We are committed to ensuring our students enjoy safe and supportive learning environments throughout Galesburg Community Unit School District #205. Bullying will not be allowed during any school sponsored activity or event.

The General Assembly passed Public Act 95-0349, which deals with bullying prevention education.

This bill requires each school district to create, maintain and file a policy on bullying with the State Board of Education beginning 180 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act. The bill was signed by the Governor on August 23, 2007. Each school district must communicate its policy on bullying to its students and their parent or guardian on an annual basis. The policy must be updated and then filed every two years with ISBE.

A school board is required to have a student discipline policy that includes provisions to address students who have demonstrated behaviors that put them at risk for aggressive behaviors, “including without limitations, bullying as defined in the policy”. The policy must include procedures for notifying parents or legal guardians and early intervention procedures based on available community based and district resources.

INTIMIDATION / HARASSMENT / TAUNTING / BULLYING / CYBERBULLYING: repeated aggression in which a student or group of students physically or psychologically (mentally) harasses a victim.

a. The action could include but is not limited to hitting, pushing, kicking, tripping, destroying things, name-calling, ridiculing, verbal threats, gossip, rumors, isolating others, and making sexual comments or gestures.

b. This policy prohibits any person from harassing or intimidating a student based upon a student’s sex, color, race, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or other protected group status.

c. Inappropriate Written / Electronic Materials:

i. Accessing and/or distributing at school any written or electronic material, including material from the Internet that will cause substantial disruption of the proper and orderly operation and discipline of the school or school activities.

ii. Creating and/or distributing written or electronic material, including Internet material and blogs, that causes substantial disruption to school operation or interferes with the rights of other students or staff members.

We encourage students, staff, and parents to contact building principals, outreach workers or counselors directly when cases of bullying are known. Every K-12 school has a bullying report form located on individual building pages.

Select a school below to initiate a report of bullying.

Galesburg Junior Senior High School
Lombard Middle School
King Elementary School
Silas Willard Elementary School
Steele Elementary School

According to StopBullying.gov:

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.

In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

• An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.

• Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, cyberbullying, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

Our policy on bullying is written into the Code of Conduct, on pages 11-15. This policy is approved by the Board of Education, and staff are mandated to review our anti-bullying policy regularly. The teaching of Internet Safety, including how to identify, report, and resist cyber bullying, is required to be taught to students at least annually. Students who feel subject to any of these behaviors are encouraged to report it to a teacher, administrator, or other trusted adult immediately. 

Upon receipt of a completed report, a school administrator will review the content and initiate an investigation into the bullying report. A parent/guardian notification must be sent within 24 hours of the initial report. While you are not required to divulge your name on the report, doing so aids the administrator in completing the required investigation.

Building Level Student Service Teams

Staff designated to supports students including building administrators, social workers, psychologists and counselors are available at each building to support teaching, reteaching, review and reinforcement of explicit school-wide and classroom behavioral expectations. These staff members are also available to talk with students about situations related to bullying/cyberbullying as needed. 

The School Complaint Manager is the School Principal at each school.

Dealing With Bullies
If your student feels bullied, help us reinforce these three steps to deal with bullying or cyber bullying:

STOP
Do not respond to the bully. Bullies enjoy controlling the behavior of others. The first step to beating a bully is showing them they can't control you or your responses. Ignore the bully whenever possible. 

BLOCK
Avoid situations where you might be subjected to bully's controlling behavior when possible or appropriate. You are in control of your digital world. Use email, social media, & cell phone tools to block the bully's attempts. "Un-friend" and "un-follow" the bully so their social media messages are removed from view. The less you are exposed to the bully's messages, the more power you have over the bully. Your internet service providers and your cellular service providers can also help you block bullies if needed.

TELL
Contact your parents, teachers, school principal, or another trusted adult and tell them what is happening. Teachers and principals are trained to help in these situations, but remember that there are legal limitations to what they can do and tell you about. You can report the bully to your internet service provider or your cellular service provider so they can take action. Report abuses to social media networks so the bully's account can be examined for possible suspension. Sometimes it is appropriate to contact local law enforcement for help as well. You don't have to be silent - report the bullying behavior so something can be done to help you.

PreSchool Resources

• All classrooms use Conscious Discipline to help students learn to manage their behavior and emotions

• Weekly teacher newsletters communicate and reinforce Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Conscious Discipline curriculum at home.

• Parents are invited and encouraged to check out books, games and videos about topics like bullying from the Bright Futures Parent Resource Library.

• Access to a family education that supports students and families within the home. The ready Rosie Platform is used to communicate and share developmental resources with families.

Elementary School Resources

• School wide implementation of Safe and Civil Schools CHAMPS program.  This program lays the foundation for a proactive and positive school and classroom. 

• Expectations are explicitly taught, modeled, practiced and reinforced. 

• School wide focus on SEL and community building within all K-4 classrooms through the use of Suite 360 and kindness initiatives. 

• A  bullying sociogram is completed by all 3-4 grade students 3x per year to identify patterns in behavior. 

• Restorative practices are used to help both the victim and the bully repair and promote positive trusting relationships among students. 

• Students / Guardians can submit reports of bullying to the classroom teacher, Dean of Students or School Principal.

Middle Grades Resources

• School wide implementation of Safe and Civil Schools CHAMPS program.  This program lays the foundation for a proactive and positive school and classroom. 

• Expectations are explicitly taught, modeled, practiced and reinforced. 

• School wide focus on SEL and community building within all K-4 classrooms through the use of Suite 360 and kindness initiatives. 

• Restorative practices are used to help both the victim and the bully repair and promote positive trusting relationships among students. 

• Students/Guardians can submit reports of bullying to the classroom teacher, Dean of Students or School Principal.

High School Resources

• School wide focus on SEL through use of Suite 360 during Advocacy time.

• Restorative lessons provided to students after receiving disciplinary consequences.