Anti-Bullying at Hickam Elementary

At Hickam Elementary School, we are committed to providing a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment for all our students, both in person and online. We believe that every child deserves to feel safe and valued. Bullying is a serious issue that goes against our HEART values and can harm a student's well-being and ability to learn.

We empower our students, families, and staff with the understanding and tools needed to prevent and address bullying, fostering a school culture built on respect, responsibility, and empathy.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is any unwanted behavior that hurts, harms, humiliates, or scares a student. It can happen in different ways:

• Bullying: This includes hurtful actions that are written, spoken, drawn, or physical. It can be severe, happen often, or spread widely enough to create an scary, threatening, or unkind school environment. This includes bullying based on a person's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, physical appearance, and socio-economic status.

• Cyberbullying: This involves sending hurtful messages or content electronically through the internet, cell phones, or other devices. Cyberbullying can happen anywhere (on or off campus, during school activities) if it affects the school environment or is based on a person's protected qualities.

What Should You Do?

We encourage everyone to take action if they experience or witness bullying:

• Students: If you are being bullied or see someone else being bullied, please tell a trusted adult immediately. This could be your teacher, a counselor, a principal, or any school staff member. You can also report incidents digitally and anonymously using the Speak Now HIDOE app.

• Parents/Guardians: If you suspect or know your child is being bullied, or has bullied another student, please contact our school administration right away.

How We Address Bullying

Hickam Elementary focuses on both prevention and response:

• Prevention: We work to build a positive school culture through programs like Positive Behavior and Intervention Support (PBIS), and by integrating our HEART values and social-emotional learning into daily lessons.

• Response: If an incident occurs on school grounds, during school transportation, or at school-sponsored events, school personnel will investigate promptly. The principal will determine if school rules (like Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules Chapter 19, which covers student misconduct) have been broken. Our staff provides support to all students involved to address the situation and help prevent it from happening again.

Resources & Support

• Speak Now HIDOE App: A tool for students to report incidents safely and anonymously.

• Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules Chapter 19: This outlines student misconduct policies and consequences. Translations are available.

• Community Involvement: We believe that families, students, and the wider community play a vital role in promoting respect, responsibility, and empathy, creating a safe environment for all.

Together, we can ensure Hickam Elementary is a place where every student feels safe, respected, and ready to learn.