LEGAL ENTANGLEMENT PART 2 2
Legal Entanglement Project Part 2: Collaboration
As stated in the policy, The Louisa County Public School District, Mineral, Virginia “Bullying is
prohibited. "Bullying" means any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm,
intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived power imbalance between the
aggressor or aggressors and victim; and is repeated over time or causes severe emotional trauma.
"Bullying" includes cyber bullying. "Bullying" does not include ordinary teasing, horseplay,
argument or peer conflict” (LCPS School Board Policy 2022). This policy clearly defines what
bullying is, but does not define what the repercussions will be for students that are involved
whether directly or indirectly. This policy which has been the same for multiple years will need
to be updated to address these issues. For this part of the legal entanglement project I will be
working with stakeholders to analyze the policy and develop changes and updates that will need
to be made based on their feedback. I will use the perspectives of community, school, and
administrative members. I will also look at data collected from the school climate survey that
was given to staff and students at Louisa County High School. By speaking with stakeholders
and looking at data I will be able to propose appropriate updates and changes to be made to the
current policy.
Analyzes Sources of Data
First you need to analyze the data about the community the school serves. Louisa County Public
Schools serves children from Pre-K – 12th grades. We will specifically look at Louisa County
High School. There are currently 1,642 students enrolled with a student to teacher ratio of 15:1.
Of the 1,642 students 67.8% are white, 15.9% are black, 8.2% are Hispanic, 7.0% are multiple
races, 0.8% are Asian, and 0.1% are American Indian. 60.1% of the student body qualify for free
and reduced meals and 39.6% are considered economically disadvantaged. When considering the
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demographics of Louisa County High School, one must also look at the school climate within the
high school. When speaking with the Guidance director at LCHS and looking at the school
climate survey given in the Spring of 2022 the following was observed, “of the students surveyed
32.5% of girls reported being bullied 2-3 times per month or more for one year or more and
22.6% of boys reported being bullied 2-3 times per month or more for one year or more”
(Hazelden, 2007). According to Virginia Code “Bullying means any aggressive and unwanted
behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived
power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim; and is repeated over time or
causes sever emotional trauma. Bullying includes cyber bullying. Bullying does not include
ordinary teasing, horseplay, argument, or peer conflict” (Va. Code Ann. §22.1-276.01(2018)
(Virginia Anti-Bullying Laws and Policies, 2023). Louisa County High School needs to continue
to improve its anti-bullying program, which they currently use the Olweus program, to include
ways to prevent and report bullying. LCHS currently has reports that students can fill out and file
with an administrator or guidance counselor. There needs to be more student input in this
program for it to be more beneficial and productive. Also, teachers and staff need more training
on how to identify and respond to instances of bullying within the high school setting. It is also
important for staff to receive training on how to report instances of bullying that are either
witnessed or reported to them.
Analyzes the Environment
When looking at Louisa County High Schools student handbook, which is twenty-seven pages
long there is only one page that relates to bullying and harassment at the high school. It does not
give clear repercussions for students that are directly or indirectly involved in bullying or
harassing other students. As stakeholders, a more detailed policy with discipline actions outlined
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and how to report instances of bullying would be more beneficial to all stakeholders at LCHS.
Although students participate in a school climate survey yearly there needs to be more analysis
done with the survey and incorporating all stakeholders in implementing changes based on these
results. When changes are suggested, a survey should be sent to all stakeholders to get their input
on the proposed changes or input on what changes they feel need to be made. When looking at
strategies to address changes to the bullying policy at LCHS the Virginia Department of
Education states “Sate law (Code of Virginia § 22.1-291.4) requires local school boards to
implement policies and procedures to educate school board employees about bullying and the
need to create a bully-free environment. To help address and prevent bullying in public schools, a
model policy was developed and adopted by the Board of Education in 2013. The Model Policy
to Address Bullying in Virginia’s Public Schools (PDF) provides information to assist local
school boards in formulating policies to help prevent bullying and procedures to report,
investigate and intervene when bullying behavior occurs” (VDOE, 2023). Schools should have
programs to help promote a bully-free environment and should have clear expectations for
reporting bullying of any type. LCHS needs to provide more professional development for staff
to know how to appropriately deal with bullying in the high school setting. Staff needs to know
how to report bullying that is either witnessed or reported to them. According to Virginia Law
“Each school board shall adopt policies to: Prohibit abusive work environments in the school
division, provide for the appropriate discipline of any school board employee who contributes to
an abusive work environment, and prohibit retaliation or reprisal against a school board
employee who alleges an abusive work environment or assists in the investigation of an
allegation of an abusive work environment” (VA, §22.1-291.4). Parents should be included in the
policy development as they have children within the school district that will need to be protected
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by this policy. The district can get a unique perspective from the parents’ input which would
allow them to develop a policy that would encompass more of the issues that students are having
with bullying. Also, by including parents in the development the school will be making parents
aware of how instances of bullying are being managed within the school setting regardless of
where the incident occurs. It will also foster positive relationships with parents and make it more
likely that instances of bullying will be reported so that the school system can manage it
appropriately and ensure that students feel safe at school and do not have to worry about bullying
or any type.
Analyzes the Focal Groups
The focal group is both students and staff at LCHS. When speaking with a veteran teacher I
asked if she was aware of LCHS’s bullying policy and what steps she should take to manage the
situation. She replied “The anti-bullying policy is on all our badges, however, in an event that it
occurs I may not follow the process as outlined. I may jump around the process vs doing things
in a sequence” (L. Wyatt, personal communication, April 6, 2023). To me this is concerning
because if the policy is right in front of you, you should be able to implement it correctly. This
demonstrates that LCHS needs to provide more training for staff to know what to do in situations
and to make them more versed in the policy. Another group within this is the students. They need
to understand what bullying and harassment look like and how to report instances that they hear
or observe. The students need to be informed on what the policy is at LCHS for bullying and
how it is managed. They also need to be aware of what the consequences look like for bullying.
LCHS has implemented the anonymous alert system, but I do not feel that students understand
how to use this and that it is truly anonymous. If LCHS would demonstrate to the students how
to use this system and that it is truly anonymous, then more students would be willing to use it to
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report instances of bullying and harassment. The key to preventing bullying and promoting a
positive school environment is having students feel comfortable reporting instances of bullying
and knowing how to report it. When speaking with different students at the high school the
consensus that I received was that students did not believe that they should use anonymous alerts
to report instances of bullying. Also, students were unclear on who to report bullying to or how
to report it. This is a problem if the school wants to promote a positive school environment free
of bullying and harassment. Again, LCHS needs to have clear and concise expectations for how
to report and handle instances of bullying so that all stakeholders are award and can follow the
protocol.
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References
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA). (2021, November 2). Virginia Anti-Bullying Laws
& Policies. StopBullying.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2023, from
https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/laws/virginia
Education, V. D. of. (n.d.). Louisa County High. Virginia School Quality Profiles. Retrieved
April 6, 2023, from https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/louisa-county-high
Hazelden, (2007). Olweus Survey 2022, Retrieved April 6, 2023, from
file:///C:/Users/corrinsj/Downloads/OLWEUS%20Survey%202022%20Results.pdf
Title 22.1. education. § 22.1-291.4. Bullying and abusive work environments prohibited. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 6, 2023, from https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title22.1/chapter15/section22.1-
291.4/#:~:text=Bullying%20and%20abusive%20work%20environments%20prohibited.,c reate
%20a%20bully%2Dfree%20environment.
Wyatt, L. (2023, April 6). Personal Interview [Personal Interview]
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