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.

There are many different types of bullying, but there are four main categories. I’m going to go over those in this blog.

4 Types of Bullying

1. Physical Bullying

The first primary type of bullying is physical, which is what we typically think of when we think of bullying. So, this might be pushing, shoving, hitting, kicking, spitting, or any physical violence. One can consider all these things bullying if they happen over time with an intent to hurt that student.

It is the easiest type of bullying to spot because sometimes physical harm happens to the student. But just because someone hits you and you’re not harmed doesn’t mean it’s not bullying. It 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. So that’s the first type—physical bullying.

2. Emotional Bullying

The next type of bullying would likely be emotional bullying. And emotional bullying is more difficult to tell. You have to communicate with the alleged victim of the bullying. So it’s harder for students who experience bullying to address it.

So, what does this look like? It is more like name calling, insulting, and manipulating that student, so they feel poorly or bad about themselves. It can be verbal or written somewhere, things like that. It’s a little bit harder to spot, but it’s just as severe and has a profound impact. So, that would be considered more emotional.

3. Social Bullying

The next type would then be social. Social bullying is sometimes also harder to spot. The alleged bully can do social bullying indirectly if they interfere with relationships that the victim has with other students.

It can be spreading rumors that are not true and doing something that would harm relationships, like I said, that the student has with others repeatedly over time. The most common example of social bullying is spreading hurtful or harmful rumors over time, which can be regarded as social bullying.

4. Cyberbullying

The last type of bullying is cyberbullying. Again, this is sometimes tougher to spot. These are things done over social media. It can be emotional or social abuse within a cyber setting, on social media, or in text messages. Stuff like that that is repeatedly said. You can spread rumors online or anything to harm the victim’s character. That would be considered cyberbullying.

Protecting Your Child through Arizona Anti-Bullying Laws

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

Report Any Type of Bullying in School and the Community

If your child alleges that they experience bullying at school in any of those settings, you want to take it very seriously.

The law requires public and charter schools in Arizona to have policies and procedures 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 physical threat to the student or physical bullying, there are also procedures that the school must comply with. And that might mean reporting the 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 policies 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 usually in the student and parent handbook. Again, we had discussed that there must be confidentiality upon reporting, and the school must act and comply with the procedures 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, such as assault on a student, there will be additional policies. 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, safeguards must be 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 the state’s anti-bullying laws.

Report Student Cyberbullying to the School

So therefore, you would report to the school, which would be confidential. The school would then have policies and procedures to protect that victim from bullying, cyberbullying, or future cyberbullying.

Again, the school would handle it if it’s in the school, on the school computer, network, or at events within its premises.

One would report it to the school; 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 more challenging to define. It can be any bullying I’ve discussed in my previous 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, as we discussed, you would report it to the school, where the policies and procedures would be in place.

It gets a bit more complex when it does not involve school property, events, or outside school. However, these are students who go to the same school. An example of this that the school’s policy would not cover is if you were at home and it had to do with maybe social media. 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

n Arizona, cyberbullying is considered a form of bullying and is punishable under state law. The 2009 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 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. It 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 increasingly harsh 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 that cyberbullying is also a severe issue.

Cyberbullying is an extensive category of bullying that can include many different actions. Stopbullying.gov defines what cyberbullying looks like: 

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital 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 the state law covers all aspects of bullying detailed within. 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 people can misunderstand certain actions, and you can see how someone may wrongfully accuse a student of criminal cyberbullying.

Fortunately, attorneys at Chelle Law have extensive training and experience in combatting 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 teachers face a tough job. However, it’s also the case that many students in our schools today go through many challenging issues at home. We mustn’t breeze past this; it is always best when those students can receive the help they need before problems spill over into the classroom. That said, students accused of physically attacking a teacher or other school employee need to get a defense attorney immediately. 

Last year, the Arizona legislature revised a statute in the law on a physical attack on a teacher or school employee. They changed the law to treat such an attack as a Class 3 misdemeanor. 

Thus, a student could receive charges that land them in juvenile detention. Worse, depending on their age at the time of the offense, this event could have a lasting impact on their ability to find work and function normally in the world. It is a severe matter that people need to treat as such. 

Our team of seasoned lawyers can provide the criminal defense that a student may require if someone accuses them of a crime against a teacher. They must receive the legal protection needed to keep themselves safe from the consequences that could befall them if convicted of this charge. Putting up a spirited defense against a serious charge is imperative.

Contact Arizona Student Bullying Attorney Today for Assistance

As you can see, student bullying is a severe problem in Arizona school districts. 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.