruction, behavior assessment, student counseling, and parent conferences.

Step 4: The administration shall recommend a strategy for protecting all pupils from retaliation of any kind.

Step 5: The administration will report all substantiated incidents of bullying to the Superintendent of SAU15 or designee.

Step 6: The administration will communicate with the parents or guardian of victims and perpetrators regarding the school's remedies and assistance, within the boundaries of the state and federal law. This communication will occur within 10 days of completion of the investigation.

Step 7: If appropriate, a "Safe Schools Report" will be filed with the local Police Department and Superintendent of SAU15.

If you make up a story to get someone else in trouble, you will get in trouble. This includes setting others up and knowingly providing false information.

The school will take appropriate action against any student or adult who retaliates against any person who makes a good faith report of alleged bullying or against any person who testifies, assists, or participates in a proceeding or hearing relating to bullying. In other words, you'll get in more trouble if you try to get someone back for getting you in trouble.

Bullying is defined as a single significant or a pattern of incidents involving written, verbal, or electronic communication, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination directed at another student which...

Physically hurts another student or damages another student's property. Causes another student to feel uncomfortable, scared, worried, or threatened (crying, anger, feeling sick, frequent trips to the nurse, not wanting to go to school). Interferes with the school day. Teachers having to take time out of class/disrupts the flow of learning. Interferes with students' ability to focus on school work. Cyber-bullying: Bullying by using electronic devices in and/or out of school. Imbalance of power: Bullying also includes intentional acts motivated by an imbalance of power (popularity, exclusion). Using your power, your words or actions, to hurt someone on purpose.

Resources: http://bullybeware.com http://i-safe.org http://bullyingstatistics.org http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/