SMMUSD has adopted the Olweus definition of bullying as its own. The definition states that bullying has occurred when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself.

Three key components of bullying behavior are:

• Involves an aggressive act
• Typically involves a pattern of repeated behavior over time
• There is an imbalance of power or strength

While not all unkind behavior (ie: teasing, peer conflict, rough play) is true bullying-like behavior, all negative behaviors are addressed through the school site’s behavior intervention and support system.

Anti Bullying Rules
The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has established a set of four anti-bullying rules. SMMUSD schools have adopted these rules and have made them part of their school-wide behavior framework. The four rules are:

• We will not bully others
• We will try to help students who are bullied
• We will try to include students who are left out
• If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home

Just like 4th rule states, it takes a team to have a true, bully-free environment. We encourage our students to tell a safe adult at school and an adult at home when bullying-like behaviors occur. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s classroom teacher (elementary) or counselor (secondary) if bullying-like behavior is reported to you at home.