Mad River Local Schools

Bullying Prevention

The Mad River School District is committed to creating a safe, caring, respectful learning environment for all students and strictly enforces a prohibition against bullying.

What is Bullying?

• Any intentional written, verbal, electronic, or physical act that a student or group of students exhibits toward another particular student(s) more than once and the behavior both causes mental or physical harm to the other student(s)and is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for the other student(s); or violence within a dating relationship.                      

How can parents get involved?

• Through parent organization meetings, other school events, and mailings, we hope to inform you about the many problems associated with bullying.
• We will discuss with you ways of identifying whether your children may be involved as bullies, or as victims of bullying, and we will suggest strategies and resources for you.

Warning signs of being bullied:

• Comes home from school with torn or dirty clothing
• Damaged books
• Has cuts, bruises, scratches
• Has few, if any, friends to play with
• Seems afraid to go to school
• Complains of headaches, stomach pains
• Doesn’t sleep well, has bad dreams
• Loses interest in schoolwork
• Seems sad, depressed, or moody
• Is anxious and has poor self-esteem
• Is quiet, sensitive, and passive
• If your child shows several of these warning signs, it’s possible he or she is being bullied by other children. You may want to talk with your child to find out what is troubling him or her and schedule a conference to discuss your concerns with school staff.

Warning signs of bullying others:

• Teases and threatens, kicks other children
• Is hot-tempered, impulsive, and has a hard time following rules
• Is aggressive toward adults
• Is tough and shows no sympathy toward children who are bullied
• Has been involved in other antisocial activities such as vandalism or stealing
• If your child shows several of these warning signs, it’s possible that he or she is bullying one or more children. You may want to spend some extra time talking with your child about his or her behavior and schedule a conference to talk about these issues with school staff.