Board advances rewritten bullying policy and procedure to align with statute, adds reporting and appeals elements

The RSU 05 board on Wednesday approved on first read a comprehensive revision to the district’s bullying policy (JICK) and its accompanying procedure that administrators and the policy committee said brings the documents into alignment with state statute.

Colin, who led the policy committee review, told the board that the existing policy had statutory gaps — including no mandatory staff reporting, no investigation procedure, no appeals process and insufficient parent communication — and that the revised draft adds the required statutory elements. He said the policy also clarifies the district’s definition of school grounds and adds concrete examples of bullying behavior drawn from sample policies and the statute.

Board members asked detailed questions about how the policy’s three-part definition of bullying (physical harm or threat, interference with access to education, and conduct tied to perceived characteristics) would apply in practice — for example, whether social exclusion or rumor-spreading could meet criteria. Administrators stressed the procedure and reporting form will guide how incidents are investigated and resolved; they emphasized that labeling a behavior as bullying requires demonstration of its educational impact and that responses can range from remedial approaches to more serious consequences.

The motion for first read and accompanying procedure carried with no opposition. Committee members said the policy retains some substantive examples and reporting language in the policy document to make expectations clearer to school staff and families and to reduce procedural confusion.

What’s next: the board will have another opportunity to review the package on second read; administrators will also coordinate implementation materials and forms for school staff to use when reporting or investigating incidents.