Maine has taken important steps to assess and improve school climate and culture, particularly in the areas of bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment, in order to ensure that students are learning in a positive and respectful school environment.
Maine's anti-bullying law recognizes that bullying behavior must be addressed to ensure student safety and an inclusive learning environment.
This website is available to all schools, parents, students, and the general public. It provides information and resources to support efforts to prevent bullying in Maine's schools.
All schools must respond to, investigate, and document all alleged incidents of bullying and cyberbullying. These procedures must include written documentation of reported incidents, outcomes of the investigation and/or how the incident was remediated.
- Administrative Procedure
JICK-R: Bullying and Cyberbullying Administrative Procedure
For school principals or superintendents' designee to use as guidance when addressing an alleged bullying incident. - Reporting Form
JICK-E1: Bullying and Cyberbullying Reporting Form
For students, school staff members, parents/guardians and others to report alleged incidents of bullying. All SAUs must establish procedures for reporting incidents in writing, in person, and with the option of being anonymous. - Responding Form
JICK-E2: Bullying and Cyberbullying Responding Form
For school principals or superintendents' designee to complete throughout the investigation process. The principal or superintendent's designee must communicate to the parent or guardian of the student who was believed to have been bullied the measures being taken, which may be referred to as a Student Safety Plan. - Remediation Form
JICK-E3: Bullying and Cyberbullying Remediation Form
For school principals or superintendents' designee to complete when a substantiated incident of bullying has been determined. This form should be used when entering the incident into the Bullying Reporting System in NEO. - Flow Chart
JICK-E4: Bullying and Cyberbullying Reporting, Responding, and Remediation Procedure
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying means bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication, including, but not limited to, a transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted by the use of any electronic device, including, but not limited to, a computer, telephone, cellular telephone, text messaging device, and personal digital assistant.
Source: An Act to Prohibit Bullying and Cyberbullying in Schools
Electronic Expression
Electronic expression bullying is an intentional use of harmful language inflicted through electronic media that may or may not be intended to be directed at an identified individual or group but still has a damaging affect on others.
Source: Maine Department of Education
Physical Act or Gesture
Physical bullying involves hurting a person's body or possessions. Physical bullying includes: hitting/kicking/pinching, spitting, tripping/pushing, taking or breaking someone's things, and making mean or rude hand gestures.
Source: stopbullying.gov
Verbal/Oral
Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes: teasing, name-calling, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, and threatening to cause harm.
Source: stopbullying.gov
Retaliation
Retaliation means an act or gesture against a student for asserting or alleging an act of bullying. Retaliation also includes reporting that is not made in good faith on an act of bullying.
Source: An Act to Prohibit Bullying and Cyberbullying in Schools
Written
Written bullying is having in writing, mean, hurtful, and/or harmful words and language directed at or intended for an individual or more than one person.
Source: Maine Department of Education
Substantiated incidents of bullying are submitted to the Maine DOE after an investigation has been conducted by school administration to determine if the allegation of bullying aligns with Maine's definition of bullying.
Personally identifying information about the students involved in the substantiated incident are not included in the submission of the incident.
Substantiated incidents of bullying are reviewed and certified by superintendents quarterly and on or by July 1.
- Creating Safe Maine Schools — provides a guide of theory-driven programs and resources in Maine to help schools and communities create positive school climates and prevent harm.
- Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Downeast and Southern Maine chapters, help schools implement effective and age-appropriate anti-bullying programs to improve school climate for all students.
- OUTMaine — works toward a welcoming and affirming Maine for all rural young people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions and gender identities.
- One Tree — promotes social change within institutions and communities through education rooted in peace, pluralism and partnership.
- Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast — promotes fundamental change in the justice system and schools.
- Restorative Justice Institute of Maine — promotes a widespread cultural and systemic shift to how Mainers approach wrongdoing by advancing the use of restorative justice in communities, schools and correctional settings.
- The Leadership School at Kieve — challenges students, teachers, and parents to take positive risks, set meaningful goals, make healthy decisions, all while being supportive team members and strong leaders.
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension — shares a publication compiled by Judith Graham Ph.D. titled Bullying and Teasing, with in-depth knowledge of the background and research of bullying.
These resources are available to students through their school community or can be accessed on an individual basis. Students are encouraged to reach out to organizations that offer leadership skills so they are equipped with the tools to help their schools be a safe and inviting learning environment.
- The Civil Rights Team Project — a school-based program administered by Maine's Office of the Attorney General to increase the safety of students by reducing bias-motivated behaviors and harassment.
- Crossroads Youth Center — provides a free program called Unite Against Bullying ME Project, that raises awareness of bullying prevention and supporting youth in creating a bullying free and safe school environment.
- Hardy Girls Healthy Women — empowers girls to experience equality, independence and safety in their everyday lives.
- Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN) — empowers and prepares youth and adults to partner for positive change.
- Project Aware — actively engages youth in empowerment workshops and helps youth create presentations and take messages to their peers.
- Young Adult Abuse Prevention Program — delivers education, services, and advocacy that enable youth to make safe, healthy, and informed choices within their dating relationships.
- Youth MOVE Maine — supports young people's efforts to improve policies in mental health, juvenile justice, and other systems of care.
These resources are available to parents of children of all ages. The offerings are varied based on parent interest and relevancy to their child(ren)'s needs.
- Deb Landry, author and parenting coach — offers private sessions, classes and information about positive social behaviors for your child, school or organization.
- G.E.A.R. Parent Network — offers workshops for parents on bullying prevention.
- Maine Parent Federation — offers information, advocacy, education and training to benefit families of children and adults with disabilities and special health care needs.
- Southern Maine Parent Awareness — offers information, referral support and education to families throughout Maine who have children with special needs.
- For help with addressing bullying behavior of an adult: Take action when adults bully young people | What to do if your child complains that an adult is doing the bullying
- Stopbullying.gov — a federal government website
- STOMP Out Bullying™ — the leading national anti-bullying and cyberbullying organization for kids and teens in the U.S.
- PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center — shares websites for kids and teens to learn about bullying, engage in activities, and be inspired to own an important social cause.
- International Bullying Prevention Association — takes research-based best practices into our countries, schools, and communities to make our world a more welcoming and safer place for all.
- Children's Safety Network — a project of the Education Development Center, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
- Teach Safe Schools — provides practical guidelines on how to reduce and prevent bullying behaviors so that schools are supportive, safe, and inviting learning environments.
- Onlineschools.org — offers a comprehensive guide to bullying and cyberbullying with resources from across the web.
- What Is Cyberbullying? An Overview for Students, Parents, and Teachers — a guide from Maryville University Online that provides relevant facts, statistics, and helpful resources about cyberbullying.
- Cyberbullying in School: Prevention and Support — a useful site to gather information and answers to questions that relate to cyberbullying.