Bullying and Cyberbullying
Bullying is an aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived imbalance of power between individuals with the intent to cause emotional or physical harm. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or social/relational and may involve a single severe act or repetition or potential repetition of a deliberate act. Bullying includes, but is not limited to, any act described in Education Code 48900(r).
Cyberbullying includes the electronic creation or transmission of harassing communications, direct threats, or other harmful texts, sounds, or images on the internet, social media, or other technologies using a telephone, computer, or any wireless communication device. Cyberbullying also includes breaking into another person's electronic account or assuming that person's online identity to damage that person's reputation.
Bullying includes any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or by means of an electronic act, including one or more acts committed by a student or group of students directed toward one or more students that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following (Education Code 48900(r)(1)(A)-(D)):
- Placing a reasonable student or students in fear of harm to that student’s or those students’ person or property;
Causing a reasonable student to experience substantially detrimental effect on the student’s physical or mental health; - Causing a reasonable student to experience substantial interference with the student's academic performance; and
- Causing a reasonable student to experience substantial interference with the student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.
“Electronic act” means the creation or transmission originated on or off the schoolsite, by means of an electronic device, including, but not limited to, a telephone, wireless telephone, or other wireless communication device, computer, or pager, of a communication, including, but not limited to, any of the following (Education Code 48900(r)(2)(A)):
- A message, text, sound, video, or image.
- A post on a social network website, including, but not limited to:
- Posting to or creating a burn page. “Burn page” means an internet website created for the purpose of having one or more of the effects listed as 1 through 4 above.
- Creating a credible impersonation of another actual student for the purpose of having one or more of the effects listed as 1 through 4 above. “Credible impersonation” means to knowingly and without consent impersonate a student for the purpose of bullying the student, such that another student would reasonably believe, or has reasonably believed, that the student was or is the student who was impersonated.
- Creating a false profile for the purpose of having one or more of the effects listed as 1 through 4 above. “False profile” means a profile of a fictitious student or a profile using the likeness or attributes of an actual student other than the student who created the false profile.
- Possible forums for cyber and/or social media bullying may include:
- Internet websites or apps with free registration and ease of registration;
- Internet websites or apps offering peer-to-peer instant messaging;
- Internet websites or apps offering comment forums or sections;
- Internet websites or apps offering image or video posting platforms.
- An act of cyber sexual bullying.
- “Cyber sexual bullying” means the dissemination of, or the solicitation or incitement to disseminate, a photograph or other visual recording by a student to another student or to school personnel by means of an electronic act that has or can be reasonably predicted to have one or more of the effects listed as 1 through 4 above. A photograph or other visual recording shall include the depiction of a nude, semi-nude, or sexually explicit photograph or other visual recording of a minor where the minor is identifiable from the photograph, visual recording, or other electronic act.
- “Cyber sexual bullying” does not include a depiction, portrayal, or image that has any serious literary, artistic, educational, political, or scientific value or that involves athletic events or school-sanctioned activities.
Board Policy / Administrative Regulation 5131.2: Bullying
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions![]()
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should I report to if my child experiences cyberbullying/harassment?
If you think your child is a victim of cyberbullying or cyber harassment, please report the incident to your child’s teacher and/or principal. Students may also report bullying or harassment to their teacher or principal. Your school’s administrative team will take steps to investigate, address the incident, and provide interventions to prevent future incidents from recurring.
What happens if cyberbullying occurs on the weekend, at night, or on a platform unrelated to RUSD activities?
If you become aware of an incident of cyberbullying that occurred on a platform or activity not related to RUSD and have concerns that it may impact the targeted child’s education, you can notify your school site administrator.
What will my student or I be asked once we make the report?
Administrators will interview your student in order to gather specific details regarding the harassment, including when the harassment occurred and the individuals involved. If you have screenshots of the harassment, the administrator may ask you to send screenshots of the conversations or inappropriate language. Please do not send sexually explicit images to school employees. You may be asked to write a statement in lieu of submitting this type of image.
