(ANTI-BULLYING POLICY OF (CABILAOAN AGRO-INDUSTRIAL HS)

Prefatory Statement

The School values a healthy and peaceful educational environment.

All members of the School community, which includes students, parents and guardians,
and the community members should be made aware of the negative effects that bullying can have
on victims and the School in general, and should work towards ensuring that students can work
in an environment without fear.
The School will do whatever is reasonably necessary and possible within its authority to
eradicate bullying in all its forms.
The School takes a strong stance against bullying.
Bullying is unacceptable in our School and will not be tolerated.

I. Preliminary Provisions

Section 1. Legal Basis. This Policy is adopted in compliance with Republic Act No.
10627, otherwise known as the “Anti-Bullying Act of 2013”.

Section 2. Scope and Coverage. This Policy applies to the Kindergarten, Elementary,
and High School programs at the Cabilaoan Agro-Industrial High School, hereafter
referred to as the “School”.

Section 3. The following shall be the parties and/or stakeholders in bullying incidents:

1. Bully - refers to a student who commits any of the acts of bullying as defined in
R.A. No. 10627, its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), and this Policy.
This term also includes a student who participates in any of the acts of bullying
by supporting or aiding the commission thereof.

2. Bystander - refers to any student who witnesses or has personal knowledge of

any actual or perceived acts or incidents of bullying or retaliation as defined by
R.A. No. 10627, its IRR, and this Policy. Bystanders include the silent majority of
students who witness bullying but are unable to do something because of fear;
and those who try to stop bullying by defending the victim or reporting the
incident.

3. Bullied or Victim – refers to any student who experiences the acts of bullying or
retaliation as defined by R.A. No. 10627, its IRR, and this Policy.

4. Parent or Guardian - refers to the parent or guardian, of either the bully or

victim, or other students involved in the bullying incident, on record with the
School.

5. School – refers to (Name of School).

6. School Personnel - refers to all staff and employees of the School; regardless of
rank or status; whether classified as academic, academic-support, or non-
 academic; and whether full-time or part-time; and whether probationary,
contractual, or regular.

7. Service Providers - refers to outsourced personnel of the school, which includes,

but is not necessarily limited to, maintenance and security, coaches, trainors, and
drivers and staff of accredited transport or bus services.

II. Prohibition on Bullying

Section 4. Statement of Policy. The School as a matter of policy prohibits bullying in all
its forms, regardless of the means, place and time of its commission.

Section 5. Definition of Bullying. The School adheres to the definition of bullying

including the different forms, as provided in the IRR of R.A. No. 10627, which provides:

“Bullying” refers to any severe, or repeated use by one or more students of a

written, verbal or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any
combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of actually
causing or placing the latter in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or
damage to his property; creating a hostile environment at school for the other
student; infringing on the rights of another student at school; or materially and
substantially disrupting the education process or the orderly operation of a
school; such as, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the victim like
punching, pushing, shoving, kicking, slapping, tickling, headlocks, inflicting
school pranks, teasing, fighting and the use of available objects as weapons;

(2) Any act that causes damage to a victim’s psyche and/or emotional well-
being;

(3) Any slanderous statement or accusation that causes the victim undue
emotional distress like directing foul language or profanity at the target, name-
calling, tormenting and commenting negatively on victim’s looks, clothes and
body;

(4) “Cyber- bullying” or any bullying done through the use of technology or any
electronic means. The term shall also include any conduct resulting to
harassment, intimidation, or humiliation, through the use of other forms of
technology, such as, but not limited to texting, email, instant messaging, chatting,
internet, social media, online games, or other platforms or formats as defined in
DepED Order No. 40, s. 2012.

Section 6. Other Forms of Bullying. The term “bullying” shall also include:

(1) “Social bullying” – refers to any deliberate, repetitive and aggressive social
behavior intended to hurt others or to belittle another individual or group;
 (2) “Gender-based bullying” – refers to any act that humiliates or excludes a
person on the basis of perceived or actual sexual orientation and gender identity
(SOGI);

(3) Retaliation against a student who reports bullying, who provides information
during an investigation of bullying, or who is a witness to or has reliable
information about bullying; and

(4) All other forms of bullying analogous to those provided under the Anti-
Bullying Law and its IRR.

Section 7. Common Forms of Bullying. The common forms of bullying shall include,
but is not necessarily limited to, the following:

1. Calling names with the express purpose of humiliating, embarrassing a student,

or otherwise cause trouble.

2. Rudeness and Intimidation. These may be done through unwanted physical

acts but may also be carried through non-verbal means.
A mean look or stare is an example of a non-verbal bullying.

3. Threats and extortion. Creating fear and extorting money, food or possessions
from other students. Threatening texts or messages in chat rooms and social
media sites are included in this form.

4. Malicious gossip and exclusion from the group. Circulating gossip or damaging
stories that tends to discriminate, exclude, and hate another student.

Section 8. Fair and equal treatment of bullying incidents. The School shall address
each and every bullying incident fairly and equally. All forms of bullying should be
taken seriously and dealt with appropriately.

Section 9. Situs of Bullying. The School has the authority to impose school discipline to
its students including this Policy. This authority of the School is not confined within the
School premises.

The School particularly undertakes to prevent and address bullying committed

at the following:

a. On Campus. School Grounds including classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, canteen,

faculty rooms, auditorium, gymnasium, computer rooms, laboratories, and all places
and facilities within the campus.

b. Off-Campus which covers:

1) properties immediately adjacent to School grounds including places or

establishments frequented by our students;
2) any other place where school-sponsored or school-related activities, functions or
programs are conducted;
3) School bus stops;
4) School service, buses, or transport used by the School in an activity off-campus; and
5) School buses or School services operated or accredited by the School to transport
students to and from the campus.

c. On Cyberspace. Text messages, emails, chat rooms, and other social media and web
sites regardless of the web site administrator’s permission to use foul or explicit
language or content, or absence of any particular standard of use.

III. Prevention Programs

Section 10. The School shall raise the awareness of the anti-social nature of bullying
through various programs; assemblies; activities; and integration in the curriculum as it
may deem appropriate.

The School undertakes to develop anti-bullying programs that are

comprehensive, multi-faceted and shall involve all education stakeholders and
personnel. The programs may contain among others:

(1) School-wide initiatives centered on:

a. positive school climate and environment conducive to the attainment of learning

objectives, the development of healthy relationships and the understanding of
and respect for individual differences;
b. periodic assessment and monitoring of the nature, extent, and perceptions of
bullying behaviors and attitudes of students;
c. periodic review and enhancement of the students’ and personnel’s manual or
code of conduct in relation to bullying;
d. conduct of activities for students, school personnel and service providers on how
to recognize and respond to bullying.
e. continuing personnel development to sustain bullying prevention programs; and
f. coordination with Local Government Units, barangay (Barangay Council for the
Protection of Children) and other stakeholders.

(2) Classroom-level initiatives that focus on:

a. reinforcing school-wide rules pertaining to bullying;

b. building a positive sense of self and interpersonal relationships through the
development of self-awareness and self-management, interpersonal skills and
empathy, and responsible decision-making and problem-solving;
c. discussion of issues related to bullying, and strategies for responding to and
reporting of incidents of bullying;
d. teaching positive online behavior and safety and how to recognize and report
cyber-bullying; and
e. providing an inclusive and caring learning environment for students.

(3) Involving parents in bullying prevention activities, such as:

 a. discussions on this Policy, emphasizing bullying prevention during Parents-
Teachers Association meetings and seminars; and
b. conducting or sponsoring education sessions for parents to learn, teach, model,
and reinforce positive social and emotional skills to their children.

(4) Monitoring students who are vulnerable to committing aggressive acts or who are
perpetrators of bullying, or who are possible targets or victims, for the purpose of
early intervention. This activity shall be conducted with utmost confidentiality and
respect for all parties concerned.

Section 11. Early Detection of Bullying. There are signs indicative that a student is
being bullied in school. A change in the student’s behavior or actions, change in the
student’s routines, or the absence or presence of other circumstances, may be a sign that
the student is a victim of bullying. The teacher, parents or guardian shall check and
report to School authorities these changes should they become manifest. These changes
may include the following:

1. Feeling sick in the morning;

2. Unwillingness to go to school and leave home;
3. Unwillingness to be left alone in the School;
4. Crying to sleep at night or has nightmares;
5. Bedwetting;
6. Doing poorly in class or school work;
7. Coming home with torn clothes or damaged belongings;
8. Has possessions missing;
9. Has unexplained cuts and bruises;
10. Being frightened to say what is wrong;
11. Being anxious or lacking in self-confidence; and
12. Attempting or threatening self-harm.

IV. Intervention Programs

Section 12. The School shall develop intervention programs to promote the continuity
of comprehensive anti-bullying policies.

Intervention refers to a series of activities which are designed to address the

following:

a. issues that influence the student to commit bullying;

b. factors that make a student a target of bullying; and
c. effects of bullying.

Section 13. Forms of Intervention. Interventions may include programs such as

counseling, life skills training, education, and other activities that will enhance the
psychological, emotional and psycho-social well-being of both the victim and the bully.

Such programs may:

 a. involve activities that will address acts of bullying;
b. emphasize formative and corrective measures rather than punishment;
c. conform to principles of child protection and positive and non-violent discipline;
d. help the victim, the bully, and the bystanders understand the bullying incident
and its negative consequences; and
e. provide opportunities to practice pro-social behavior.

Section 14. The School shall develop intervention strategies involving all parties, such
as bullies, victims, bystanders, parents, school personnel, service providers and all other
persons who may be affected by the bullying incident.

V. Responsibilities in Bullying Incidents

Section 15. The following are the responsibilities of stakeholders in bullying incidents:

(1) Bully
The “Bully” shall:
a. Comply with the intervention and prevention programs of the school;
b. Submit to due process of the school as part of disciplinary action whenever
necessary.

(2) Bullied or Victim

The Bullied or Victim shall:
a. Avoid retaliation;
b. Report his/her experience to the teacher, Office of Student Affairs (OSA)/Prefect
of Discipline/Guidance Office, or other persons or school authorities; and
c. Be circumspect in his/her claims against the alleged bully.

(3) Bystander
The bystander shall:
a. Promptly report cases of bullying, that which he or she witnessed or has personal
knowledge of, to the teacher, Guidance Office, or any person or school
authorities;
b. Not to join the bullying;
c. Secure the safety of the victim whenever possible without causing harm to
himself or herself.

(4) School

The School through the Guidance Office, teachers and other school administrators shall:

a. Implement the provisions of this Policy;

 b. Provide all students and their parents or guardians a copy of this Policy. This
policy shall likewise be included in the School’s student and/or employee
handbook and shall be conspicuously posted on the School walls and website;
c. Educate students on the dynamics of bullying, the anti-bullying policies of the
school as well as the mechanisms for reporting of acts of bullying or retaliation;
d. Educate parents and guardians about the dynamics of bullying, the child
protection or anti-bullying policy of the school and how parents and guardians
can provide support and reinforce this Policy at home;
e. Devise prevention, intervention, protective and remedial measures to address
bullying;
f. Conduct the capacity building activities for guidance counselors/teachers and
the members of the Child Protection Committee;
g. Ensure effective implementation of the anti-bullying policy and monitor
compliance therewith;
h. Ensure the safety of the victim of bullying, the bully, and the bystander and
determine the students’ needs for protection;
i. Ensure that the rights of the victim, the bully, and the bystander are protected
and upheld during the conduct of the investigation;
j. Maintain a record or statistics of incidents of bullying and retaliation;
k. Coordinate with appropriate offices and other agencies or instrumentalities for
appropriate assistance and intervention, as required by the circumstances.

(5) Teachers and Other School Personnel

Teachers and other School personnel shall:

a. Participate and cooperate in all prevention, intervention, and other measures

related to bullying by the School;
b. Report incidents of bullying;
c. Update himself/herself on detection and proper handling of bullying incidents;
d. Be objective and handle incidents with due consideration of confidentiality and
tender age of students involved;
e. Coordinate closely with the Child Protection Committee of the school; and
f. Observe due diligence in the prevention of bullying cases during classes or other
student activities he/she is directly in charge of.

(6) Students in General

Students shall:

a. Participate and cooperate in all prevention, intervention and other measures

related to bullying implemented by the School;
b. Avoid or refrain from any act of bullying;
c. Intervene to protect the victim, unless it will jeopardize his safety and security;
and
d. Report to school authorities any incident of bullying.
 (7)Parents

Parents shall:

a. Participate in bullying prevention activities of the school which includes:

1. Education on relevant policies;
2. Sharing of best practices on how to reinforce positive social and emotional
skills to the children.

b. Cooperate with the school authorities in bullying incidents involving their

child/children; and
c. Not to take matters into their own hands in resolving bullying incidents.

VI. The Anti-Bullying Committee

Section 16. The Anti-Bullying Committee. The School’s existing Child Protection
Committee (CPC) shall also be designated as the School’s Anti-Bullying Committee as
required under DepEd Order No. 40, series of 2012.

Section 17. Composition. The Committee shall be composed of the following:

a. Principal – Chairperson
b. Guidance Counselor – Vice Chairperson
c. Representative of the Teachers
d. Representative of the Parents
e. Representative of students; and
f. Representative from the Community as designated by the Punong Barangay,
preferably a member of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children
(BCPC). (ad hoc)

Section 18. Functions. The Anti-Bullying Committee shall perform the following tasks:

a. Conduct awareness-raising programs with school stakeholders in preventing and

addressing bullying;
b. Ensure that the anti-bullying policy adopted by the school is implemented;
c. Monitor all cases or incidents related to bullying reported or referred by the
teacher, guidance counselor or coordinator or any person designated to handle
prevention and intervention measures mentioned by the preceding sections of
this Policy; and
d. Make the necessary referrals to appropriate agencies, offices or persons, as may
be required by the circumstances.

VII. Handling Bullying Incidents in the School

Section 19. Exclusive Jurisdiction. Complaints of bullying and other acts under this
Policy shall be within the exclusive jurisdiction of this School or jointly by Schools
whenever the incident involves students from different schools. Bullying incidents shall
not be brought for amicable settlement before the Barangay, subject to existing laws,
rules and regulations. Complaints for acts covered by other laws shall be referred to the
appropriate authorities.

Section 20. Effect of Institution of Criminal Action. The filing of criminal complaint by
either or both the bully and the bullied before the law enforcement agencies,
prosecutor’s office, or courts of law shall not operate to divest this School of its
authority to conduct its own investigation, fact finding, and/or disciplinary proceeding
on the students involved.

Section 21. Immediate Responses. The victim or anyone who witnesses or has personal
knowledge of a bullying incident or retaliation shall immediately call the attention of
any school personnel. The school personnel who was notified of a bullying incident or
retaliation shall intervene, by:

a. Stopping the bullying or retaliation immediately;

b. Separating the students involved;
c. Removing the victim or, in appropriate cases, the bully or offending student,
from the site;
d. Ensuring the victim’s safety, by:
1. Determining and addressing the victim’s immediate safety needs; and
2. Ensuring medical attention, if needed, and securing a medical certificate,
in cases of physical injury.
e. Bringing the bully to the Office of Student Affairs (OSA)/Prefect of
Discipline/Guidance Office

Section 22. Reporting the Bullying Incident or Retaliation

1. A victim or a bystander, or a school personnel who receives information of a bullying

incident or retaliation, or any person, who witnesses or has personal knowledge of any
incident of bullying or retaliation, shall report the same to the teacher in charge, or the
Guidance Office, who shall immediately report the matter to the Principal.

2. The School shall inform the parents or guardian of the victim and the bully about the
incident.

3. If an incident of bullying or retaliation involves students from another school during

a school authorized or school-sponsored activity on or off-campus, this School shall
promptly notify the appropriate administrator or school head of the other school so that
appropriate action may be taken.

4. Reports of incidents of bullying or retaliation initiated by persons who prefer

anonymity shall be entertained, and the person who reported the incident shall be
afforded protection from possible retaliation; provided, however, that no disciplinary
administrative action shall be taken against an alleged bully or offending student solely
on the basis of an anonymous report and without any other evidence.
5. Teachers shall make sure that no bullying incident should be kept unreported or
unnoticed. For this purpose, a Record of Bullying Incidents Form is designed and
developed where teachers in charge may keep track of bullying incidents or indications
in the classroom or off-campus activities. The same shall be kept in strictest confidence
in a central file with the Guidance Office.

Section 23. Fact-Finding and Documentation

The Guidance Office shall:

1. Separately interview in private the bully or offending student and the victim.

2. Determine the levels of threats and develop intervention strategies. If the bullying
incident or retaliation or the situation requires immediate attention or intervention, or
the level of threat is high, appropriate action shall be taken by the school within twenty-
four hours (24) from the time of the incident.

3. Inform the victim and the parents or guardian of the steps to be taken to prevent any
further acts of bullying or retaliation; and

4. Make appropriate recommendations to the Child Protection Committee on proper

interventions, referrals and monitoring.

Section 24. Referral to Experts Outside of the School. The School may, upon
evaluation, refer the victim and the bully to trained professionals outside the school,
such as social workers, guidance counselors, psychologists, or child protection
specialists, for further assessment and appropriate intervention measures, as may be
necessary. The School also undertakes to notify the Women and Children’s Protection
Desk (WPCD) of the local Philippine National Police, in appropriate cases involving the
bully or offending student.

VIII. Disciplinary Measures

Section 25. Where students resist or refuse to respond to intervention or preventative

strategies to address bullying, the School will resort to stringent actions to deal with
persistent and violent bullying. Disciplinary actions may or may not be resorted to by
the School depending on the circumstances of each case with due consideration to the
age of the students or pupils involved.

Section. 26. Due Process

A. Bullying cases may be initiated either through:

1) a Complaint; or
2) a motu proprio Charge from the Guidance Office on the basis of a report of the
teacher, school personnel or bystanders.

B. The Complaint should be duly executed by:

(1) the complaining student with the assistance of his or her parents;
 (2) or solely by the parents on the basis of their child’s statements.

C. In both instances, the Complaint must be duly sworn to by the executing

student and/or parent stating clearly how the act/s of bullying was/were
committed and other attendant circumstances. The complaining party may
attach sworn statements of witnesses and other proofs to substantiate the
Complaint.

D. The Complaint or Charge for Bullying shall be filed in the Guidance Office.

E. The Guidance Office shall furnish the parents of the respondent student/s
a copy of the Complaint or Charge and direct the student/s concerned with the
assistance of the parents to file a Sworn Answer within a period of forty-eight
(48) hours or within a reasonable period from receipt of the Complaint or
Charge as may be allowed under the circumstances.

F. Upon receipt of the Sworn Answer, the Guidance Office may schedule a
conference with the Complainant and/or the Respondent separately to clarify
the allegations in the Complaint and the Sworn Answer. The Guidance Office
may also interview witnesses, bystanders, and others who may have knowledge
of the circumstances surrounding the incident.

G. The Guidance Office shall then issue a resolution on the Complaint or

Charge stating clearly its basis. A resolution finding the commission of bullying
shall state the appropriate sanction. The resolution shall be deemed a
recommendation to the Principal, which the latter may either disapprove or
modify. The decision of the Principal may be subject to reconsideration, or
appeal to the Schools Division, within a period of ten (10) calendar days from
receipt of the decision.

Section 27. Sanctions

1) If the act of bullying committed does not fall under any offense defined in the
Student Manual, the following sanctions shall apply:

1.1 First Offense: Reprimand and Summon of Parents

1.2 Second Offense: Suspension from Classes for three (3) to five (5) school days,
or Community Service for three (3) to five (5) school days, or both. The
duration of the suspension and/or community service may be further
reduced or lengthened by the School depending on the nature, gravity or
severity of the bullying act.
1.3 Third or Subsequent Offense: Non-Readmission to Exclusion.

2) If the act of bullying committed falls under an offense already defined and
prohibited in the Student Manual, the higher penalty or sanction shall apply.
 3) Depending on the seriousness or gravity of the offense committed and/or the
extent of injuries suffered by the victim, the School reserves the right to impose
the extreme penalty of expulsion subject to approval of the Department of
Education.

4) In addition to the disciplinary sanction imposed, the School may, after careful
evaluation, likewise refer the alleged bully and/or the alleged victim for
counselling of School’s Guidance Counsellor or to a private counsellor of their
choice, or to other intervention programs of the School should it become
necessary.

Section 28. Preventive suspension. The School may at its discretion and during the
pendency of the investigation, put any student on preventive suspension for a period
not longer than three (3) school days, if there is reason to believe that the presence of
said student might put him/her at risk of more harm, or will jeopardize the general
peace and order of the campus. Such preventive suspension may extend to the parents
or guardians of the students involved in the incident. In such case, the parents are
barred from entering the School’s premises or attend School activities during the said
suspension.

Section 29. False Accusation of Bullying. If a student, after an investigation, is found to

have knowingly made a false accusation of bullying, the said student shall be subjected
to the same disciplinary actions or to appropriate interventions for “bullies” under this
Policy.

Section 30. Confidentiality. Any information relating to the identity and personal
circumstances of the bully, victim, or bystander shall be treated with utmost
confidentiality by the Anti-Bullying Committee, teacher concerned, and the Guidance
Office, provided that the names may be made available to the parents or guardians of
students who are or have been victims of bullying or retaliation.

Section 31. Effectivity. This Policy shall take effect immediately upon the date of its
approval and shall not be modified, altered, amended or repealed unless otherwise
resolved through a valid Resolution of the Faculty Club.

ARNULFO M. DELA CRUZ LORENA S. ROMERO KATRINA P. QUIBAN

Chairperson Vice Chairperson Representative of the Teachers

VILMA PATACSIL SUNSHINE B. DAUS MARIE AMBAT

Representative of the Parent Representative of the Students Brgy. Council Representative

Unanimously Approved: June 3, 2019

I herebuy certify to the correctness of this Child Protection Policy June 3, 2019 at
Cabilaoan Agro-Industrial High School, Laoac, Pangasinan.

Attested:

MA VILLA L. HONRADO RONALD M. MAGNO

Teacher III Secretary

Approved:

ARNULFO M. DELA CRUZ

Principal III
 Referral System
School Guidance
Complainant Office In-Charge

School Head

Child Protection
Committee (CPC)

MSWDO PNP (Women & NGOs & Other Division

Cildren Protection Government Agencies Office
Desk