Respect in the Montessori Classroom
Our Stance Against Bullying at the Montessori School of Western Springs
Our guiding philosophical principle in the classroom comes directly from the writing of Maria Montessori:
“Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child.” - Maria Montessori
Thus, in our Preschool/Kindergarten classroom at the Montessori School of Western Springs, we emphasize the importance of respect in all of our interactions in the classroom. The children know our first rule is that we treat one another in a kind and gentle manner. We define respect through conversation with the children, and we discuss how we are respectful to one another from the first day of school until the last. Specific lessons are given in Grace and Courtesy to help even the youngest children understand that manners and kindness are critical when interacting in a community. In this way, our stance against bullying is proactive. We realize the best way to deter negative behavior, like bullying, is to create a community that recognizes positive words and actions as the standard of appropriate behavior, and will address anti-social behavior, such as bullying, when it occurs with words and actions to stop it.
According to the Department of Justice, bullying consists of “repeated harmful acts and an imbalance of power” and occurs when individuals are physically or psychologically abused. The victim of bullying may have feelings of low self-worth and fear due to the infliction of this abuse, and may be hesitant to participate in the school community. The bully, on the other hand, may be coping with psychological challenges and require intervention by the school community to prevent bullying incidents. The school is in the frontline position of being able to combat bullying and its effects. At the Montessori School of Western Springs, we take this responsibility very seriously. Based on the “three R’s of bullying prevention” outlined by the National School Safety Center (“Recognize, Respond, Report”), we have created an anti-bullying policy that recognizes the rights of the individuals in our school community.
For our purposes, “bullying,” including “cyberbullying,” is defined as any severe or repetitive physical and/or verbal act, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student or school member that can have the effect of:
- Making the individual fearful of harm either to his/her person or property
- Harming the individual’s physical or mental health
- Significantly interfering with the individual’s academic performance
- Significantly interfering with the individual’s ability to participate in the activities or services provided by the school
“Bullying” is defined as “harassment, threats, intimidation, stalking, physical violence, sexual harassment, sexual violence, theft, public humiliation, destruction of property, or retaliation for asserting or alleging an act of bullying” according to the ISBE guidelines on anti-bullying policy. This list is meant to be a guideline and not limiting.
“Cyberbullying” is defined by the ISBE guidelines as “bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication, including without limitation any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic system, photoelectronic system, or photo-optical system, including without limitation electronic mail, Internet communications, instant messages, or facsimile communications. ‘Cyberbullying’ includes the creation of a webpage or weblog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person or the knowing impersonation of another person as the author of posted content” if this action causes the effects listed in our definition of bullying. Cyberbullying includes distributing material by the use of technology that “creates any effects enumerated in the definition of bullying” and which causes harm to a member of our school community.
Bullying is against Illinois state law, as well as against the policies of the Montessori School of Western Springs. Nothing in this Section is intended to infringe upon any right to exercise free expression or the free exercise of religion or religiously based views protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution or under Section 3 of Article 1 of the Illinois Constitution.
If bullying is observed by any individual in the school community, that individual is obligated to report it to the administrator, Elizabeth Sorrells, promptly. The school phone number is (708) 246-9696 and the email address is bsorrells@montessoriwesternsprings.org. Reports may also be given anonymously in writing by placing a statement in the school inbox located at the welcoming door table. Our administrator will subsequently determine if an incident of bullying is within the appropriate scope of our school’s jurisdiction and what actions should be taken to investigate the incident. Victims of bullying will be offered resources within the community for counseling and support services.
With respect to federal and State laws governing student privacy rights, all individuals involved in incidents of bullying, as well as parents and guardians of such individuals, will be notified of alleged incidents within 24 hours after the administration is made aware of the individuals’ involvement. Individual instances of bullying, in addition to threats, suggestions, or instances of self-harm determined to be the result of bullying, will be reported to the parents or legal guardians. All contact information the school has available will be used to ensure parents or legal guardians are contacted within the 24-hour period. Appropriate services will be offered by the school for support when required. Possible interventions would include counseling, community resources, restorative measures within our classroom, and social-emotional support as needed.
When a bullying incident occurs:
- The investigation of the incident will be done within 10 school days of the event with consideration of subsequent information as it is received.
- The appropriate support staff with training of bullying prevention will be involved.
- The administrator of the school, as well as supporting staff, will be available to all parties for information about the situation, with the understanding that federal and State privacy laws will be observed.
- Any individual who reports an incident will be protected from retaliation. If retaliation occurs, the incident will be promptly investigated and appropriately addressed with parents/guardians.
- Parents will be informed if an individual falsely accuses another student of bullying. In a classroom of children 3 to 6 years old, retaliation or a false accusation of bullying is highly improbable. If retaliation or a false accusation does occur, the parents/guardians and staff would discuss a developmentally appropriate consequence with consideration of the child’s age. A possible consequence might be a verbal or written note of apology.
Input from our school community – children, parents, and staff – was used to develop this bullying policy.
Our bullying policy will be annually evaluated prior to the start of each school year to ensure the policy is sufficiently addressing the issue. Records of incidents will be reviewed to note the frequency of bullying events, the locations, community concerns about safety, types of bullying behavior reported, and bystander interventions. This annual report will be made available to all members of the school community, along with our school policy on bullying on our Parent Google Drive. Our policy on bullying is Addendum B in our Parent Handbook and is given to all our families and staff each school year.
Our policy on bullying aligns with our school board policies which have been created with the understanding that all members of our community will be treated with respect. Our policy on bullying is consistent with our other school policies.
Created October 1, 2019
Approved October 15, 2019
Modified September 15, 2021
Approved September 27, 2021
Modified November 29, 2021
Approved December 6, 2021
Modified July 10, 2023
Approved July 12, 2023
Per Illinois School Code 105 ILCS 5/27-23.7, our school conducts an evaluation of our bullying policy each year based on our review of incidents of bullying during the school year. Data collected by the school on the frequency of bullying events, the locations, community concerns about safety, types of bullying behavior reported, and bystander interventions are considered during the annual evaluation.
Since our school did not have any incidents of bullying reported during the past year, no data is available to review. If incidents of bullying should occur in the future, the data will be considered and our policy on bullying will be updated accordingly.