Together, We Can Stop Bullying
Know It. Report It. Prevent It.
Deming Public Schools is committed to providing every student with a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment. Bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, intimidation, discrimination, retaliation, and other harmful behavior are not acceptable.
Students, families, employees, and community members are encouraged to speak up when they experience or witness concerning behavior. Every concern matters—even when the behavior does not meet the legal definition of bullying.
What Is Bullying?
Under New Mexico law, bullying is a severe, pervasive, or persistent written, verbal, physical, or electronic act that targets a student.
The conduct must be reasonably expected to:
- Place a student in reasonable fear of physical harm or damage to their property.
- Cause a substantial harmful effect on a student’s physical or mental health.
- Substantially interfere with a student’s academic performance or attendance.
- Substantially interfere with a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from district programs, activities, services, or privileges.
Bullying may be based on an actual or perceived distinguishing characteristic, including race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or cognitive disability, or association with a person or group with one or more of these characteristics.
Bullying can take several forms:
- Physical: Hitting, kicking, pushing, damaging property, or threatening physical harm.
- Verbal: Name-calling, insults, threats, humiliating comments, or harmful teasing.
- Social or relational: Deliberately excluding someone, spreading rumors, damaging relationships, or encouraging others to reject a student.
- Electronic: Harmful behavior through text messages, social media, online games, email, videos, photographs, or other electronic communication.
A single incident may qualify as bullying when it is sufficiently severe and has—or could reasonably have—a substantial effect on the student.
What Is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is bullying that occurs through electronic communication, including:
- Cellphones and text messages
- Social media platforms
- Email or messaging applications
- Computers and tablets
- Online games
- Photographs, videos, or audio recordings
Students should not respond to or forward harmful content. Save the messages, posts, usernames, dates, photographs, videos, and screenshots so they can be shared when making a report.
Conflict or Bullying: What Is the Difference?
Not every disagreement, argument, unkind comment, or incident of misconduct is bullying. However, all harmful behavior should be addressed.
Peer conflict or misconduct
Peer conflict may involve:
- A disagreement over a specific issue or misunderstanding.
- Participation by both students in the disagreement.
- Students with a generally similar ability to respond or defend themselves.
- A problem that usually ends when it is addressed or resolved.
- Temporary anger, frustration, or hurt feelings.
Example: Two friends argue and exchange unkind comments.
Possible bullying
Possible bullying may involve:
- A student being intentionally targeted by another student or group.
- Behavior that is severe, widespread, or continues over time.
- A targeted student who feels unable to make the behavior stop.
- Conduct that continues or has a significant, lasting effect.
- Fear of harm, significant distress, school avoidance, or difficulty learning or participating.
Example: A group repeatedly humiliates or excludes one student, causing the student to avoid school.
Three questions to consider
An incident may be bullying when the answer to these questions is “yes”:
- Targeting: Was the student intentionally singled out?
- Seriousness or frequency: Was the conduct severe, widespread, or continuing over time?
- Impact: Did the conduct cause—or could it reasonably cause—fear of harm, significant physical or emotional harm, attendance or academic problems, or difficulty participating in school?
School administrators will review the reported facts and determine whether the behavior is bullying, cyberbullying, peer conflict, harassment, discrimination, misconduct, or another concern.
Warning Signs a Student May Be Experiencing Bullying
A student may not always tell an adult what is happening. Possible warning signs include:
- Unexplained injuries or damaged or missing belongings
- Frequent headaches, stomachaches, or requests to stay home
- Sudden changes in attendance or academic performance
- Loss of interest in school or activities
- Changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Avoiding certain places, people, buses, or online activities
- Loss of friends or sudden social isolation
- Increased sadness, anxiety, anger, or fear
- Feeling helpless or experiencing decreased self-esteem
- Becoming upset after using a cellphone or going online
These signs do not automatically mean bullying is occurring, but they are reasons to check in with the student and seek help.
What Students Should Do
If you are being bullied:
- Tell a trusted adult as soon as possible.
- Clearly explain what happened, where it occurred, and who was involved.
- Stay near trusted friends and adults when possible.
- Do not retaliate or try to fight back.
- Save messages, posts, photographs, videos, and screenshots.
- Continue reporting the behavior if it does not stop.
- Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
If you witness bullying:
- Do not join in, laugh, share harmful content, or encourage the behavior.
- Support the student who is being targeted.
- Invite the student to sit, walk, or participate with you.
- Report what you witnessed to a trusted adult.
- Save electronic evidence when it is safe to do so.
- Never place yourself in physical danger. Get an adult’s help immediately.
Reporting bullying is not tattling. Reporting is an important step toward keeping someone safe.
What Parents and Guardians Should Do
If your child reports bullying:
- Listen calmly and assure your child that the situation is not their fault.
- Ask what happened, when and where it happened, who was involved, and whether anyone witnessed it.
- Save dates, details, messages, photographs, videos, and screenshots.
- Report the concern to your child’s teacher, counselor, principal, or assistant principal.
- Work with the school to develop a plan that helps your child feel safe.
- Encourage your child to report any additional incidents or retaliation.
- Continue communicating with the school and your child.
- Do not tell your child to ignore the behavior or physically fight back.
When reporting a concern, please provide as much of the following information as possible:
- What happened
- Names of the students involved
- Dates, times, locations, and frequency
- Names of witnesses
- Messages, posts, photographs, videos, or screenshots
- How the behavior has affected your child
- Whether the concern was previously reported and to whom
Submitting a report does not automatically establish that bullying occurred. School administration will review the information, investigate as appropriate, and determine the nature of the conduct and the appropriate response.
How to Report Bullying
Students and families may report bullying verbally or in writing by contacting the student’s campus principal or assistant principal by telephone, email, or in person.
Reports should be made as soon as possible, but a written report is not required. Students and families may report concerns in their preferred language. Anonymous reports may also be submitted through the district’s designated reporting process.
After receiving a report, school administrators will:
- Review the reported information.
- Take immediate steps when necessary to protect student safety.
- Notify the appropriate parties as permitted or required.
- Conduct an administrative investigation.
- Determine whether bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, discrimination, misconduct, or another concern occurred.
- Implement appropriate corrective, supportive, or disciplinary measures.
- Monitor the situation and the effectiveness of the response.
Student privacy will be protected as required by law. Because of student confidentiality requirements, the district may not be able to share specific disciplinary actions involving another student.
Retaliation against anyone who reports bullying or participates in an investigation is prohibited and should be reported immediately.
If there is an immediate danger, a threat of violence, or a medical emergency, call 911.
How Families Can Help Prevent Bullying
Families can help create a culture of kindness and respect by:
- Talking regularly about kindness, respect, empathy, and inclusion.
- Teaching children safe and responsible ways to speak up.
- Encouraging students to seek help from trusted adults.
- Discussing appropriate online behavior and digital citizenship.
- Monitoring age-appropriate technology and social media use.
- Knowing their child’s friends and online activities.
- Encouraging students to support peers and report unsafe conduct.
- Modeling respectful behavior at home, in the community, and online.
Bullying Prevention Videos
For Parents and Guardians
- A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Bullying — A 23-minute overview explaining bullying, cyberbullying, the difference between rude, mean, and bullying behavior, and ways families can work with schools. Please note that its legal discussion focuses on Texas law; Deming Public Schools follows New Mexico law and district policy.
Understanding Bullying, Teasing, and Conflict
Videos for Younger Students
Videos for Middle and High School Students
Our Shared Responsibility
Bullying prevention requires everyone—students, families, educators, staff, and community members—to work together. Learn to recognize concerning behavior, report it promptly, support students who are affected, and help build a school community where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Know it. Report it. Prevent it.
Together, we can stop bullying.