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Bullying Prevention

Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) strives to create safe, healthy and nurturing learning environments for every student. PAUSD understands that schools and communities that are physically and emotionally safe for all students promote and support academic achievement, citizenship, school attendance and engagement.

Building this environment necessitates a comprehensive approach encompassing education and training for students and staff, partnering with parents and community organizations for site and district programming, collecting and learning from data on student wellness, counseling and crisis prevention services, and Board policies and protocols.  Through the dedicated work of parents, staff and students, progress is being made in each of these areas in PAUSD.

PAUSD staff promote student learning in the areas of social-emotional development by providing students with safe and age appropriate opportunities to resolve conflicts, develop strong decision making skills and enhance empathy.

The district recognizes that some conflicts are part of the normal developmental process that children experience and that staff must ensure the safety of children while offering genuine opportunities to build resilience and strong social skills for children.

The district also maintains a commitment to safety and therefore, it is a violation of district policy for a student to bully, harass, or intimidate another student and exhibit behaviors that infringe upon the safety or emotional well-being of any student; including acts of bullying, intimidation or harassment through words and actions.

School personnel who witness any act of discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying shall take immediate action to intervene (Education Code section 234.1(b)(1)). Every member of the school community is responsible for promoting a positive school culture and ensuring the physical and emotional health of students.  Further, there is an expectation that all students, staff, parents, and volunteers demonstrate behavior that is respectful and civil in order to model and support safe school communities. 

If you have any questions, contact the Student Services Office at (650) 329-3736.