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Anti-Bullying Policy

Bullying is not acceptable at Carle Auditory Oral School, and is contrary to state law and the policy of the non-sectarian school and is consistent with subsection (a-5) of this Section [free exercise of religion]. Per 105 ILCS 5/27-23.7, bullying includes cyberbullying and means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student or students that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following:

  • Placing the student or students in reasonable fear of harm to the student or students’ person or property
  • Causing a substantially detrimental effect on the student or students’ physical or mental health
  • Substantially interfering with the student or students’ academic performance or substantially interfering with the student or students’ ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.

The statute further states that bullying may take various forms, including without limitation one or more of the following: harassment, threats, intimidation, stalking, physical violence, sexual harassment, sexual violence, theft, public humiliation, destruction of property, or retaliation for asserting or alleging an act of bullying. This list is meant to be illustrative and non-exhaustive.

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Carle Auditory Oral School's anti-bullying policy is based on the engagement of a rang of school stakeholders, including students, parents or guardians. This policy is posed on Carle Auditory School's website (caos.carle.org) and is included in the student handbook, and where applicable, posted where other policies, rules and standards of conduct are currently posted in the school. The policy is distributed annually to parents, guardians, students and school personnel, including new employees when hired. The policy is consistent with the policies of Carle Auditory Oral School.

It is the school’s expectation that all individuals will practice safe, responsible and respectful behavior. As part of teaching and practicing these behaviors, students and teachers will treat each other safely and with respect. Reprisal or retaliation against any person who reports an act of bullying is prohibited. Consequences and appropriate remidial actions for a person who engages in reprisal or retaliation will be enforced/provided. If a person is found to have falsely accused another of bullying as a means for retaliation or bullying, consequences and remedial actions will be enforced/provided.

Respect is the foundation of our anti-bullying policy. As a proactive measure to teach social-emotional skills, all students are taught the school expectations and participate in weekly Friendship Circle lessons. Individual and small group social work services are additional interventions available to address bullying in the school setting. When challenges are noted, referrals to Carle and community resources for additional social-emotional skill building, counseling, and psychological services are made.

Incidences of bullying occurring on the school campus can be reported to teachers or Danielle Chalfant in the school office (217) 326-2824/ Danielle.chalfant@carle.com. Reports of off-campus bullying can also be reported to the school, for investigation and potentially referral to a community resource.

If a student, parent or staff member observes or reports that another individual is not feeling safe or being treated respectfully, the following steps/ interventions shall occur:

Consistent with federal and State laws and rules governing student privacy rights, the parent(s) or guardian(s) of all students involved in the alleged incident of bullying will be promptly informed about the alleged incident, and be informed about the availability of social work services, counseling, school psychological services, other interventions and restorative measures. Restorative measures means a continuum of school-based alternatives to exclusionary discipline, such as suspensions and expulsions, that
     (i) Are adapted to the particular needs of the school and community,
     (ii) Contribute to maintaining school safety,
     (iii) protect the integrity of a positive and productive learning climate,
     (iv) teach students the personal and interpersonal skills they will need to be successful in school and society,
     (v) serve to build and restore relationships among students, families, schools and communities,
     (vi) and reduce the likelihood of future disruption by balancing accountability with an understanding of students’ behavioral health needs in order to keep students in school
     (vii) increase student accountability if the incident of bullying is based on religion, race, ethnicity, or any other category that is identified in the Illinois Human Rights Act.

A. Program staff will make all reasonable efforts to complete the investigation within 10 school days after the date of the report of the incident of bullying was received and taking into consideration additional relevant information received during the course of the investigation about the reported incident of bullying.

  • The teacher(s) of the student(s) involved, with support from the school social worker (who has knowledge, experience, and training on bullying prevention and can help guide the investigation process), will listen to and document all concerns being brought forth within 24 hours of the report.
B. Involving appropriate school support personnel and other staff persons with knowledge, experience, and training on bullying prevention, as deemed appropriate, in the investigation process.
  • The teacher(s) and school social worker will interview staff and students and review accident/ incident reports during the period leading up to and following the report of bullying to determine the frequency of victimization, student, staff and family observations of safety at school, identification of areas of the school where bullying occurs, types of bullying that are common or occurring, and bystander intervention or participation, as part of the process to investigate the report.
  • The teacher will inform the parents of the next steps regarding the schools’ actions in addressing the behaviors within 48 hours of the report.
C. Notifying the principal or school administrator or his or her designees of the report of the incident of bullying as soon as possible after the report is received.
  • The director will receive documentation of the initial concerns and actions within 48 hours of the report.
  • The teachers will speak to the students individually about the school expectations within 48 hours of the report. If requested, individual student guardians are welcome to participate in the conversation with their child.
  • Students will be encouraged to use words with their friends to stop the offensive behavior and to let the teachers know if they are being treated disrespectfully or in a way that makes them feel unsafe.
  • Students will be reminded to use kind hands and keep their bodies to themselves and to treat each other with respect.
  • The teacher will also speak to the students together as a group within 48 hours of the report.
  • The students will be reminded of the expectations and supported as they problem solve how to act/ react to specific situations.
  • The teacher will help role play/ model correct behavior if necessary.
  • Referrals for social work intervention and/ or social skills groups will be made if appropriate. The social worker will be available to discuss strategies and resources with the parents as well.
  • The teacher will monitor student behavior and follow up with the parents regarding student success and/ or continued parent concerns two weeks after the initial report, and will take into consideration additional relevant information received during the investigation about the reported incident of bullying.
  • Interventions, which may include, but are not limited to, school social work services, restorative measures, social-emotional skill building, counseling, school psychological services and community based services, will continue if necessary.
D. Consistent with federal and state laws and rules governing student privacy rights, providing parents and guardians of the students who are parties to the investigation information about the investigation and an opportunity to meet with the principal or school administrator or his or her designee to discuss the investigation, the findings of the investigation and the actions taken to address the reported incident of bullying.
  • School staff will be cognizant of federal and state laws and rules concerning student privacy and rights and provide parents guardians with information related to the bullying incident, subsequent investigation and remediation action plan, and will provide an opportunity to meet with the program director to discuss the bullying incident, subsequent investigation and remediation action plan.
  • Following completion of the investigation, if it is determined that a person has falsely accused another of bullying as a means of retaliation or as a means of bullying, the school social worker will work with the individual to provide support, re-education and if warranted, referral for additional supports and services to address the underlying cause of the false report and to take steps toward remediating it.
  • All steps of the intervention will be documented and shared with the director.

CAOS uses a school wide password to access iPads and Chromebooks. Individual students do not have personal passwords. In the event that students are provided with personal passwords, school administration has the right to obtain a student’s password if there is reasonable cause to believe that the students account may contain evidence of bullying or other violations of school disciplinary rules or policy.

Carle Auditory Oral School leadership will engage in a policy evaluation process to assess the outcomes and effectiveness of the policy that includes, but is not limited to, factors such as the frequency of victimization; student, staff and family observations of safety at the school; identification of areas of the school where bullying occurs; the types of bullying utilized; and the bystander intervention or participation. Our non-sectarian nonpublic school may use relevant data and information we already collect for other purposes in the policy evaluation. The information developed as a result of the policy evaluation will be made available on the school website.

  • Reports/ incidents of bullying will be reviewed quarterly to determine whether the process is working to address and eliminate incidences of bullying. This information will be shared with school administrators, school personnel, parents, guardians, and students via email. Carle Auditory Oral School doesn’t have a school board.
This policy was submitted via IWAS Anti-Bullying Submission portal on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. This policy was reviewed and approved on Monday, January 16, 2023.