Anti-Bullying Policy
Respect for All: Preventing and Addressing Student-to-Student Discrimination, Sexual and Other Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying
New York City Public Schools is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment that is free from harassment, intimidation and/or bullying, sexual harassment, and discrimination on account of actual or perceived race, color, age, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or weight.
Respect for All Week
During Respect for All Week, February 10 -14, 2025, schools across the city will have the opportunity to highlight and build upon ongoing programs to help students, staff, and communities gain a better understanding of diversity. Schools also started new initiatives that promote respect for diversity and focus on preventing bullying, intimidation, and bias-based harassment. Your child’s school was also encouraged to promote acceptance and understanding through theme-based lessons and activities. Suggested themes included:
Celebrating Kindness/Be an Ally
Anti-Bullying/ Cyberbullying
Respect for Diversity, Disability, Religious Acceptance and Racial Diversity
Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, LGBTQ Pride and Acceptance
Friday, February 14, 2025
Respect for All is our system-wide response to bullying and harassment. We are committed to keeping our schools safe, supportive, and free from discrimination.
Respect for All Family Resource
Frequently Asked Questions:
English
Spanish
What is Bullying?
Bullying is aggressive behavior that:
is unwanted and negative.
is intended to cause some kind of harm.
Involves a real or perceived imbalance of power (physical or social) or strength.
can be a single incident or a series of related incidents and can take many forms.
It includes, but is not limited to, behavior that targets students because of their actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship/immigration status, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or weight.
Bullying includes but is not limited to:
Physical violence
Stalking
Verbal or physical conduct that threatens another with harm; recruiting others
Threats, hazing, taunting, aggressive, or menacing gestures;
Exclusion from peer groups designed to humiliate or isolate;
Using derogatory language or making derogatory jokes or name calling to humiliate or harass
Posting or electronically circulating written or graphic material that is derogatory toward others (cyberbullying)
Deliberately using a name, mispronouncing a name or using a pronoun in a manner that discriminates, harasses, bullies, or intimidates based on a student’s actual or perceived race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability or weight.
What You Can Do About Bullying…
…If Your Child is the Target
1. Report the incident to your school's Respect for All (RFA) liaison(s) and/or school administration.
2. Ask for the incident number from school administration for follow up. This is also known as Online Occurrence Reporting System (OORS) number.
3. The school will investigate and must tell the parent or guardian of the target what they find. If needed, the child may be referred for support services.
4. If the investigation finds that a student—or students—have been bullying or harassing your child, the school will follow the process described in the Discipline Code.
PSIS116Q The William C. Hughley School has established an Anti-Bullying Policy. Please read the policy below.
PSIS 116Q William C. Hughley Anti-Bullying Policy
PSIS116Q The William C. Hughley School believes that all students have a right to a safe and healthy school environment. The district, schools, and community have an obligation to promote mutual respect, tolerance, and acceptance.
PSIS116Q The William C. Hughley School will not tolerate behavior that infringes on the safety of any student. A student shall not intimidate, harass, or bully another student through words or actions. Such behavior includes direct physical contact, such as hitting or shoving; verbal assaults, such as teasing or name-calling; and social isolation or manipulation. This also includes cyber bullying, which is posting or electronically circulating written or graphic material that is derogatory towards others.
PSIS116Q The William C. Hughley School expects students and/or staff to immediately report incidents of bullying to the Dean, Parent Coordinator, Guidance Counselor, Assistant Principal, or Principal. Staff who witness such acts take immediate steps to intervene when safe to do so. Each complaint of bullying should be promptly investigated. This policy applies to students on school grounds, while traveling to and from school or a school-sponsored activity, during the lunch period, whether on or off school grounds and during a school-sponsored activity.
To ensure bullying does not occur on school grounds, the PSIS116Q The William C. Hughley will provide staff development training in bullying prevention and cultivate acceptance and understanding in all students and staff to build each school's capacity to maintain a safe and healthy learning environment.
Teachers will discuss this policy with their students in age-appropriate ways and should assure them that they need not endure any form of bullying. Students who bully are in violation of this policy and are subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion.
The NYCDOE Discipline Code includes, but is not limited to:
Any student who engages in bullying may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion.
Students are expected to immediately report incidents of bullying to the principal or designee.
Students can rely on staff to promptly investigate each complaint of bullying in a thorough and confidential manner.
If the complainant student or the parent of the student feels that appropriate resolution of the investigation or complaint has not been reached, the student or the parent of the student should contact the principal or District 29 Office of Student Services. The school system prohibits retaliatory behavior against any complainant or any participant in the complaint process.
The procedures for intervening in bullying behavior include, but are not limited, to the following:
All staff, students and their parents will receive a summary of this policy prohibiting intimidation and bullying as part of the school system's notification to parents.
The school will make reasonable efforts to keep a report of bullying and the results of investigation confidential.
Staff who witness acts of bullying shall take immediate steps to intervene when safe to do so. People witnessing or experiencing bullying are strongly encouraged to report the incident; such reporting will not reflect on the target or witnesses in any way.
In addition to our Anti-Bullying Policy, PSIS 116Q has established a Conflict Resolution Policy.
PSIS116Q The William C. Hughley School Policy for Conflict Resolution
PSIS116Q The William C. Hughley School believes that all students have a right to a safe and healthy school environment. Part of a healthy environment is the freedom to openly disagree. With this freedom comes the responsibility to discuss and resolve disagreements with respect for the rights and opinions of others.
To prevent conflict, each class within the PSIS116Q The William C. Hughley School will incorporate conflict resolution education and problem-solving techniques into the curriculum. This is an important step in promoting respect and acceptance, developing new ways of communicating, understanding, and accepting differing values and cultures within the school community and helps ensure a safe and healthy learning environment.
PSIS116Q The William C. Hughley School will provide training to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills students need to choose alternatives to self-destructive, violent behavior and dissolve interpersonal and intergroup conflict.
Each school will adopt the NYCDOE Discipline Code to be followed by every student while on school grounds, when traveling to and from school or a school-sponsored activity, and during lunch period, whether on or off school grounds. Students who exemplify the Six Pillars of Character will be recognized during the PSIS116Q monthly Dolphin of the Month assemblies.
The NYCDOE Discipline Code includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Students are to resolve their disputes without resorting to violence.
Students, especially those trained in conflict resolution and peer mediation, are encouraged to help fellow students resolve problems peaceably.
Students can rely on staff trained in conflict resolution and peer mediation strategies to intervene in any dispute likely to result in violence.
Students needing help in resolving a disagreement, or students observing conflict may contact an adult or peer mediators.
Students involved in a dispute will be referred to a conflict resolution or peer mediation session with trained adult or peer mediators. Staff and mediators will keep the discussions confidential.
Conflict resolution procedures shall not supplant the authority of staff to act to prevent violence, ensure campus safety, maintain order, and discipline students.