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Little Miami official explains why most incidents don’t meet legal bullying definition; board presses for clearer reporting
Summary
Director of student services told the Little Miami Local School District board that Ohio’s narrow legal definition of bullying means many reports are handled as code-of-conduct violations; board members asked for redacted incident files and more outreach to parents and bus drivers.
Jamie Miles, the district’s director of student services, told the Little Miami Local School District Board of Education on June 30 that the state’s legal definition of bullying is narrow and causes many reported incidents to be classified as code-of-conduct violations rather than "bullying" under law.
Miles said the district is “fully committed to curbing student bullying and school violence” and explained the three-part test school investigators use: aggression, dominance (an imbalance of power) and persistence. "Just because it doesn't meet that legal definition does not mean that we aren't doing something about it," Miles said, adding that building administrators still respond with counseling, safety planning and discipline when appropriate.
The board pressed for more transparency after Miles walked the trustees through a February case study in which a sixth-grade student, identified in her presentation as Hazel, was blocked in a hallway by an eighth-grade student, Amanda. Miles described the principal’s investigation — review of camera footage, interviews, prior discipline records and parent notification — and said the principal concluded the incident did not meet the state definition because it consisted of a single episode rather than repeated conduct. Amanda received a one-day out-of-school suspension, restricted restroom access in certain areas and mandatory counseling; Hazel was offered weekly check-ins and relevant staff were notified.
Board members said the district’s published bullying counts (which Miles said are reported to the state twice a year) appear low compared with parents’ and trustees’ experiences. "I find that hard to believe," Board member Bobby Wallace said of the low number of confirmed incidents. Several trustees asked how bus drivers and parents are trained to identify and report incidents; Miles said students receive lessons starting in early grades, staff are trained annually, and the district offers anonymous reporting through Public School Works and the Safer Ohio tip line.
Miles told the board that federal privacy law (FERPA) limits what disciplinary details principals can disclose to parents of other students and that principals provide redacted summaries when possible. In response to trustees' requests, Miles said she would work with district leadership to gather redacted incident summaries from building principals for board review.
Trustees asked staff to emphasize reporting at the start of next school year and to consider more parent outreach so bystanders report incidents sooner. Miles said the district will continue to use disciplinary and non-disciplinary supports even when an event does not meet the state’s statutory bullying standard.
Minutes show no formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; trustees requested additional information and a possible work session on reporting and training.
"When it does meet that legal definition, we are still going to have interventions," Miles said. "At the end of the day, we want to address it, we are going to address it, and we are going to make sure students are safe."
