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Book Policy Manual
Section 5000 - Students
Title Colchester Public Schools Safe School Climate Plan
Code 5131.911-R
Status Active
Adopted March 11, 2003
Last Revised July 18, 2025
Last Reviewed July 18, 2025
Prior Revised Dates 12/13/2011; 12/09/2014; 1/4/2022
COLCHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS SAFE SCHOOL CLIMATE PLAN
Component Actions Person(s) Responsible Timeline
Bullying Assistant Superintendent of
Prevention and Implement and enforce Bullying Prevention and Schools
Ongoing
Intervention Intervention Policy School Administrators
Policy
Component Actions Person(s) Responsible Timeline
Notify students and
parents/guardians/caregivers of the process
by which students may make reports of
bullying
Notify students and parents/guardians of
the process by which students may make
anonymous reports of bullying
The principal of a school, or the principal's District Safe School Climate
Notification designee, to notify the appropriate local law Coordinator
Requirements enforcement agency when such principal,
or the principal's designee, believes that District and School Safe School Annually
any acts of bullying constitute criminal Climate Coordinator
conduct
The principal of a school, or the principal’s District Safe School Climate Annually
designee, to notify the Director of Pupil Coordinator, Specialists, and
Services when such principal, or the School Administrators Ongoing
principal’s designee, believes that an acts of
bullying are acts of discrimination or School Administrators Ongoing
harassment
The Board shall make its Safe School School Administrators
Climate Plan available on the Board's and
each individual school in the school Superintendent of Schools
district's web site and ensure that the Safe
School Climate Plan is included in the
school district's publication of the rules,
procedures and standards of conduct for
schools and in all student handbooks.
Component Actions Person(s) Responsible Timeline
Appoint District Safe School Climate
Coordinator (See job description)
Act as or appoint a Safe School Climate
Specialists in each school (see job
description)
Establish a Safe School Climate Committee
including, but not limited to, the following
members:
Safe School Climate Specialists
At least one parent/guardian of a
student enrolled in the school, as
appointed by the school principal
school personnel, including, but not
limited to, at least one teacher
selected by the exclusive bargaining
representative for certified
employees
medical and mental health personnel
assigned to such school Superintendent of Schools, or
Annually
at least one student enrolled at designee
Bacon Academy who is selected by Principals
Annually
the students of Bacon Academy in a
manner determined by the principal Principals
Annually
Establish roles, responsibilities and
procedures for the Safe School Climate
Committee including:
Attend training in the investigation
of bullying
Conduct investigations (Climate
Specialists only)
Safe School
Receive copies of completed reports
Climate
following investigations of bullying
Committee
Identify and address patterns of
bullying among students in the
school
Review and make recommendations
to amend school policies relating to
bullying
Review and make recommendations District Safe School Climate
Ongoing
to the district safe school climate Coordinator and Safe School
coordinator regarding the district's Climate Specialists
safe school climate plan based on
issues and experiences specific to
the school
Educate students, school employees
and parents and guardians of
students on issues relating to
bullying
Collaborate with the district safe
school climate coordinator in the
collection of data regarding bullying,
in accordance with the law
Perform any other duties as
determined by the school principal
that are related to the prevention,
identification and response to school
bullying for the school
Parent/guardian or student
members of the Committee shall not
participate in any activities which
may compromise the confidentiality
of any student
Component Actions Person(s) Responsible Timeline
Prevention and Identify effective evidence-based Assistant Superintendent of Ongoing
Intervention prevention and intervention strategies. Schools, Safe School Climate
Strategy Strategies may include, but are not limited Coordinator and Safe School
to the following: Climate Specialists Ongoing
Implement a positive behavioral
interventions and supports process Identified teachers
or another evidence-based
curriculum for safe school climate or School Administrators and Ongoing
for the prevention of bullying Teachers
Make students aware of school rules
prohibiting bullying, harassment and School Administrators and
intimidation and establish School Employees Ongoing
appropriate consequences for those Assistant Superintendent of
who engage in such acts Schools, Identified Teachers
Provide adult supervision of outdoor
areas, hallways, the lunchroom, the Assistant Superintendent of
bus, at school sponsored events, on Schools, Safe School Climate
school-owned devices and other Specialists Diversity, Equity, Ongoing
specific areas where bullying is likely and Inclusion committee
to occur members, and School Ongoing
Inclusion of grade-appropriate Administrators
bullying education and prevention
curricula in kindergarten through Identified School Employees Annually
high school
Develop individual interventions with
the bully, parents and school
employees, and interventions with
the bullied child, parents and school
employees
Plan and initiate school-wide training
related to a positive school climate,
to include relevant training in Title
IX/Sexual Harassment, Section
504/ADA, and diversity, equity and
inclusion
Student peer training, education and
support, including advocacy for
victims Ongoing
Direct the development of student
safety support plans for students
against whom an act of bullying was
directed that address safety
measures the school will take to
protect such students against
further acts of bullying
Training in prevention, identification
and response to teen dating violence
and bullying
Implement the evidence-based prevention
and intervention strategies identified
Component Actions Person(s) Responsible Timeline
Complete an assessment using the school Safe School Climate
climate assessment instruments including Committee Biennially
survey and focus groups
Review and analyze data obtained from
Assessment of climate surveys/ make necessary Safe School Climate Ongoing
School Climate modifications to the district plan Committee
Meet with Safe School Climate Specialists
at least twice during each school year to Two times per school
discuss issues related to school District Safe School Climate year
climate/bullying Coordinator
Require that all school employees annually
complete the training described in Conn.
Gen. Stat. §§10-220a or 10-222j related to
Assistant Superintendent of
the identification, prevention and response
Schools and School Principal Annually
to bullying
Provide a prevention and intervention
strategy for school employees to deal with
Assistant Superintendent of
bullying and teen dating violence
Schools and School Principal Annually
Provide annual notice to students and
parents/guardians/caregivers of the process
School Climate Specialists
by which bullying reports are made
Annually at
Provide all school employees with written or
beginning of school
electronic copy of school district’s safe
School Principal year
school climate plan
Annually at
beginning of school
Training Provide on the Board’s website training
Assistant Superintendent of year
materials to school administrators
Schools Ongoing
regarding the prevention of and
intervention in discrimination against and
targeted harassment of students based on
such students’ (1) actual or perceived
differentiating characteristics, such as race,
color, religion, ancestry, national origin,
gender, sexual orientation, gender identity
or expression, socioeconomic status,
academic status, physical appearance or
mental, physical, developmental or sensory
disability, or (2) association with individuals
Assistant Superintendent of
or groups who have or are perceived to
Schools, and District Safe Annually
have one or more of such characteristics
School Climate Coordinator
Train Safe School Climate Specialists in the
investigation procedures
Component Actions Person(s) Responsible Timeline
Orally notify the Safe School Climate
Specialist after being witness to acts of
bullying or receiving reports of bullying
File a written report with the Safe School
Climate Specialist after being witness to
acts of bullying or receiving reports of All school employees
bullying Not later than one
Any student who believes s/he has been school day
the victim of bullying/cyberbullying or who witnessing/receiving
has witnessed bullying behavior should All school employees report
report the matter to any school employee, Not later than two
either in writing or anonymously school days of oral
Reporting
Parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver(s) may file All Students notification
Procedures
written reports of Suspected Ongoing
bullying/cyberbullying.
Report acts of bullying that may constitute
a criminal offense to appropriate law All
enforcement Parents/Guardians/Caregivers Ongoing
Establish a procedure for each school to School administrator
document and maintain records relating to
reports and investigations of bullying in School Principal and School
such school and to maintain a list of the Climate Specialist
number of verified acts of bullying in such
school and make such list available for
public inspection, and annually report such
number to the Department of Education
and in such manner as prescribed by the
Commissioner of Education
Investigate all reports of bullying and
ensure that such investigation is completed
promptly after receipt of any written
reports Safe School Climate
Promptly
Review any anonymous reports, except that Specialists, or trained
no disciplinary action shall be taken solely designee
on the basis of an anonymous report
Promptly
Determine whether the alleged conduct Safe School Climate Specialists
occurred & whether such conduct
Investigation constitutes bullying as defined in the
Upon completion of
district policy Safe School Climate Specialists
investigation
Investigate bullying incidents that raise
concerns about discrimination or
As indicated
harassment on basis of legally protected Safe School Climate Specialists
classifications refer investigations to Director
Notify and send a Notice of Investigation to of Pupil Services
Promptly
all parents/caregivers of victim and alleged Safe School Climate Specialists
bullies that an investigation of an alleged
act/acts of bullying has commenced (record
date/time).
Component Actions Person(s) Responsible Timeline
Response to Take prompt corrective action that is Safe School Climate Upon determination
Verified Acts of reasonably calculated to stop the bullying Specialists/School that bullying has
Bullying and prevent any recurrence of such Administrators occurred
behavior, if it is determined that bullying
has occurred Safe School Climate Not later than 48
Notify in writing, using the Letter to Specialists/School hours after the
Parents, not later than forty-eight hours Administrators completion of the
after the completion of the investigation, investigation and
and invite to a meeting, the parents or upon determination
guardians of student(s) who committed Safe School Climate that bullying has
verified acts of bullying to discuss Specialists/School occurred
interventions to prevent further acts of Administrators
bullying. Also, notify parents or guardians Not later than 48
verbally or by electronic mail, if such hours after the
parents’ or guardians’ electronic mail Safe School Climate completion of the
addresses are known, that such parents or Specialists/School investigation and
guardians may refer to the plain language Administrators upon determination
explanation of the rights and remedies that bullying has
available under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sections occurred
10-4a and 10-4b once such explanation has Safe School Climate
been provided to the Board by the Specialists/School
Connecticut Social and Emotional Learning Administrators Upon determination
and School Climate Advisory Collaborative that bullying has
and published on the Internet website of occurred
Colchester Public Schools.
Notify in writing, using the Letter to
Parents, not later than forty-eight hours Upon determination
after the completion of the investigation, that bullying has
and invite to a meeting, the parents or occurred
guardians of a student against whom such
an act was directed to communicate the
measures being taken by the school to
ensure the safety of the student against
whom such act was directed and policies
and procedures in place to prevent further
acts of bullying. Also, notify parents or
guardians verbally or by electronic mail, if
such parents’ or guardians’ electronic mail
addresses are known, that such parents or
guardians may refer to the plain language
explanation of the rights and remedies
available under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sections
10-4a and 10-4b once such explanation has
been provided to the Board by the
Connecticut Social and Emotional Learning
and School Climate Advisory Collaborative
and published on the Internet website of
Colchester Public Schools.
Create a support plan for the victim
including safety and protective measures;
communicate the plan to the involved
student, his/her parents, and appropriate
staff. If there are repeated verified acts of
bullying against a single individual student,
develop case-by-case interventions that
may include counseling
Develop case-by-case interventions to
address repeated incidents of bullying
against a single individual or recurrently
perpetrated bullying incidents by the same
individual that may include both counseling
and discipline.
Component Actions Person(s) Responsible Timeline
Establish a procedure for each school to:
Document and maintain records
July 1, 2021
relating to reports and investigations
District Safe School Climate
of bullying in the school.
Coordinator
Maintain a list of the number of
verified acts of bullying in the school
and make such list available for
Documentation
public inspection. This public list
and Record
must not contain any personally
Keeping
identifiable information about any
student or information that might
reasonably lead to the identification
of any student.
Annually based on
Report the number of verified acts of
District Safe School Climate timeline established
bullying in the district’s schools to the
Coordinator by CSDE
Department of Education in such manner as
prescribed by the Commissioner of
Education