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Bullying and Harassment Specialist/Title IX Coordinator:
Jennie Thompson
513-829-6300
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
Cleveland Office
1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 325
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Telephone: (216) 522-4970
Hazing and Bullying Policy Information
On February 2, 2012, the Ohio House passed HB116 which is known as the bullying bill or the Jessica Logan Act. It is now law. In response to this law, the Fairfield City School District's Board of Education revised our Hazing and Bullying Policy (JFCF) and Regulation (JFCF-R). You can read these updated documents by selecting from the menu items on the right side of this page.
Our policy states, "Bullying, harassment, and intimidation is an intentional written, verbal, electronic, or physical act that a student has exhibited toward another particular student more than once. The intentional act also includes violence within a dating relationship. The behavior causes mental or physical harm to the other student and is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for the other student. This behavior is prohibited on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored activity. Students found responsible for harassment, intimidation, or bullying by an electronic act may be suspended."
The term "electronic" has been added to the definition of bullying which was formerly used. Please take some time to discuss the topic of bullying with your child(ren). The law has expanded the traditional definition of bullying and is advocating appropriate discipline for those who bully others. That discipline may include suspension and/or expulsion from school. It is a very serious issue with very serious consequences.
Below you will find some information included in our Board Regulation (JFCF-R) which provides further clarification of behaviors which may be considered hazing, bullying, harassment, or intimidation.
"Hazing, bullying behavior, and/or dating violence by any student/school personnel in the District are strictly prohibited, and such conduct may result in disciplinary action, including suspension and/or expulsion from school. Hazing, bullying, and/or dating violence means any intentional written, verbal, graphic, or physical acts, including electronically transmitted acts, either overt or covert, by a student or group of students toward other students/school personnel with the intent to haze, harass, intimidate, injure, threaten, ridicule or humiliate. Such behaviors are prohibited on or immediately adjacent to school grounds, at any school-sponsored activity; in any District publication; through the use of any District-owned or operated communication tools, including but not limited to District e-mail accounts and/or computers; on school-provided transportation or at any official school bus stop.
"Hazing, bullying, and/or dating violence can include many different behaviors. Examples of conduct that could constitute prohibited behaviors include, but are not limited to:
1. physical violence and/or attacks;
2. threats, taunts, and intimidation through words and/or gestures;
3. extortion, damage, or stealing of money and/or possessions;
4. exclusion from the peer group or spreading rumors;
5. repetitive and hostile behavior with the intent to harm others through the use of information and communication technologies and other web-based/online sites (also known as "cyberbullying"), such as the following:
- A. posting slurs on websites, social networking sites, blogs, or personal online journals;
- B. sending abusive or threatening e-mails, website postings or comments, and instant messages;
- C. using camera phones to take embarrassing photographs or videos of students and/or distributing or posting the photos or videos online;
- D. using websites, social networking sites, blogs or personal online journals, e-mails or instant messages to circulate gossip and rumors to other students.
6. excluding others from an online group by falsely reporting them for inappropriate language to Internet service providers. "In evaluating whether conduct constitutes hazing or bullying, special attention is paid to the words chosen or the actions taken, whether such conduct occurred in front of others or was communicated to others, how the perpetrator interacted with the victim and the motivation, either admitted or appropriately inferred."
No parent wants their child to be bullied, and no parent wants to think that their child is a bully. Bullying, however, does exist in our schools and in our community on a daily basis. Thanks for doing your part to try to eliminate this very serious problem. If your child is the victim of bullying, please feel free to complete the Hazing Bullying Form that is located on our website (JCFC-E) and submit it to the building principal.
Every student should have the right to come to school in a safe and supportive educational environment. Thanks for working with us to make sure this happens for all of our students.
SaferSchools Ohio Tip LineIn 2018 the Fairfield City School District registered to be a part of the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Public Safety SaferOH tip line. This free service will allow students to call or text information about any threat to student safety. Calls or texts to 844-SaferOH (844-723-3764) are monitored by specialists at the Ohio Homeland Security’s Threat Assessment and Prevention Unit. Information will then be forwarded to local school officials, local law enforcement, and other agencies as needed. The tip line is available 24/7 and offers students a way to anonymously report potential threats, adding an extra layer to student safety and security.