Marin County Grand Jury
• 2015-2016
2015/2016 Marin County Civil Grand Jury Marin Public Schools Fail to Beat Bullies Report Date: June 2, 2016 Public
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 5 findings
F1
Bullying is a problem in Marin middle and high schools. Marin ranked above the State average overall in incidents for the 2011-13 school years and for two of the three grade levels surveyed in CHKS.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Each school in the district should review its policies and procedures to ensure full compliance with the requirements of Seth’s Law.
F2
Marin County schools do not fully comply with California anti-bullying law.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Each school in the district should review its policies and procedures to ensure that complainants are protected from retaliation, and that their identities remain confidential, as appropriate.
F3
Most schools do not have a direct link on their website home page to their anti-bullying policies and procedures.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Each school in the district should adequately publicize its anti-bullying policies and procedures through its website, including a direct link on the website’s homepage to the information (not simply linking to a lengthy student handbook, but directly to the anti-bullying policy and procedures themselves).
F4
The Grand Jury found discrepancies between what school administrators reported was on their websites and what information is actually available there.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
All procedures and forms for filing a bullying complaint, including an anonymous complaint, should be available on the school’s website.
F5
School administrators reported the need for more bullying and cyberbullying education for teachers, staff, parents and students. 28 www.commonsensemedia.org
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Each school in the district’s website should provide the option to complete and submit bullying complaints online.
Additional Recommendations 1
These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.
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R6Each school in the district should review its student and parent education programs to ensure they are relevant and current. Schools should consider using the No Bully Solution Team® process that has been reported to be highly successful, or another equivalent program.
Conclusions 1
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CL1Bullying exists in Marin schools. California law requires schools to have anti-bullying policies and procedures in place and have them publicized to students, parents, and the public. Our investigation found that Marin schools are not meeting the law’s requirements. Our schools must take a closer look at these requirements and work to fulfill them. The Grand Jury heard many times that there needs to be more training and awareness about bullying for students, parents and school staffs. Strengthening and expanding the educational programs offered is paramount to lessen the bullying problem in our schools.