Safe School Policy

At Marist College Canberra we have an expectation that everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

 

We will NOT tolerate harassment.

We CAN do something about it.

 

At Marist College Canberra we have an expectation that everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

EVERYONE HAS RIGHTS

• You have the right to feel safe and comfortable and for your property to be safe.
• It is your right to travel to and from school feeling safe.
• It is your right to be treated with courtesy and respect.
• It is your right to learn.  No-one has the right to stop others from learning.

WHAT IS HARASSMENT?

• Harassment is any behaviour which hurts, threatens or frightens a person.  It may embarrass you or make you feel uncomfortable.  It can be expressed physically, verbally or through social behaviour.  Some harassment is unlawful.  ALL harassment is undesirable. 

PHYSICAL HARASSMENT

• Hitting, pushing or kicking, punching or jostling on stairs and corridors.
• Physical threats or being bashed up by peers or older students if favours are not given eg. Tuckshop money.
• Interfering with another’s property by stealing, damaging, destroying or hiding it.
• Giving physically weaker and smaller students a hard time. 

VERBAL HARASSMENT

• Name calling, put-downs, sledging or pay-outs.
• Teasing.
• Belittling others’ abilities and achievements, poor or good.
• Spreading rumours/stories about people and their families.
• Writing graffiti about another person.
• Writing or distributing unpleasant notes about people.
• Racist name calling. 

SOCIAL HARASSMENT

• Making degrading comments or gestures about a person’s culture, religion or social background.
• Offending others through jokes or showing inappropriate material.
• Making people feel different because of appearance and attire.
• Pressuring people to do things against their will.
• Deliberately excluding individuals or groups.
• Deliberately disturbing a student(s) and/or teacher during a class.
• Repeated questions about a person’s private life.
• Offensive letters or phone calls;
• Offensive communications through computers. 

Harassment of any kind is Not acceptable In our school.

 
SEXUAL HARASSMENT

• Sexual harassment can happen among students, adults or between adults and students.  It refers to particular behaviour(s) that are ‘against a persons will’.  Some examples at a boy’s school are:
• Name calling or making sexual comments about a person or group (e.g.: “gay”, “poofter”, “homo”, “girl”) comments about an individual’s body size, voice tone etc,.
• commenting on or spreading rumours about a person’s sex life or personal life;
• repeated questions about a person’s private life;
• Non-verbal acts, such as leering or sexual body gestures, engaging in or forcing others to engage in “rituals”.
• Physical contact such as patting, pinching, touching, pushing, brushing against others person’s body or invading a person’s space;
• Sexual or smutty jokes;
• Display of offensive pictures, posters or graffiti;
• Offensive letters or phone calls;
• Pestering someone to go out or engage in sexual activities
• Sexual abuse or sexual assault or indecent exposure.
• Offensive communications through computers.

 

HARASSMENT CAN LEAD TO:

• Feeling powerless, afraid, uncomfortable or isolated.
• Finding it hard to concentrate, work or sleep.
• Finding it hard to relate to friends or family.
• Feeling confused or stressed.
• Not wanting to attend school.
• Being excluded from social groups. 

DO YOU HARASS OTHERS?

• Bully, tease, abuse, push or hit others?
• Call people names?
• Take part in insulting or offending others?
• Demand other students’ work for your own work?
• Condone the harassment of others by laughing?
• Condone the harassment of others by failing to act?
• Repeatedly act with disrespect towards others?
• Disrupt the learning of others?
• Misuse or damage the property of others? 

 

If you need advice or help Speak with someone you trust.

 

ARE YOU BEING HARASSED? You CAN control what happens.  Don’t retaliate either physically or verbally. (A)  Show it doesn’t upset you – ignore it. If the harassment stops no more action is needed. ê (B) Speak to the person harassing you. Tell them the behaviour is unwanted and illegal. If the harassment stops, no more action is needed. ê (C)  Tell someone – this is reporting abuse, not “dobbing”. Talk it over with: Your Tutor teacher The School Counsellor Your House Dean A House Senior Any member of staff with whom you feel comfortable Make a plan with this person to deal with the problem and follow it through. If the harassment stops, no more action is needed. ê (D)  Go to your House Dean or the Deputy Headmaster.  Inform them of the situation and the actions you have taken so far.  They will take appropriate action to resolve the matter and, if necessary, will refer the matter to outside authorities.