Below is the model bullying policy made available by the Nebraska State Department of Education for school districts within Nebraska to use when crafting their own bullying and cyberbullying policies. Each state’s policies vary when it comes to how they: define bullying, harassment, threats, intimidation, and violence; expect reporting and investigating to be carried out, specify response strategies, define penalties, and prescribe certain types of prevention programs and practices.

We recommend that you review and consider updating your own bullying policy on an annual basis with input from educators, administrators, counselors, mental health professionals, parents, and students themselves. That will optimize the likelihood that the policy you implement achieves its goals.

Last Updated: August 7, 2019

URL of Source: https://www.education.ne.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/CLEANG11_2015.pdf

This state does not appear to have a model policy, but state statute does require certain policy provisions. The statutory requirements are outlined below.

DEPARTMENT OF NEBRASKA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION G11 Bylaw and Policy Reference Manual Page 1 of 2 12/4/2015

Nebraska State Board of Education Policy: Anti-Bullying

The State Board of Education believes that Nebraska schools should provide physically safe and emotionally secure environments for all students and staff sustained through relationship building among staff, students, and community. It is the goal of the State Board of Education, through this policy, to support behavior leading to positive learning and teaching environments.

The State Board defines positive behaviors as those which promote respect, cooperation, empathy, tolerance, courtesy, self-regulation, non-violence, and relationship building, toward all students and staff in the learning and teaching environment.

Bullying, as per Nebraska Statute §79-2,137(2) means “. . . any on-going pattern of physical, verbal, or electronic abuse on school grounds, in a vehicle owned, leased, or contracted by a school being used for a school purpose by a school employee or his or her designee, or at school-sponsored activities or school-sponsored athletic events.” The Board further emphasizes bullying as any written, verbal, physical, and/or electronic action that is repetitive, involves an imbalance of power, and has intent to harm physically or emotionally.

The State Board of Education supports annual reviews of established local prevention policies including strategies to emphasize respect, responsibility, relationships, empathy, and boundaries as positive behaviors that promote a safe and secure learning environments. Local school policies for the prevention of bullying/cyberbullying, intimidation, or harassment should include the following information for students and staff.

• signs and symptoms exhibited by recipients;
• awareness of the positive or negative influence of bystanders;
• strategies to support recipients;
• methods of responding to recipients and instigators;
• tactics to de-escalate incidents; and,
• application of positive behavior to influence incidents.

The Department of Education will continue to make information available in regard to evidence-based strategies and practices for the advancement and implementation from model policies to local policies. The Department will also disseminate information that promotes state level efforts to assist schools in achieving positive environments.

NEBRASKA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION G11 Bylaw and Policy Reference Manual Page 2 of 2 12/4/2015

Board Action History

▪ Policy statement adopted 2/7/2003 and reaffirmed 12/9/05

▪ Board reaffirmed policy 9/8/2011

▪ Board reaffirmed policy 9/4/2015

▪ Board revised and adopted 12/4/2015 _{Cross-References}

▪ 92 NAC 10

▪ Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-2,137

▪ Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-267(8)

▪ Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-2,144(10)

▪ Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-725

▪ Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-726

▪ AQuESST Tenets: Positive Partnerships, Relationships & Student Success Educator Effectiveness

79-2,137.

School district; development and adoption of bullying prevention and education policy; review.

(1) The Legislature finds and declares that:

(a) Bullying disrupts a school’s ability to educate students; and

(b) Bullying threatens public safety by creating an atmosphere in which such behavior can escalate into violence.

(2) For purposes of this section, bullying means any ongoing pattern of physical, verbal, or electronic abuse on school grounds, in a vehicle owned, leased, or contracted by a school being used for a school purpose by a school employee or his or her designee, or at school-sponsored activities or school-sponsored athletic events.

(3) On or before July 1, 2009, each school district as defined in section 79-101 shall develop and adopt a policy concerning bullying prevention and education for all students.

(4) The school district shall review the policy annually.

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LEGISLATIVE BILL 205

Approved by the Governor February 7, 2008

Introduced by Howard, 9; Adams, 24; Ashford, 20; Avery, 28; Hudkins, 21;

Kopplin, 3; Kruse, 13; Nantkes, 46; Preister, 5.

FOR AN ACT relating to schools; to amend section 79-267, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2006; to provide for a bullying policy; to change provisions relating to student discipline; to repeal the original section; and to declare an emergency. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,

Section 1. (1) The Legislature finds and declares that: (a) Bullying disrupts a school’s ability to educate students; and (b) Bullying threatens public safety by creating an atmosphere in which such behavior can escalate into violence.

(2) For purposes of this section, bullying means any ongoing pattern of physical, verbal, or electronic abuse on school grounds, in a vehicle owned, leased, or contracted by a school being used for a school purpose by a school employee or his or her designee, or at school-sponsored activities or school-sponsored athletic events.

(3) On or before July 1, 2009, each school district as defined in section 79-101 shall develop and adopt a policy concerning bullying prevention and education for all students.

(4) The school district shall review the policy annually. Sec. 2. Section 79-267, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2006, is amended to read:

79-267 The following student conduct shall constitute grounds for long-term suspension, expulsion, or mandatory reassignment, subject to the procedural provisions of the Student Discipline Act, when such activity occurs on school grounds, in a vehicle owned, leased, or contracted by a school being used for a school purpose or in a vehicle being driven for a school purpose by a school employee or by his or her designee, or at a school-sponsored activity or athletic event:

(1) Use of violence, force, coercion, threat, intimidation, or similar conduct in a manner that constitutes a substantial interference with school purposes;

(2) Willfully causing or attempting to cause substantial damage to property, stealing or attempting to steal property of substantial value, or repeated damage or theft involving property;

(3) Causing or attempting to cause personal injury to a school employee, to a school volunteer, or to any student. Personal injury caused by accident, self-defense, or other action undertaken on the reasonable belief that it was necessary to protect some other person shall not constitute a violation of this subdivision;

(4) Threatening or intimidating any student for the purpose of or with the intent of obtaining money or anything of value from such student;

(5) Knowingly possessing, handling, or transmitting any object or material that is ordinarily or generally considered a weapon;

(6) Engaging in the unlawful possession, selling, dispensing, or use of a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance, as defined in section 28-401, a substance represented to be a controlled substance, or alcoholic liquor as defined in section 53-103 or being under the influence of a controlled substance or alcoholic liquor;

(7) Public indecency as defined in section 28-806, except that this subdivision shall apply only to students at least twelve years of age but less than nineteen years of age;

(8) Engaging in bullying as defined in section 1 of this act; (8) (9) Sexually assaulting or attempting to sexually assault any person if a complaint has been filed by a prosecutor in a court of competent jurisdiction alleging that the student has sexually assaulted or attempted to sexually assault any person, including sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults which occur off school grounds not at a school function, activity, or event. For purposes of this subdivision, sexual assault means sexual assault in the first degree as defined in section 28-319, sexual assault in the second degree as defined in section 28-320, sexual assault of a child in the second or third degree as defined in section 28-320.01, or sexual assault of a child in the first degree as defined in section 28-319.01, as such sections now provide or may hereafter from time to time be amended;

(9) (10) Engaging in any other activity forbidden by the laws of the State of Nebraska which activity constitutes a danger to other students or

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LB 205 LB 205

interferes with school purposes; or

(10) (11) A repeated violation of any rules and standards validly established pursuant to section 79-262 if such violations constitute a substantial interference with school purposes.

It is the intent of the Legislature that alternatives to suspension or expulsion be imposed against a student who is truant, tardy, or otherwise absent from required school activities.

Sec. 3. Original section 79-267, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2006, is repealed.

Sec. 4. Since an emergency exists, this act takes effect when passed and approved according to law.

Bullying Prevention

Welcome to the Nebraska Department of Education bullying prevention website. This site has been developed to serve as a resource for schools, parents and community members to address the issue of bullying in schools.

Nebraska Department of Education staff are listed with contact information and a description of services available.

§79-2,137

Did you know? 

• Studies show that between 15-25% of U.S. students are bullied with some frequency (“sometimes or more often”) while 15-20% report that they bully others with some frequency. (Melton et al, 1998; Nansel et al, 2001.) When asked if they have been bullied at all during their school years, 75% of students reported that they had experienced some form of bullying (Hoover, Oliver, & Hazler, 1992).
• Bullying tends to peak in transition years – moving from elementary to middle school and middle to high school. (Pellegrini, 2002; Swearer, 2004.)

Something to Think About

• “Teachers, are you a bully?” A school administrator, commenting on his district’s decision to include teacher behavior in its anti-bullying policy, complained that it would be difficult to distinguish between bullying behavior and classroom management strategies. What about you? Can you tell the difference between behavior management and a bully? Read more on the Bullying Facts

Excerpt from the State Board of Education Anti-Bullying Policy
(December 2015)

The State Board of Education believes that Nebraska schools should provide physically safe and emotionally secure environments for all students and staff sustained through relationship building among staff, students, and community. It is the goal of the State Board of Education, through this policy, to support behavior leading to positive learning and teaching environments.

The State Board defines positive behaviors as those which promote respect, cooperation, empathy, tolerance, courtesy, self-regulation, non-violence, and relationship building, toward all students and staff in the learning and teaching environment.