What are the Different Types of Bullying in Arizona?

What are the different types of bullying in schools in Arizona?  The State Board of Education has defined it as repeatedly over time harmful, hurtful interactions with one or more students with the intent to cause harm. Now, there are lots of different types of bullying, but there are four main categories. And I’m going to go over those in this blog. The first main category of bullying is physical, and this is what we typically think of when we think of bullying. So, this might be pushing, shoving, hitting, kicking, or spitting, all these things would be considered bullying if they happen over time with an intent to hurt that student.

4 Types of Bullying

1. Physical Bullying

The first main type of bullying is physical, and this is what we typically think of when we think of bullying. So, this might be pushing, shoving, hitting, kicking, spitting or any type of physical violence, all these things would be considered bullying if they happen over time with an intent to hurt that student. This is pretty much the easiest type of bullying to spot because there is sometimes actual physical harm that happens to the student, but just because someone hits you and you’re not actually harmed doesn’t mean that it’s not bullying. It absolutely is. I’m just saying that physical bullying is sometimes the easiest to spot among the types of bullying and address just for various reasons. But that’s the first type, physical bullying. 

2. Emotional Bullying

The next type of bullying would likely be emotional bullying.  And emotional bullying is harder to tell. You really need to communicate with the alleged victim of the bullying, so that students who are being bullied, can be harder for them to address it. So, what does this look like? This is more like name calling, insulting, and sort of manipulating that student so that they’re feeling poorly or bad about themselves. This can be verbal, or it can be written somewhere, things like that. It’s a little bit harder to spot, but it’s just as serious and has a serious impact. So, that would be considered more emotional.

3. Social Bullying

The next type would then be social. Social bullying sometimes is also a little bit harder to spot. This can be done in sort of an indirect way if the alleged bully is interfering with relationships that the victim has with other students, spreading rumors that obviously are not true, and doing something that would harm relationships like I said, that the student has with others repeatedly over time, this would be considered bullying. I think the most common example of social bullying is spreading hurtful or harmful rumors over a period, that would be considered social bullying. 

4. Cyberbullying

And then, the last type of bullying is cyberbullying. Again, this is difficult sometimes to spot. These are things done over social media. It can be emotional or social abuse but within a cyber setting, so on social media, text messages, things like that, that repeatedly are said, you can spread rumors online or anything to harm the character of that victim of the bullying, that would be considered cyberbullying.

Protecting Your Child through Arizona Anti-Bullying Laws

So, there are really four main categories. Cyberbullying, though, can overlap, like I said, with emotional or social types of bullying. Again, it must happen repeatedly over a period, and there has to be an intent to harm children. This is a very serious matter. It’s something you really want to take into serious consideration.

Report Any Type of Bullying in School and the Community

If your child is alleging that they’re being bullied at school in any of those settings, you want to take it very seriously. Public schools here in the state of Arizona and in the charter school setting are required by law to have policies and procedures in place to protect children from bullying. Some examples of that are reporting must be confidential, so that’s very important, they must have procedures. If there’s any type of physical threat to the student, or if there was physical bullying, there are also procedures that the school must comply with. And that might mean reporting that alleged person who’s doing the bullying to the local authorities.

Arizona Anti-Bullying Laws Required School Policies

Arizona recognizes the seriousness of bullying and has established laws to address the problem. The first law was enacted in 2006, requiring all schools to have the policy to deal with bullying. The second law was enacted in 2009 and expanded the definition of bullying to include cyberbullying. It also required schools to report bullying incidents to the Arizona Department of Education.

Anti-Bullying Policy in Schools

So, the policies you can find for each school district are normally going to be in the student handbook and in the parent handbook. Again, we had talked about, there must be confidentiality upon reporting, and then the school must act and must comply with the procedures that they have in place.

School’s Extra Policies on Physical Bullying

Sometimes, this means separating the students and checking in with the student who is the alleged victim of the bullying. Also, there are different types of bullying, but if we’re talking about physical bullying like an assault on a student, there will be extra policies on top of that. The school may be mandated reporters and they are required to report that student to legal authorities. Parents also must be notified if their student is the alleged victim of bullying. And then also, as I said, there must be safeguards in place to stop that. The school does have to create these policies and procedures and they also must implement them.

The 2009 law also created the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools within the Arizona Department of Education. The office is responsible for providing school support and resources on bullying prevention. It also investigates complaints of bullying and enforces Arizona anti-bullying laws.

Report Student Cyberbullying to the School

So, therefore, you would report to the school, it would be confidential. The school would then have policies and procedures in place to protect that victim from the incidence of bullying, cyberbullying, or future cyberbullying. Again, if it’s in the school, on the school premises, at a school event, or on a school computer or school network, then the school would handle it. You would report it to the school. As I said, it would be confidential, and the school would handle it with their policies and procedures, which you can find in your student handbook or parent handbook. Cyberbullying can also be a little bit harder to define. It can be any type of bullying that I’ve discussed in my prior blogs, which you can check out. A lot of times it’s going to be more social or emotional.

And what I mean by that is cyberbullying can be anything from spreading rumors or sharing embarrassing information. It can also be harassing as well if the contact is unwanted, it’s repeated over a period, and it’s harmful. Again, if it’s on the school premises like we talked about, then you would just simply report it to the school and the policies and procedures would be in place. It gets a little bit more difficult when it does not involve school property or school events. It’s totally outside of school, however, these are students who go to the same school. An example of this that would not be covered under the school’s policy is if you were at home and it had to do with maybe social media and you were posting, like I said, illicit or harmful information or spreading rumors that might be about school, but you’re not actually on the premises. That’s when it gets more challenging.

Arizona Cyberbullying Student Protections

In Arizona, cyberbullying is considered a type of bullying and is punishable under state law. The 2009 Arizona anti-bullying law expanded the definition of bullying to include cyberbullying. It also requires schools to report any different types of bullying incidents to the Arizona Department of Education. This approach has effectively reduced the incidence of cyberbullying in the Arizona school districts.

However, primary and high school students are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any cyberbullying incidents to the school. The school will then investigate the incident and take the necessary disciplinary action. There’s no doubt that incidents of cyberbullying have accelerated in recent years. This is due to the rise of social media and other online platforms. Students need to be aware of the dangers of cyberbullying and how to report it.

Cyberbullying: How a Defense Attorney Can Help

Bullying is seen in an increasingly serious light in the school system these days. Not only is in-person bullying a potential problem among students in a school system, but it is also necessary to be aware of the fact that cyberbullying is also a serious issue these days. Cyberbullying is a very broad category of bullying that can include many different actions. Stopbullying.gov defines what cyberbullying looks like:

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital and electronic devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation.

This definition is broad and lengthy, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that all aspects of bullying that are detailed within are covered by state law. Each state has varying definitions of cyberbullying from a legal perspective, and what qualifies in one state may not be in another. Add to that that certain actions can be misunderstood, and you can see how a student may be wrongfully accused of criminal cyberbullying. 

Fortunately, attorneys who work at Chelle Law have extensive training and experience in how to combat cyberbullying claims in court. Our team knows the laws in Arizona, and we will put up a fierce defense for our clients. No student deserves to have their reputation tarnished by false accusations lobbed at them by another. We work diligently to put a stop to this immediately.

Physical Attack: Protecting Against Criminal Charges

There is no question that school teachers are faced with a very difficult job. However, it is also the case that many students in our schools today are going through a number of challenging and difficult issues at home. We mustn’t breeze past this; it is always best when those students can receive the help they need before issues spill over into the classroom. That being said, students who are accused of physically attacking a teacher or other school employee need to get a defense attorney right away.

Last year, the Arizona legislature revised a statute in the law pertaining to a physical attack on a school teacher or school employee. They revised the law to state that such an attack would be treated as a Class 3 misdemeanor. Thus, a student could potentially receive charges that land them in juvenile detention, or even worse, depending on their age at the time of the offense. This could have a lasting impact on their ability to find work and function normally in the world. It is clearly an extremely serious matter that needs to be treated as such. 

Our team of seasoned lawyers can provide the criminal defense that a student may require if they are accused of a crime against a teacher. It is extremely important that they receive the legal defense required to keep themselves safe from the consequences that could befall them if they are convicted of this charge. It is extremely important to put up a spirited defense against a charge as serious as this.

Contact Arizona Student Bullying Attorney Today for Assistance

As you can see, student bullying is a serious problem in Arizona schools. If your child has been the victim of bullying, you should contact an experienced student bullying attorney today. The attorney will review your case and advise you of your legal options. A lawyer can also help you file a complaint with the school and the Arizona Department of Education.

At Chelle Law, we have successfully represented many students who have been the victims of bullying. We will aggressively fight for your child’s rights and ensure they receive the justice they deserve. 

Contact us today to schedule a consultation.