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Families & Community » Student Safety

Student Safety

 
 
STUDENT AND SCHOOL SAFETY

It is the policy of the State of California to ensure that all local education agencies continue to work to reduce discrimination, harassment, violence, intimidation, and bullying.  It is further the policy of San Carlos School District to improve student safety at schools and the connections between students and supportive adults, schools, and communities.  As such, our adopted policies and procedures address the following:

 


COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL SAFETY PLAN: 2023-2024

The comprehensive school safety plan is a compilation of policies, frameworks, and regulations surrounding the health and safety of our students, staff, and larger community.  Topics discussed include our multi-tiered system of support, Big 5 safety protocol, anti-bullying policies, COVID safety, and more.  This plan is updated yearly, and reviewed by the school resource officer, a fire department staff member, school leadership members, the San Mateo County safety and prevention coordinator, and all 8 school council sites.  This plan holds a framework for all 8 school site safety plans, which are linked in the comprehensive safety plan.
 
 

NON-DISCRIMINATION

The District programs, activities, and practices shall be free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression; or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying, you should immediately contact the school site principal, Director of Student Services, Meagan Vizier, (650) 590-5943 [email protected], or Assistant Superintendent Hans Barber (Complaint Officer), [email protected], (650) 590-5930. 

 

To receive further information on the district’s anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, anti-bullying policies, please refer to the policies above and/or contact the school principal. To report an incidence of bullying please contact the school principal and/or or complete the SCSD Bullying Incident Report Form.

 

Several of our sites also have their own forms you can fill out, which you can find below:

CMS Incident Report Form

Tierra Linda Incident Report Form

 

 


ANTI-BULLYING RESOURCES
 


ANTI-BULLYING RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

If you read one article on what to do about bullying, make it this one.

How can I support my child if they are bullied at school?
Avoid blaming your child for the harassment. Think twice before giving advice - your child may have already tried the strategies you are going to suggest. Get as much information as you can. Talk with your child’s teacher, principal, or counselor and ask them to help your child be safe. Their intervention may include consequences for the bully, increased supervision, and helping your child make more friends if he or she is isolated.  Ask your child what she has already tried to resolve the problem. Praise her for all the things she has tried. Give him permission to stop doing the things that haven't worked to stop the bullying. Encourage him to keep telling you and other adults. Help him to think about what has worked- or what might work. If your child is isolated, help her make connections through activities, hobbies, or clubs.

 

PARENTS OF KIDS BEING BULLIED

Observe your child for signs they might be being bullied

Children may not always be vocal about being bullied. Signs include ripped clothing, hesitation about going to school, decreased appetite, nightmares, crying, or general depression and anxiety. If you discover your child is being bullied, don’t tell them to “let it go” or “suck it up”. Instead, have open-ended conversations where you can learn what is really going on at school so that you can take the appropriate steps to rectify the situation. Most importantly, let your child know you will help him/her and that they should try not to fight back

 

Teach your child how to handle being bullied

Until something can be done on an administrative level, work with your child to handle bullying without being crushed or defeated. Practice scenarios at home where your child learns how to ignore a bully and/or develop assertive strategies for coping with bullying. Help your child identify teachers and friends that can help them if they’re worried about being bullied.

 

Set boundaries with technology

Educate your children and yourself about cyberbullying and teach your children not to respond or forward threatening emails. “Friend” your child on Facebook or Myspace and set up proper filters on your child’s computer. Make the family computer the only computer for children, and have it in a public place in the home where it is visible and can be monitored. If you decide to give your child a cell phone think carefully before allowing them to have a camera option. Let them know you will be monitoring their text messages. As a parent, you can insist that phones are stored in a public area, such as the kitchen, by a certain time at night to eliminate nighttime bullying and inappropriate messaging. Parents should report bullying to the school, and follow up with a letter that is copied to the school superintendent if their initial inquiry receives no response.

Parents should report all threatening messages to the police and should document any text messages, emails or posts on websites.

 

PARENTS OF KIDS ENGAGED IN BULLYING

Stop bullying before it starts

  • Educate your children about bullying. It is possible that your child is having trouble reading social signs and does not know what they are doing is hurtful. Remind your child that bullying others can have legal consequences.
  • Make your home “bully free.”
  • Children learn behavior through their parents. Being exposed to aggressive behavior or an overly strict environment at home makes kids more prone to bully at school. Parents/caregivers should model positive examples for your child in your relationships with other people and with them.
  • Look for self-esteem issues.

 

Children with low self-esteem often bully to feel better about themselves. Even children who seem popular and well-liked can have mean tendencies. Mean behavior should be addressed by parents, and focus on helping your student get to the underlying root of these behaviors, and how to express themselves more effectively and kindly.

 

ANTI-BULLYING RESOURCES FOR YOUTH

There is a good chance that you have experienced bullying yourself, or that you have been the bully yourself. Probably, you have seen someone else being bullied. Bullying can take the form of words or deeds. It can be done from electronic devices. It includes repeatedly calling someone names, or repeatedly excluding someone from the group, or physically harassing someone. If you feel like you are being mistreated or isolated and it is happening again and again, talk to an adult. Know there is help. If you find yourself bullying someone else, stop the behavior and make it right. Apologize. Focus on doing things differently from now on. Ask for help with your behavior. If you see someone being bullied, take a stand and support that person. If you feel safe, tell the person doing the bullying to stop. If you don't feel safe, walk away and try to bring the victim with you. Whether you are being bullied, being the bully, or seeing someone being bullied, know that there is help. Start by talking to an adult you can trust.

 
 
PARENT VENTURE SERIES VIDEOS: ANTI-BULLYING
 
1. The Gift of Friendship: Strategies for Developing Healthy Relationships - Deborah Farmer Kris
 
 
We all crave friendship. Few things more satisfying than seeing our children develop positive relationships with peers. Deborah Farmer Kris, educator and child development expert, shares practical strategies for helping children develop empathy and perspective-taking skills, read social cues, navigate conflict, and treat others with kindness.
 
2. Friends vs Followers: Friendship Dynamics in the Age of Social Media - Dr. Devorah Heitner
 
 
Texting, exclusion, privacy, Instagram, Tiktok ... What does it mean to be a friend, when "friend" is a verb in the age of social media? In this video, Devorah Heitner, PhD, kids' digital media expert, provides insights into identity, friendship, and empathy in the digital age.
 
3. Keeping the Lines of Communication Open with Your Children - Dr. Donald Grant
 
 
We want our children to learn to express themselves — within the family, in school, and in the community in which they live. Join Dr. Donald E. Grant, Jr., mental health and child development expert, to learn how can you keep the lines of communication open with your child or teen.
 
4. Raising Human Beings: Creating a Collaborative Partnership with Your Child - Dr. Ross Greene
 
 
How can parents create more collaborative partnerships with their kids? Dr. Ross W. Greene, renowned child psychologist and New York Times bestselling author of "Raising Human Beings" and "The Explosive Child," explains how to cultivate better parent-child relationships while nurturing empathy, honesty, resilience, and independence.