Bullying Prevention
Every student deserves to learn in a safe, respectful and supportive environment. Students, families and school employees all play an important role in recognizing, reporting and preventing bullying.
Is someone in immediate danger? Call 911 or contact local law enforcement. The Bullying Report Form should not be used to report an immediate emergency.
What Is Bullying?
Understanding what qualifies as bullying helps families and schools respond appropriately and provide the right support.
Louisiana’s Definition
Louisiana law defines bullying as a pattern of harmful behavior directed toward a student by another student or group of students. The behavior occurs more than once and causes physical or emotional harm, interferes with a student’s education or disrupts the school environment.
An isolated disagreement or conflict may still require attention and school intervention, but it may not meet the legal definition of bullying.
Verbal
Name-calling, threats, taunting, malicious teasing or spreading harmful rumors.
Social
Repeatedly and purposefully excluding, isolating or humiliating another student.
Physical
Hitting, kicking, pushing, tripping or damaging or misusing another student’s property.
Electronic
Harmful or threatening messages, images or posts shared through phones, email, websites or social media.
How to Report Bullying
Students, parents, guardians, employees and witnesses should report suspected bullying as soon as possible.
Tell a School Employee
Report the concern to the principal, teacher, counselor, bus operator or another trusted school employee.
Complete the Form
Provide the names of those involved and as much information as possible about what happened, when it happened and where it occurred.
Submit It to the School
Return the completed form to the school principal or another appropriate school employee. Reports are handled confidentially as required by law.
The form may be completed by the person reporting the incident or by the school employee receiving the report.
What Happens After a Report?
APS schools follow Louisiana requirements for responding to and investigating properly reported bullying complaints.
Parent Notification
The school will notify the parents or legal guardians of the students involved in accordance with state requirements.
Investigation Begins
The school begins its investigation by the next school day after receiving a properly reported complaint.
Investigation Is Completed
The investigation must generally be completed within ten school days after the written report is submitted.
Additional Information
Select a topic below to learn more about reporting, investigations and support.
Who May Report Bullying?
A bullying concern may be reported by:
- A student who is experiencing bullying
- A student who witnesses bullying
- A parent or legal guardian
- A teacher, counselor or administrator
- A bus operator or other school employee
- A chaperone supervising a school function or activity
What Information Should Be Included?
Include as much accurate information as possible, such as:
- The names of the students involved
- The date, time and location of the incident
- A clear description of what happened
- The names of possible witnesses
- Copies or screenshots of relevant messages, images or online posts
You should only answer questions you feel comfortable answering and can report accurately.
What If the School Does Not Act?
- If the school does not take timely and effective action, submit the concern to the Avoyelles Parish School Board using the official Bullying Incident Monitoring Form.
- The school system must begin investigating a properly reported complaint by the next school day after receiving it.
- If the school system does not take timely and effective action, the matter may be reported to the Louisiana Department of Education using the same monitoring form.
How Can Families Support a Student?
- Listen calmly and take the student seriously.
- Write down what happened, including dates, locations and witnesses.
- Save screenshots, messages or other available evidence.
- Encourage the student to report new incidents immediately.
- Work with the school to create a plan that helps the student feel safe and supported.
- Do not encourage the student to retaliate or respond with physical aggression.
Information for School Employees
Louisiana school employees who witness bullying or receive a bullying report are required to report the incident to a school official.
School employees should follow all district procedures for verbal reporting, written documentation, parent notification and investigation.
The Bullying Investigation Form below is intended for school personnel responsible for documenting the investigation.
Policies, Forms and Resources
Use the links below to access district policies, official forms and additional bullying-prevention guidance.
Need Help Reporting a Concern?
Contact your child’s school principal or call the Avoyelles Parish School District at 318-253-5982.
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