Anti-bullying and harassment strategy at Niels Brock
As part of Niels Brock's core values, we behave properly in all relationships. Therefore, we also expect our students to treat each other with respect in the communities they are part of. Both when they are physically present at the school, but also in their spare time, when they are on social media, for example.
Niels Brock must be a safe place to be and learn, and all students are thereby obliged to contribute to the well-being of all students and a well-functioning work environment. We do not tolerate bullying or harassment in any way, and unacceptable behaviour will have consequences for the bully, as it is important that our students can see that bullying is responded to immediately.
If the bully wants to continue to be a student at Niels Brock, we demand that in the future he or she will fully live up to behaving properly in all relationships. If cases of bullying occur, we handle it based on the following plan of action.
Action plan in case of bullying (initiated within 10 days after the bullying has been detected):
- Uncovering the situation – conversations with those involved: Who is bullying whom? Where and how does bullying take place? Are there followers? Are there any other witnesses to the bullying? Causes? Is it systematic? It is clarified whether bullying is involved based on "The 8 signs of bullying" from the Danish Centre for Educational Environment.
- Sanctions for bullies and possible followers as well as protection of bullying victims (interviews with student counsellors and possibly psychologists).
- Initiatives in class and talk about improving community (class teacher + possibly student counsellor).
- Preparation of a written action plan for how to stop the bullying. Management follows up.
Bullying is defined as: "A person is bullied when he or she is repeatedly and over a period of time subjected to negative actions by one or more, in a place where he or she is forced to reside"(source).
Bullying can thus take place both through physical acts directly when bully and bully victim are physically together, or in a more indirect form when bully and bully victim are separated. The indirect bullying may consist of slander, isolation or bullying via text messages or social media. "Digital bullying covers abusive, degrading and exclusionary actions that young people are exposed to through social media, where they interact with other young people, and where the actions are systematically directed at one or more persons." (Ministry of B, you and L, 2016).
Bullying occurs in weak communities and unsafe cultures, and it is therefore important for us at Niels Brock to help students build strong and safe communities, as this is a prerequisite for social well-being and an optimal learning environment.
Therefore, we have the following prevention measures:
- Networking and team building during induction
- Student well-being surveys
- Group discussions with student counsellors regarding class well-being
- Student events of various kinds (parties, café afternoons, lectures, etc.)
Niels Brock's faculty and student counsellors are all familiar with the anti-bullying strategy and are obliged to take action against cases of bullying and confront the parties involved in the situation. Subsequently, the four points of the action plan are implemented to get an overview of the bullying so that it can be stopped as soon as possible.
Bullying is a group phenomenon and the solution is therefore not found solely by holding conversations with bullies and bullying victims. Spectators and followers of bullying must help change the community to a place where everyone is treated with respect. The faculty, therefore, needs to work with the class on how to make the class a nice place for everyone to be.
It is possible to send a reasoned complaint to the Executive Vice President if a student does not feel that the college is addressing the bullying appropriately.
