Murrieta Valley High School

Sullivan in The Anti-Bullying Handbook (2011) defines bullying as a conscious, willful, and repetitive act of aggression and/or manipulation and/or exclusion by one of more people against another person or people. Bullying contains the following elements:

1. Harm is intended.
2. It is repetitive and can occur over a short or a long period of time.
3. There is an imbalance of power between the target and the aggressor.
4. It is often hidden from people in authority.
5. Those who bully are often feared for their bullying behavior.
6. Bullying can be premeditated, organized, and systematic, or it can be opportunistic. Once it starts, however, it is likely to continue.

Hurt experienced by a target of bullying can be external (physical) and/or internal emotional/psychological). Bullying can take many forms, both physical and non-physical and there are different complexions of bullying, from the mildest to the most brutal. The different forms of bullying are as follows:

1. Physical bullying/direct bullying includes mean faces, rude gestures, biting, choking, hair pulling, hitting, kicking, locking in a room, pinching, pushing, scratching, spitting, unwanted sexual contact, damaging a person’s property, stalking or any other form of physical attack and intimidation.
2. Psychological bullying/indirect bullying is an attack ‘inside’ the targeted person. It can be just as damaging as physical bullying. It can be verbal and non-verbal. This includes abusive phone calls/text messages/ social media posts, extorting money, using sexually suggestive or abusive language, making cruel remarks, name-calling, sending poisonous notes or messages (often anonymous) spiteful teasing, spreading false and/or malicious rumors, sarcastic remarks, threats, racial slurs, isolation, humiliation, or social embarrassment.

Students and staff should “Expect Respect” at MVHS. Any student that believes s/he has been or is the target of bullying should immediately report the situation to a teacher, his/her school counselor, the school social worker, and/or the Dean of Students. A incident report will need to be completed with the Dean of Students so an investigation may occur. Students and parents/guardians, aware of a situation that they believe to be bullying directed toward another student, should report it to MVHS staff as soon as possible. Interventions and disciplinary actions may include a referral to his/her school counselor, a referral to SAP (Student Assistance Program), a referral to the School Resource Officer, lunch restrictions, suspension, and/or possibly a pre-expulsion hearing. 

Retaliation against any person who reports, is thought to have reported, files a complaint, or otherwise participates in an investigation or inquiry concerning allegations of bullying is prohibited and will not be tolerated. Suspected retaliation should be reported in the same manner as bullying. Making intentionally false reports about bullying for the purpose of getting someone in trouble is similarly prohibited and will not be tolerated. Retaliation and intentionally making a false report may result in disciplinary action as indicated above.

Expect Respect.