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Poplar Bluff School District

Achieving Excellence Through Learning: Every Child, Every Hour, Every Day

Bullying Support

Bullying Prevention & Support

Every student at Poplar Bluff deserves to feel safe and respected – every hour of every day. We prohibit bullying in all its forms, we take every report seriously, and no one who reports bullying will face retaliation for speaking up.

This page explains what bullying is, how to report it, and what happens after a report is made.

Our Full Policy

For the complete details – definitions, procedures, consequences, and how we educate students and staff about bullying – you can read our full Board policy below.

Board Policy JFCF: Bullying

What Counts as Bullying

Under Missouri law and our district policy, bullying is repeated behavior – or behavior likely to be repeated – that makes a student fear for their safety, interferes with their learning, or disrupts the school. It can take a lot of forms:

Physical

Hitting, shoving, gestures, theft, or damaging someone's property

Verbal or Written

Name-calling, put-downs, threats, or extortion

Cyberbullying

Bullying through texts, messages, images, or electronic devices

How to Report Bullying

If you or your child is being bullied, please tell us – the sooner the better. There are a few ways to do it, and you can pick whatever feels easiest.

  • Tell any school employee you trust. A teacher, counselor, coach, or staff member can take your report and make sure it reaches the right person.
  • Contact your building principal directly. Each principal is the designated person for receiving and investigating bullying reports at their school.
  • Fill out a bullying report form. Parents, students, and community members can use the form below to put a report in writing and submit it to the school.

Bullying Incident Report Form for Use by Parents, Students and Community Members

You can include your contact information or file the report anonymously. We investigate every report either way – though anonymous reports are harder to follow up on, since we can't reach back out for more detail.

What Happens After You Report

We follow a clear process, set by policy:

  • The principal or their designee starts an investigation within two school days of getting a report.
  • The investigation is finished within ten school days, unless there's good reason it needs more time.
  • The principal decides what happened and what steps follow, including discipline when it's warranted.
  • Reports are kept confidential, as required by state and federal law.

We also work with students who've been bullied – and their families – to connect them with support and resources to deal with what they've been through.

A Word on Retaliation

No one who reports bullying, or who witnesses and speaks up about it, should fear payback for doing the right thing. Retaliation against anyone who reports bullying is strictly prohibited and is treated as seriously as bullying itself.

For Staff, Substitutes & Volunteers

District employees, substitutes, and volunteers who witness or learn about bullying are required to report it within two school days. Use the required-reporter form below.

Bullying Incident Report Form for Required Reporters