Safe School Climate

It is important for all members of the Greenwich community to work together to provide each young person with a safe and supportive learning environment. This means that the adults in schools, playgrounds, neighborhoods, sports facilities and homes work with our children and teens to prevent, recognize, report and respond to mean behaviors, especially those that may rise to the level of bullying (as defined by the State of Connecticut). Our goal is to foster a positive climate (physical, emotional and intellectual) and interrupt ANY kind of inappropriate peer interactions, intentional and unintentional.

Our plan in Greenwich for 2022-2023 includes different components to address the ways students engage in both positive and negative behaviors:

Continuation of our emphasis on our common district norms:
- Be Here
- Be Safe
- Be Honest
- Care for Self and Others
- Let Go and Move On
Continued implementation of the “Second Step” program at the preschool, elementary and middle school levels. The program gives students the tools to excel in and out of the classroom and to make progress in emotion management, situational awareness, and academic achievement.
Refresher workshop for ALL certified and non-certified staff regarding their responsibilities under the Safe School Climate legislation.
Support to schools from members of the Behavior Support Teams to assist in the consistent implementation Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS).

Additional Information

Bullying

Connecticut Safe School Climate legislation defines “bullying” as

“Bullying” means an act that is direct or indirect and severe, persistent or pervasive, which:

(A) causes physical or emotional harm to an individual
(B) places an individual in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm, or
(C) infringes on the rights or opportunities of an individual at school

Bullying shall include, but not be limited to, a written, oral, or electronic communication or physical act or gesture based on any actual or perceived differentiating characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, socioeconomic status, academic status, physical appearance, or mental, physical, developmental or sensory disability, or by association with an individual or group who has or is perceived to have one or more of such characteristics. (The student against whom the activity is directed must be attending school in the same district as the students engaged in the activity.)

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is defined as bullying that takes place through the use of technology. It is used through e-mail, cell phones, instant messaging, Web sites, social media, online games, etc.

What to do if your child is being cyberbullied

Ask them to:

Never respond to harassing, negative and threatening responses
Print out the posts and delete them.
Block the person who is harassing them
If they are being threatened online contact the Police Department and notify the school
If they are being harassed on social media report it to the company (e.g. reported to Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat or TikTok, etc.)
Never respond to Cybertext or any online harassment
If they are being harassed by texting, ask them to delete the texts and block the number.
If being threatened by texting, write down all of the text messages and the number they are coming from and block the person. Bring this to your cell phone provider who can take action. You should also bring these messages and phone numbers to the police.

Mean Behaviors

While not all mean behaviors (inappropriate peer interactions) rise to the level of bullying, most bullying begins as mean behaviors. Mean behavior may be described in two ways:

Unintentional mean behavior – where the perpetrator does not intend to hurt the victim. This presents a “teachable moment” where the perpetrator is informed that his/her behavior has caused hurt feelings. The goal is to help the perpetrator understand the impact of his/her behavior and to help the perpetrator identify alternative ways to interact that are more productive and lead to positive change.
Intentional mean behavior – where the perpetrator intentionally behaves in a way that is meant to humiliate, isolate, or diminish the victim. Early and consistent intervention at this point on the part of all school and community members (adults, peer bystanders and peer allies) will significantly reduce incidents of any kind of hurtful mean-spirited behaviors including but not limited to bullying and harassment and improve school climate.

Reporting Bullying, Cyberbullying, Mean Behaviors & Other Inappropriate Behaviors

If you witness or hear about mean behaviors (that may or may not be bullying), you may formally notify the school personnel in writing or feel free to call either your child’s teacher, your child’s school counselor, or a school administrator. It is also important for you to know that, consistent with this law, you or your child may anonymously report acts of bullying to our teachers, other educational personnel (e.g., school social worker) and/or administrators. When possible, please encourage your son/daughter to make such reports if they feel they have been targeted [bullied] or if they have witnessed another student being targeted [bullied]. Bullying behavior is prohibited by our student discipline policy/codes of conduct and may lead to disciplinary action, including suspension from school (or in more severe cases, expulsion by your child’s school district), but most importantly, ANY kind of hurtful, mean-spirited behavior is not acceptable in the Greenwich Public Schools.

In addition to the current requirements for notifying parents/guardians of students who commit any verified acts of bullying and students against whom such acts were directed, the new legislation also requires us to notify parents/guardians of students at the beginning of any investigation that may lead to a determination of bullying.

We are aware that incidents of mean behavior and/or bullying are rarely committed in view of supervising adults. Targets are most vulnerable in situations beyond the eyes of staff, such as the playground, buses, restrooms, and bus stops. The most likely adult to be informed by a target is the parent/guardian or a peer. Parents/guardians are often reluctant to inform the school due to the student’s fear of retaliation. But without parent/guardian input, the school personnel will be uninformed and unable to intervene to stop this inappropriate behavior, regardless if it rises to the level of being formal “bullying.” It is vital that school staff and parents/guardians continue to work together to protect the safe physical and emotional environment of our school programs.

Reporting Incidents
If you witness or hear about mean behaviors (that may or may not be bullying), you may formally notify the school personnel in writing or feel free to call either your child’s teacher, your child’s school counselor, or a school administrator.

Additionally, at Greenwich High School incidents can be anonymously reported using the Anonymous Alerts app.