- Kent School District
- Bullying
HIB Information & Resources
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Defining Bullying
We define harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) as intentional electronic, written, verbal or physical act that:
- Physically harms a student or damages the student’s property.
- Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student’s education.
- Is so severe, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment.
- Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.
Conflict is inevitable, harassment, intimidation, and bullying are not.
Conflict is a natural part of life. People view things differently, have disagreements, treat each other mean at times. It is important not to label conflict/fighting as bullying. Schools use these guidelines to help determine if this is a conflict or a situation of HIB.
Please note that the school will act in both cases.
Conflict/Fighting Behaviors
- Between friends/equals/peers
- Spontaneous/occasional
- Accidental/not planned
- Little or no serious/lasting harm
- Equal emotional reaction to the incident
- Not done for domination/control
- Sense of remorse
- Desire to solve the problem
Bullying Behaviors
- Not friends/imbalance of power
- Repeated over time
- Intentional
- Physical/emotional harm
- Unequal emotional reaction to the incident
- Seeking control/possession/domination
- No remorse, blames the target
- No effort to solve the problem
Teaching Students to End Bullying
Our social-emotional learning curriculum, taught at all grade levels, helps students develop skills to solve conflicts and promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion in our schools.
Second Step
Second Step is designed to teach developmentally appropriate social-emotional skills to children in grades K-8. Some of the skills taught include empathy, problem-solving, and emotion management.
Kelso's Choice
Kelso's Choice is a conflict-management program for elementary students. Kelso the Frog helps teach students ways to resolve minor conflicts on their own. The program also teaches students the difference between problems they can solve on their own and major problems that require adult help.
Report Bullying
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Let Your School Know
All instances of suspected harassment, intimidation, and/or bullying should be reported to your school’s principal or assistant principal in any of the following ways:
- In person
- Over the phone
- By email
You may also complete the official HIB Report Form below and submit it to the school’s main office.
Creating Healthy Environments
Frequently Asked HIB Questions
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What should I do if my child is being bullied online?
If your child is facing harassment, intimidation and/or bullying by another student or staff member of the Kent School District please report this to school officials. The school will start an investigation and report to you their conclusions. If possible, when reporting the bullying include any screenshots from social media or other online forums as evidence of the alleged bullying.
Depending on several factors the school may not be able to impose school discipline on the aggressor, however they will still assist attempting to address the problem. If the harassment rises to the level of a crime, law enforcement may be contacted.
If the harassment, intimidation and/or bullying is being done by a student in another district, an adult not affiliated with the school district and/or an unknown person(s) please report such incidents to your local law enforcement agency.
Most social media companies (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, YouTube, etc.) have a way to report unwanted and/or illegal posts. Please use this process to report harassment done using social media posts.
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What should students do if they are being bullied or see bullying happening?
All instances of suspected HIB should be reported to the school’s principal or assistant principal. This can be done in person, over the phone, by email or by submitting the official HIB Reporting form to the school’s main office.
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What will the school and district do if HIB is reported?
A report of suspected HIB will start an investigation of the incident. The following takes place during an investigation:
- Both parties (alleged target and alleged aggressor) will be interviewed.
- A representative group of witnesses (identified by both alleged target and alleged aggressor) will be interviewed.
- Any evidence available of the incident (video, social media posts, written notes, etc.) will be reviewed.
- A review of any past incidents of conflict between the two parties involved will take place.
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What will be determined from an investigation?
After the investigation, the administrator will notify the parent/guardian of both the alleged target and alleged aggressor with the outcome of the investigation. The investigation could conclude:
- This was an incident of HIB (founded). The aggressor will face corrective action (discipline) according to Student Discipline Policy and Procedure 3241 and 3241P. If needed, safety measures will be put in place.
- This incident was not an incident of HIB (unfounded). However, , the incident did violate a different school or district rule. The aggressor will face corrective action (discipline) according to Student Discipline Policy and Procedure 3241 and 3241P
- The incident was “unfounded.” There was insufficient evidence to determine the incident occurred. Actions may still be needed; however, no discipline will occur.
Note: The school is not allowed to discipline students for HIB that occurs outside of school that has no direct connection to events at school. However, the school will still help address the issue to try to stop it from having a negative impact at school.
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What happens after the investigation is completed?
After the conclusion of the investigation, an emphasis will be placed on having all parties be able to successfully attend school together.
- A plan may be needed to identify what specific supports are needed.
- Mediation will sometimes take place if both students are agreeable.
- Steps to limit contact during school may be made.
Since every incident of HIB is different there is no one plan that works every time.
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What can students or families do if they don't agree with the outcome of an investigation?
If your student is determined to be the aggressor in a HIB investigation, then regular school discipline appeals processes apply. Please review Policy 3241 and Procedure 3241P for full details of the appeal process. In most cases, this starts with an appeal directly to the school’s principal.
If your student is the alleged target and it is determined the incident is unfounded and you wish to appeal, contact the District HIB Compliance Officer atcontact (253) 373-7235. You are encouraged to have a conversation with the school principal first to get a better understanding of why it was unfounded and what steps they plan to take.
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What about discrimination-based harassment?
Please review how to file a complaint of possible discrimination or discriminatory harassment.
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What if the incident involves suspected harassment, intimidation, and bullying to your child by a staff member at the school?
If you suspect that your child is being bullied by a district staff member, please follow the process outlined on this page to report the incident. Investigations of the report may be guided by HIB policy and procedure 3207/32071P and/or Complaints Regarding Employees policy and procedure 4220 and 4220P.
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Where can I find KSD policies and procedures on harassment, intimidation and bullying?
All Kent School Board policies and procedures are available on BoardDocs.
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Where can I find general bullying resources?
Visit StopBullying.org to find resources and information on bullying, cyberbullying, and more.
