Avon Central Schools

The Dignity Act was signed into law on September 13, 2010 and took effect on July 1, 2012.

The goal of The Dignity Act is to create a safe and supportive climate where students can learn and focus, rather than fear being discriminated against and/or verbally and/or physically harassed." 

(From the NYS Department of Education website, http://www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact/)

The Dignity for all Students Act ensures each school in New York State has a plan to both prevent and respond to harassment, bullying, cyber-bullying and/or discrimination. The Avon Central School District is committed to providing an environment that is free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, and/or bullying, as specified in the District's Code of Conduct. It is important to work with your building site initially, including teachers, counselors, and administrators to ensure that they are aware of the problem and are able to address situations related to harassment, discrimination, or bullying without delay.

Bullying has been described as an unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying can occur before and after school hours, in a school building or at locations such as on a playground or on a school bus while a student is traveling to or from school, or on the Internet. Students who are bullied and those who bully others may potentially have serious and lasting problems. According to the United States Department of Education (USDOE), www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/definition/index.html, bullying generally involves the following characteristics:

• An Imbalance of Power: Students who bully others use their power, such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity, to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.

• The Intent to Cause Harm: Determining the intent of an individual who demonstrates bullying behaviors may be difficult. The perception of the person who is the target of those behaviors should also be considered.

• Repetition: Bullying behaviors generally happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

We recognize that despite our best efforts, students and parents may need additional assistance to respond to bullying. To ensure a quick response to parent and student concerns, the District has developed the DASA Reporting Form to report all allegations. You may print a copy of the form and return it to the school office. A school administrator will review and respond to each incident in the context of the student Code of Conduct.

• All complaints will be treated in a confidential manner. Anonymous reports may limit the school’s ability to gather sufficient information necessary to respond to the complaint.

• False reporting of incidents may result in disciplinary consequences.

• Any reports made during summer months will be addressed as the school administrator is available.

You may also contact the school DASA Coordinator directly. The DAC’s (Dignity Act Coordinators) for each building are listed below. A timely investigation will occur upon receiving the reporting form.