Prohibits of all form of Bullying

Bullying that is prohibited may be driven by a student's actual or alleged race, color,

religion, national origin, backgrounds or nationality, sexual preference, socioeconomic

status, age, physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability, gender, gender

expression, physical appearance, weight, family situation, or other distinctive personal

characteristics, or it may be based on association with another person who possesses

that characteristic. Nothing in this section should be construed to be in conflict with the

First Amendment's existing protection for the expression of religious, political, and

philosophical beliefs in a school environment (Title 20-A, Statute sec. 6554).

Title 20-A, statutes sec. 6554, ‘Education, Part-3 Elementary & secondary Education’,

Prohibition on bullying in public schools, Maine Legislature in 2011.

Bullying is prohibited on school property, in school vehicles, at school-sponsored

activities, and during transportation to and from school. Any breach of this policy will be

deemed a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, and appropriate disciplinary action

will be taken. All bullying activity that violates the PA Crimes Code will be reported to

police authorities. Bullying is defined as unwanted verbal, written, or physical action

aimed towards a student by another student that has the consequence of: Physically,

emotionally or mentally harming a student; Damaging, extorting or taking a student's

personal property; Placing a student in reasonable fear of physical, emotional or mental

harm; Placing a student in reasonable fear of damage to or loss of personal property; or

Creating an intimidating or hostile environment that substantially interferes with a

student's educational opportunities (PA statutes 18 sec. 2709).

PA statutes 18 sec. 2709 '2022 Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes"

Wilkes-Barre Area School District Board of Education; Reviewed: August 12, 2019.

The following are the prohibitions on all forms of anti-bullying according to Section 5 of

RA 10627: (1) Bullying on or near school premises; school-sponsored or school-related

activities, functions, or programs, whether on or off high school grounds; school

transportation stops; school buses or other transportation owned, leased, or utilized by

a school; school buses or school services privately owned but accredited by the school.

(2) Bullying using technology, such as a gadget or other forms of communication

owned, leased, or used by a school. (3) Bullying at a non-school-related venue, activity,

event, or program, as well as via the use of technology, a gadget, or other forms of

communication that is not owned, leased, or used by a school. (4) Recrimination against

someone who reports bullying, offers data during a bullying inquiry, or is an eyewitness

to or has reliable data regarding bullying (RA No. 10627).

Republic Act No. 10627 “Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA No 10627

otherwise known as the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013.

Advocacy organizations in the United States, such as PACER's National Bullying

Prevention Center, highlight that definitions of the term differ depending on the higher-

education and legal authorities that handle the bulk of bullying cases. There may be

exceptions to the four criteria; for example, if a damaging conduct is extreme enough, it
may be classed as bullying even if it occurs just once. Bullying is prohibited in all forms,

with four major types: (1) physical bullying: assaulting or intimidating their victims with

the fear of physical violence. (2) Verbal bullying: bullies ridicule, humiliate, and verbally

attack victims in order to instill fear or feelings of inadequacy.(3) Social or emotional

bullying: Bullies begin or disseminate negative gossip or purposefully exclude people in

order to hurt or destroy the victim's reputation or social status. (4) Cyberbullying: Bullies

employ electronic means such as social media platforms, instantaneous texting, Internet

forums, smartphone apps, and email (among others) to target victims with text-based

analogues of verbal or social or emotional bullying. Bullying is a regular occurrence in

US schools, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in

2018. According to the research, one in every five high school pupils was bullied on

school grounds in the twelve months preceding the poll (Gale, 2019).

Gale, (2019). "Bullying." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection

Year Level

The percentage students whose reported being bullied at school during the 2019 school

year was higher for the 6th, 7th, and 8th year levels (ranging from 27 to 28 percent)

than for the 9th, 10th, and 12th year levels (ranging from 16 to 19 percent), according to

a comparison of student bullying by year levels. Additionally, the proportion was greater

for 7th-year levels compared to 11th-year levels (28 vs. 22%) and for 11th-year levels

compared to 12th-year levels (22 vs. 16%).When the prevalence of bullying is examined

by school characteristics, it can be observed that the percentage of students who

reported being bullied at school during the school year was higher for students enrolled

in schools in rural areas (28 percent) than for students enrolled in schools in other

locales (22 percent each for those enrolled in schools in cities and towns and 21

percent for those enrolled in schools in suburban areas). However, there were no

measurable differences between public and private school students in the percentage of

students who reported being bullied (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for

Education Statistic 2021).

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2021). Report

on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2020 (NCES NCES 2021-092), Bullying at

School and Electronic Bullying.