The idea is simple; once a student is found to be bullied, that student is brought to the office so the school officials can be notified and appropriate action can be taken by the administration and Law enforcement. The bullied student, now called a "Champion," is sent to one of the school counselors, who then evalutes the student to see if there are any underlining issues that the counselor can identify and work toward resolving. The Champion is then introduced to the  "Knights."

The Knights are a team of students who have taken a stand against
bullying. The Knights surround the Champion with friendship and courage. Having the Knights with the Champion, backing him/her up, there is a stop to the bullying right away.

The Knights are to take several actions for our Champions:

•   Greet them every day and befriend them.

•   Check up with them online

•   Sit with them at lunch or encourage the Champion to sit with the Knights.

•   Be encouraging at all times (handshakes, high fives, affirmation, etc...)

•   Call them at home, send emails, text, and show them someone cares.

•   Report any change with office and counselors.

•   Be genuine, kind, and help the Champion help others.

Knight– A chivalrous student who cares about stopping bullying.

Chivalrous – Having the qualities of chivalry, as courage, courtesy, and loyalty. Benevolent, big, bold, brave, considerate, courageous, courtly, gallant, gentleman-like, great-hearted, heroic, high-minded, honorable, intrepid, lofty, magnanimous, manly, noble-minded, polite, quixotic, spirited, sublime, true, valorous, extravagantly idealistic, visionary honor, valor, courtesy, chastity, and loyalty.

Qualities that the Knights must have:

• Good attendance

• Good standing with teachers and students, not just popular ones.

• Gentleman or Lady, to stand out with good qualities

• No illegal drug or alcohol use.

• No criminal history, in or out of school.

• Approval through Take A Stand board.

• Faithful attendance at bi-monthly meetings.

Champion – The empowering name for the student who was being bullied.



Champions - The position or title of a winner. The one that is clearly superior. An ardent defender or supporter of a cause or another person. One who fights; a warrior. A person who backs a team. Someone who fights for a cause. Paladin, fighter, hero, defender, guardian, protector, and shielder. A person who cares for persons.

A Champion Will:

• Be encouraged, not forced, to join the We Take A Stand program.

• Follow up with school administration or counselors twice a month to report how the situation is going.

• Be encouraged to help other Champions with their testimony.

• Be asked for their advice on how the program can be bettered.

• Be given resources on bullying.

Defender’s - Any other student who wishes to join the program who is not a knight or champion.



Defender – To make or keep safe from danger, attack or harm. To repel attack, guard, preserve, shield, safeguard. To fight for a cause. Watchdog, Peacekeeper

Defenders job:

• To keep an eye out for other students.

• To report any bullying in school or online.

• To support the knights.

• To take a stand.

Meetings
Twice a month Knights must attend a meeting to review the program.  They will discuss: what's working, what's not working, suspicious behaviors, how the program be made better, suggest any student whom they feel might be in need of the program. New information will be brought up at meetings along with bullying resources, guest speakers, and new goals. We Take A Stand t-shirts will be encouraged to be worn at least twice a month.
 
School Administration and Law Enforcement.

1. When a case of bullying is brought to the school’s attention, school administration must start an investigation file and get a written statement from the student if possible.

2. A copy of bullying case file must be forwarded to the school counselor and Prevention Resource Officer, if applicable.

3. Bullying case is then investigated by school administration and Law Enforcement if needed.

4. Parents of student being bullied must be notified.

5. School administration must notify the parents or guardian of the student accused of bullying, and advise them of the consequences per school policy and that an investigation is in progress.

6. If student is being bullied by parent, teacher, or an adult, Law Enforcement must be notified immediately.

7. If bullying persists, a meeting will be held with bullying student and his/her parent or guardian and both will be advised of possible criminal charges.

8. A printout of pages from online bullying should be brought in, if applicable. If print out is not possible then photographed evidence from students phone, iPAD, iTouch or any other device must be obtained.

Law Enforcement /Prevention Resource Officer

• WV Bill 3225 and Policy 4373 will be reviewed in detail

• WV State Code 18-2C-2, 18-2C-3 and 61-3C-14a will be gone over with parent or guardian and bullying student.

• Consequences will be discussed with bullying student and parent or guardian.

• Criminally Charged- 6 months in jail $1000

• Civilly Sued -Average lawsuit starts at $10,000 • Probation office must be notified to see if bullying student is on probation.

• Juv. Prosecutor will be notified of incident.

With all of us working together we can finally stop bullying once and for all.


Thank You for your interest and feedback.

Officer Michael Daugherty