Anti-Bullying

  • Anti-Bullying Policies & ReportingBullying Banner

    Marvin Ridge High School does not tolerate bullying, hate speech, or harassment in any form against any individual or group. Our Administrative Team, Counselors, and Educators are committed to establishing a safe learning environment for all to learn and develop to their full potential. In conjunction with Union County Public Schools, we believe that all students should be free of unlawful discrimination, including harassment and bullying, in all educationalal and extracurricular activities. Upholding North Carolina law, Marvin Ridge High School, in conjunction with Union County Public Schools BOE, recognizes that all students should be protected on the basis of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Therefore, any violation of this law is unacceptable and will be addressed according to state law and Board of Education Policy (BOE Policy 4-7). The Anti-Bullying Policy at Marvin Ridge includes both proactive and responsive measures to mitigate bullying behaviors as well as clear consequences. The Administrative Team and Counseling Department encourage all students and staff to report any behaviors that are harmful to an individual or group within our community.  

    How to Report Bullying at Marvin Ridge

    Please speak to your counselor or fill out the appropriate report if you feel unsafe or harmed by bullying.  

    Report a Bullying Incident

    For the purpose of the following reporting forms, "Bullying" is unwanted, aggressive behavior of students including but not limited to making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Bullying can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital images or words. Bullying includes any verbal, emotional, or physical attack on an individual or his or her property (e.g., physical or digital vandalism, etc.)  Reports shall be kept confidential and only shared with administration with student permission. (Confidentiality ensures that school counselors won't share students' disclosures with others except when the student authorizes it or when there is a clear and present danger to the student and/or to other persons.)  Our jobs as counselors are to help you process bullying behaviors and take action if needed.  We appreciate you! 

    If you need to report an incident, please use the See Something, Say Something app.

    Report Hate / Bias Incidents

    Marvin Ridge High School does not tolerate hate, bias, or harassment in any form against any individual or group. For the purpose of this reporting form, A "Bias/Hate Incident" refers to any verbal, emotional, or physical attack on an individual or his or her property (e.g., physical or digital vandalism, etc.) in which the victim is intentionally selected because of their race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, or sexual orientation. This includes Micro-Aggressions. No incident is too small or too big to report.  This Bias/Hate Incident reporting form shall be used for reporting of incidences involving Marvin Ridge Students, Staff, Faculty and that are deemed biased/hateful by the reporting student, teacher, or staff member. Reports shall be kept confidential (confidentiality ensures that school counselors won't share students' disclosures with others except when the student authorizes it or when there is a clear and present danger to the student and/or to other persons.) If indicated below that you would like us to check in with you, please include your name and contact information. Our jobs as counselors are to help you process bias and hate incidents as well as to utilize information in a constructive way to improve the climate at MRHS.  We appreciate you! Your report will help us make the Marvin Ridge High School climate safe for ALL students.

    The Say Something Anonymous Reporting System is available to students and parents to submit secure, anonymous safety concerns to school officials to help someone who may hurt themselves, harm others, or potential destruction of property.  24/7 Crisis Hotline Counselors At 1-844-5-SayNow, download the Mobile App at Google Play or Apple Store, and request Follow Up information on the tip you submitted.

    Definitions

    • A safe learning environment is focused on academic achievement, maintaining high standards, fostering positive relationships between staff and students, and encouraging parental and community involvement.
    • Aggressor means a student who engages in bullying or retaliation.
    • Bullying is defined by Union County Public Schools repeated intimidation of others by the real or threatened infliction of physical, verbal, written, electronically transmitted or emotional abuse or through attacks on the property of another. Bullying may include, but is not limited to, verbal taunts, name-calling and put-downs, extortion of money or possessions, implied or stated threats.  Bullying can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital images or words. Bullying includes any verbal, emotional, or physical attack on an individual or his or her property (e.g., physical or digital vandalism, etc.) Bystander means a student who witnesses or allows a bullying incident to happen or escalate.
    • Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior. Examples of prohibited conduct are: building a fake profile or website, posting or encouraging others to post on the Internet private, personal, or sexual information or disseminating unauthorized data, posting a real or doctored image on the Internet. Accessing, altering, or erasing any computer network, computer data, computer program, or computer software, including breaking into a password-protected account or stealing or otherwise accessing passwords, Using a computer system for repeated, continuing, or sustained electronic communications, including electronic mail or other transmissions, make any statement, whether true or false, intending to immediately provoke, and that is likely to provoke, any third party to stalk or harass. Signing up for a pornographic Internet site or for electronic mailing lists or to receive junk electronic messages and instant messages, with the intent to intimidate or torment any MRHS community member. For the purpose of this plan, the term "bullying" is used to denote either bullying or cyber-bullying.
    • Hostile Environment means a situation in which bullying causes the school environment to be permeated with intimidation, ridicule or insult that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of the student's education.
    • Push-in Services are informative, counseling driven lessons that happen in the classroom. Counselors visit various classrooms to share Social-Emotional Learning lessons (as opposed to pulling an individual student out of the classroom for a counseling session.
    • Retaliation means any form of intimidation, reprisal, or harassment directed against a student who reports Bullying, provides information during an investigation of Bullying, or witnesses or has reliable information about Bullying.
    • Target means a student against whom bullying or retaliation has been perpetrated.