The School District of Philadelphia strives to provide a safe and positive educational environment for all school community members, free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form.
An intentional electronic, written, verbal, nonverbal, psychological or physical act or series of acts directed at another student or students, which occurs in and/or outside a school setting, that is severe, persistent, or pervasive and has the effect of doing any of the following:
- Substantially interfering with a student’s education;
- Creating a threatening school environment; or
- Substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.
Bullying is characterized by the following three (3) criteria:
- It is aggressive behavior or intentional harm doing.
- It is carried out repeatedly over time.
- It occurs between people where there is an imbalance of power (e.g. physical strength, mental capacity, popularity, or social skills).