Duval County's Program for Bullying

The Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act, Florida Statute 1006.147, prohibits bullying and harassment of any student or employee of a public K-12 educational institution. In accordance with the state statute, the Duval County School Board has developed a bullying policy to address this issue.

Bullying among children is aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength. It can take many forms, such as hitting or punching (physical bullying); teasing or name-calling (verbal bullying); intimidation using gestures or social exclusion (nonverbal bullying or emotional bullying); and sending insulting messages by phone or computer e-mail, blogs, instant and text messaging (cyberbullying). Usually, bullying is repeated over time and has serious effects on children, including depression, low self-esteem, sickness, school absence, and suicidal thoughts.

The Florida Statewide Anti-Bullying Campaign, "Stop Bullying Now," has a Web site that thoroughly identifies the warning signs of victims and perpetrators of bullying, and gives suggestions on what to do about bullying.

Bullying should be reported to a school administrator. The Student Code of Conduct cites bullying as a violation and identifies consequences for the perpetrator. For more information, visit the district's Web site or call Safe and Healthy Schools at 904-390-2131.