LEADERSHIP HANDBOOK
DIGNITY FOR ALL STUDENTS ACT (DASA)
REPORT OF BULLYING IS MADE
Parent/Guardian, child or witness indicates the student was a target of bullying. A DASA Complaint Form DASA Complaint Form 8-2022.pdf should be filled out by the parent/guardian, or a staff member may complete with the parent/guardian. If a staff member completes with the parent/guardian a copy needs to be sent to them within 24 hours of completing the form.
If a staff member or student who witnesses an incident completes the complaint form a copy does not go home but is kept with the investigative notes. This will assure the confidentiality of offending student during investigation
If a staff member witnesses a student being bullied, they need to notify the building Dignity Act Coordinators (Administrator and Student Support Services representative) within 24 hours of the event and complete the DASA Complaint form.
If an incident of bullying involves a staff member, then the building administrator needs to contact Human Resources for them to begin an investigation. This should not be completed by the building level DASA Coordinator.
STUDENT SAFETY
When a complaint of bullying is made it is important to ensure that the student who is the target of the bullying is safe and any treatment for injuries is provided immediately.
PARENT NOTIFICATION
Target of Bullying:
Following a complaint of bullying being received at the building, the Dignity Act Coordinator(s) (Administrator/Student Support Services Representative) calls parent/guardian of suspected target and notifies them of received complaint on behalf of their child and you are investigating, answer any questions regarding the process. Introductory Letter needs to be sent home to parent/guardian of suspected target introducing the DASA Coordinator and informing them of the investigation.
Potential Offender:
Dignity Act Coordinator(s) contacts the parent/guardian of the potential offender and informs them that their child has been identified as such and you will be investigating. Answer any questions regarding the process. Introductory Letter needs to be sent home to parent/guardian of suspected target introducing the Dignity Act Coordinator and informing them of the investigation.
INVESTIGATION
Dignity Act Coordinator Administrator and Student Support Services Member work together to investigate reports of bullying. Using DASA Investigation Summary Form for completing the investigation.
• If claim is made against staff member‐ Human Resources needs to be contacted immediately as they will take over the investigation. This should not be done by building level Dignity Act Coordinators.
Interviews:
Using the Guiding Questions/DASA Statement of Events Form, interview the identified victim(s) of bullying first to get all information regarding the incident(s). Next interview all witnesses to the incident and then finally interview the alleged offender of the incident to gather all information. Dignity Act Coordinators may seek help from additional building Student Support Services staff to complete interviews. Written statements can be gathered from students and staff when appropriate to do so.
Making Determination:
Once all interviews have been conducted and evidence is gathered, Dignity Act Coordinators (Both Administrator and Student Support Services Representative) will make a determination as to whether or not the incident is Founded or Unfounded based on criteria for bullying and harassment.
• Founded: If founded; Administrator or their designee enters incident into Infinite Campus under codes R530O and R530C to capture all State Reportable fields. Use the Investigation Summary Form to ensure all necessary information is noted
o Imbalance of power: involves the use of physical strength, popularity, or access to embarrassing information to hurt or control another person.
o Intent to harm (Intentional): The person bullying has the goal to cause harm. Bullying is not accidental.
o Repeated: occurring more than once or having the potential to occur more than once. (Note: that an incident can be founded based on the potential to be repeated.)
• Unfounded: If unfounded but a student conflict still occurred, it may be entered into Infinite Campus as non‐state reportable under Code 403. Unfounded reports do not always have to result in uploading the event into Infinite Campus.
NOTIFICATION OF FINDINGS TO PARENT/GUARDIAN
Parent/Guardian of both the target and the alleged offender will be notified in writing of the outcome of the investigation using the Findings Letter provided. The letter should be put on building letterhead.
SAFETY PLAN
A safety plan, using the form provided in this manual, needs to be completed when applicable with the targeted student at the time of the investigation. The student and parent/guardian should be involved in the development of the safety plan. A copy of the Safety Plan should be given to the parent/ guardian when completed.
INTERVENTION PLANS FOR TARGETED STUDENT AND OFFENDER
When DASA investigations are founded, interventions should be developed for both the targeted student and offender of bullying to support both students and attempt to avoid any further incidents in the future. It is important to remember that simply giving a consequence to the offending student such as suspension does not address the underlying cause of bullying and staff should look for interventions to meet the student’s needs, i.e., mental health counseling, social skill building group, opportunities for positive attention and interactions.
FOLLOW UP WITH STUDENTS
Follow up should occur with all students involved within approximately 3-5 school days to see how they are doing and to determine if interventions, action plans, and safety plans are appropriate.
DOCUMENTATION
Schools are responsible for documenting every step in the investigation process. Such documentation ensures that protocols were followed and assists in providing the school with needed information to report to the state annually.
• A copy of the investigation needs to be kept in the office of the DASA Coordinator (Administrator or Student Support Services Staff) and a copy needs to be sent to the District Student Support Services office at the completion of each investigation. The investigation will be reviewed and filed.
Retain record in the school where incident occurred until the youngest participant is 27.
All resources pertaining to DASA can be found on the Schenectady City School District website www.schenectadyschools.org including a list of buildings. See also, Schenectady City School District Bullying Policy.
District DASA Coordinator
Donna Fowler
Phone: 518.881.3412 Ext. 153-6089
Email: fowlerd@schenectady.k12.ny.us
District DASA Coordinator
Angela Pastizzo
Email: pastizzoa@schenectadyschools.org