The St. Thomas More School Mission Statement speaks directly to the expectations that we as a community have for our children to respect the individuality and dignity of the person.  We strongly support and encourage our students to maintain and enhance a Christian Attitude and Behavior that respects all teachers and staff, volunteers and guests, and most importantly their fellow students.

St. Thomas More School takes a strong stand against all acts of violence including the “little acts of violence” that devalue the worth and uniqueness of the person.  We recognize violence as any word, look, sign, or act that inflicts or threatens to inflict physical or emotional injury or discomfort upon another person’s body, self-esteem, social acceptance, or possessions.  We also recognize bullying as a type of violence that occurs whenever a student intentionally, repeatedly, and over time inflicts or threatens to inflict physical or emotional injury or discomfort on another’s body, self-esteem, social acceptance, or possessions.  To make our school violence-free and safe from bullying, we pledge to:

• Encourage all kids—targets and observers—to report incidents
• Provide education for students, parents, faculty and staff on the issues of bullying, the facts and the myths.  The school will provide for an ongoing education program for both students and parents.
• Create an atmosphere that encourages students to stand up for themselves and the rights and dignity of others.
• Be consistent, fair, and firm in our program to stop a bully’s behavior and to apply corrective measures that will ensure a change in behavior or the expulsion of a chronic offender.
• Tolerate no bullying in our school
• Intervene in bullying behaviors and strictly enforce rules against bullying
• Empower staff and students to report bullying behavior and treat one another with respect.

 

The overall goal of the “Respect and Protect” anti-‘little acts of violence’ program is to empower students to report bullying behaviors and to give faculty and staff the tools to recognize, intervene, and issue consequences for bullying behaviors that they witness or hear about from the students.

We continue to use parts of the “RALLY” program as we work to strengthen this program.  Teachers will continue to be updated and take workshops on best practices for addressing behavioral and harassment issues.

Please also refer to the Disciplinary Policy of the School in the Section on the Handbook entitled "Discipline".

One area of student concern is being “seen” in class making a report through the forms available to them.  In response to that, we have made an online form that can be done from home and it will be emailed to the school, which will allow for more anonymity.