Bullying
Kannapolis City Schools is committed to providing a safe, positive learning environment for our students. We understand that bullying creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation and detracts from a safe, productive learning environment. Bullying by district students and personnel is strictly prohibited.
Harrassing or bullying behavior refers to any pattern of gestures or written, electronic or verbal communications, or any physical act or threatening communication, that:
- Places a student or school employee in actual and reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property; or
- Creates or is certain to create a hostile learning or working environment. A “hostile environment” means that the victim subjectively views the conduct as bullying or harassing behavior and the conduct is objectively severe or pervasive enough that a reasonable person would agree that is bullying or harassing behavior
Harassing or bullying behavior includes verbal or physical conduct that is intended to intimidate, injure, degrade, or disgrace another student or person, or that has such an effect. It may include a pattern of abuse over time and may involve a student’s being “picked on.” It can include a variety of behaviors, such as but not limited to the following:
- Physical intimidation or assault
- Derogatory verbal comments (e.g., name- calling, hostile teasing, cruel rumors, taunts, put-downs, epithets, false accusations, harassment or discriminatory acts, slurs and mean-spirited jokes)
- Threatening gestures or actions; oral, cyber, or written threats
- Extortion or stealing money and possessions
- Shunning and exclusion from peer group
- Hazing
Harassing or bullying behavior includes, but is not limited to, behavior described above that is reasonably perceived as being motivated by an actual or perceived differentiating characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, socioeconomic status, academic status, gender identity, physical appearance, sexual orientation, or mental, physical, developmental, or sensory disability, or by association with a person who has or is perceived to have one or more of these characteristics.