Bullying / Discrimination / Harassment
At Colfax Elementary School District, we are committed to providing a safe and healthy school environment where all students interact with one another in positive, caring, and supportive ways.
The Board of Trustees recognizes the harmful effects of bullying on student well-being, student learning, and school attendance and desires to provide a safe school environment that protects students from physical and emotional harm. Our leadership, teachers, and school staff strive to provide a safe school environment protecting students from physical and emotional harm. Our teachers, administrators, and all school staff establish student safety as a high priority, and we do not tolerate bullying, discrimination, or harassment of any student.
No individual or group shall, through physical, written, verbal, visual, or other means, harass, sexually harass, threaten, intimidate, cyberbully, cause bodily injury to, or commit hate violence against any student or school personnel, or retaliate against them for filing a complaint or participating in the complaint resolution process. (Board Policy 5131.2, Bullying; Board Policy and Administrative Regulation 5145.3, Nondiscrimination/Harassment)
If an instance of bullying or harassment occurs, or if you wish to report something that is abusive in nature or a potential threat, Colfax Elementary offers anonymous reporting through STOPit!.
STOPit! is an online reporting tool designed to deter and mitigate bullying and cyber abuse, consisting of an app and a back-end incident management system for school administrators.
STOPit empowers students with an easy app to safely and anonymously report anything of concern to school officials – from cyberbullying to threats of violence or self-harm. STOPit empowers students to stand up for themselves and others while giving our schools the insight we need to keep students safe. With STOPit, students can submit anonymous reports containing text, photos, or video.
Definition of Bullying
Ed. Codes §§ 234, 234.1, 234.2, 234.3 and 234.5
“Bullying” means any severe (can be once, if severe) or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or by means of an electronic act, and including one or more of the following:
Sexual Harassment (§ 48900.2)
Hate Violence (§ 48900.3)
Threats, harassment, intimidation (§ 48900.4)
Has or reasonable predicted to have one or more of the following (looking at impact):
Placing a reasonable pupil or pupils in fear of harm to that pupil's or those pupils' person or property.
Causing a reasonable pupil to experience a substantially detrimental effect on his or her physical or mental health.
Causing a reasonable pupil to experience substantial interference with his or her academic performance.
Causing a reasonable pupil to experience substantial interference with his or her ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.
Community Resources on Preventing Bullying
What Should You Do if Your Child Is a Bully?
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Center for Missing and Exploiting Children
Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center
Bullying Module (DOCX)
The California Department of Education Online Bullying Training Module and Bullying presentation is mandated by Assembly Bill 1993 and California Education Code Section 32283.5.
Bullying at School (PDF)
This California Department of Education publication addresses bullying behavior and hate-motivated behavior including definitions, effects, and prevention strategies.