School Board to Consider Anti-Bullying Policy

The Rochester Board of Education tonight will again discuss a proposed Anti-Bullying Policy for .

The board meets at 7 tonight in the Administration Center; the meeting is open to the public.

The policy defines what the board considers bullying and what actions would be taken in the event of bullying. It also covers bullying that occurs outside of school but that causes "a significant disruption to the school environment." (The full policy can be downloaded in the file attached to this story.)

"I think our district needs one (anti-bullying policy)," said Trustee Beth Talbert at the board's last meeting, during which they first discussed the policy. "We will need to think about how we educate parents and students about what it does cover and doesn't cover."

"Kids can get bullied for any reason," noted Lisa Nowak. "Bullying in any form is not acceptable.  It can be completely random."

Board members discussed a training program for faculty and the need to communicate expectations of good citizenship.

"This is the first piece of a lot of things that will have to be done in the district," said Superintendent David Pruneau.

Also on the agenda tonight:

• Follow-up discussions on the 2011-2012 budget.
• Awarding a long-term technology and computer contract to Dell.
• Teacher tenure requests.