2024 ACSA Personnel & Negotiations Symposium

Bullying among students in the K-12 setting is hardly a new phenomenon but the increasing number of employee complaints about bullying is new. School district human resources professionals often face hurdles in investigating and analyzing employee bullying allegations. Most school districts do not have stand-alone bullying policies that pertain to employees, yet the complaints still come in and need to be investigated. It is often challenging to define bullying and distinguishing bullying from unlawful hostile work environment, unprofessionalism or legitimate business behaviors. This presentation will help HR professionals sort the wheat from the chaff by reviewing common bullying behaviors and find definitions in District policies, even when there is no separate policy. The training will provide tips for gathering relevant evidence and a framework within which administrators can analyze that evidence, make clear findings and ultimately determine what, if any personnel action is required as a result.