PROMOTING SCHOOL SAFETY

Speak Out Hotline   Friend In Trouble Call?  1-800-226-7733      ► More Information

Student Pick-Up:    ► After School Reminders

TEAGUE MIDDLE SCHOOL has taken a strong stance on the security and welfare of all students. As a statement of belief:

• There is no place for bullying at Teague Middle School.
• Every person has the right to feel safe and secure at school, from harassment and intimidation.
• Every person has the right to be treated with respect, equality and dignity.
• Every person has the right to report bullying with the expectation that it will be taken care of without fear of retaliation.

View our slide presentation on Anti-Bullying. Students, Parents, Teachers and the School all have roles in supporting the school's anti-bullying policy. Read the Anti-Bullying Policy brochure.

"Safe Schools" Tips for Parents

• Discuss the school’s discipline policy with your child. Show your support for the rules and help your child understand the reasons for them.

• Involve your child in setting rules for appropriate behavior at home.

• Talk with your child about the violence he or she sees on TV or video games. Help your child understand the consequences of violence.

• Teach your child how to solve problems. Praise your child when he/she follows through.

• Help your child find ways to show anger that do not involve verbally or physically hurting others. When you get angry, use it as an opportunity to model these appropriate responses to your child – and then talk about it.

• Help your child understand the value of accepting individual differences.

• Note any disturbing behaviors in your child. Frequent angry outbursts, fighting and bullying, cruelty to animals, fire setting, behavior problems at school, lack of friends, and alcohol or drug abuse can be signs of serious problems.

• Keep lines of communication open with your child. Encourage your child to always let you know where and with whom he or she will be with. Get to know your child’s friends.

• Listen to your child if he or she shares concerns about friends who may be exhibiting troubling behaviors. Share this information with a trusted professional, such as guidance counselor, administrator or teacher.

• Be involved with your child’s school by supporting and reviewing homework, talking with his or her teachers, and attending school functions.

• Work with your child’s school to make it more responsive to all students and families.

• Listen to your friends if they share troubling feelings or thoughts. Encourage them to get help from a trusted adult. If you are very concerned, seek help for them. Share your concerns with your parents.

• Create, join or support student organizations that combat violence.

• Participate in violence prevention programs such as peer mediation and conflict resolution. Employ your new skills in other settings.

• Know your school’s code of conduct and model responsible behavior. Avoid being part of a crowd when fights break out.

• Refrain from teasing, bullying, and intimidating peers.

• Be a role model – take personal responsibility by reacting to anger without physically or verbally harming others.

• Seek help from your parents or a trusted adult – such as a counselor, administrator or teacher – if you are experiencing intense feelings of anger, fear, anxiety or depression.

• Help to develop and participate in activities that promote student understanding of differences and that respect the rights of all.

• Volunteer to be a mentor for younger students and/or provide tutoring to your peers.

• Talk with an administrator or use the Silent Witness Safe a Friend Hotline for reporting threats, intimidation weapon possession, drug selling, gang activity, graffiti and vandalism.

• Get involved in planning, implementing and evaluating your school’s violence prevention and emergency response plan.

At Teague Middle School we have a complete plan for our students’ safety.

One Full Time School Resource Deputy

A deputy from the Seminole County Sheriff’s office is on school campus daily during school hours.

Student Safety Patrol

Select students, together with our Air Force JROTC, provide additional eyes and ears on campus. These students are trained to work with teachers and administrators should they suspect problems.

Visible and Open Administration

Teague’s administrators are committed to visit every classroom at least once a week and to be visible throughout the school day during class changes and during lunchtime. The supervision of students is one of their most important daily responsibilities.

School-wide Discipline Plan

A School-wide plan for behavior and consequences is posted in every classroom and is located in the Student Planner. This plan specifies exactly what the consequences of misbehavior are at Teague.

Zero Tolerance

Teague, and all Seminole County Public Schools, maintains a Zero Tolerance for weapons, drugs and other serious offenses. Students committing a Zero Tolerance offense are recommended for expulsion.

District Emergency Management Plan

Seminole County Public Schools has a written plan that guides teachers and administrators through every crisis. This plan, together with its Code Red and Code Yellow drills, are practiced at Teague at least once a year. The Code Red and Code Yellow procedures are posted in
every classroom.

Bullying/Harassment And PBS (Positive Behavior Support)

The prevention of bullying in our schools is critical in establishing an environment where our students feel safe and schools are able to focus on the business of learning. "Bullying and harassment (intimidating or hostile behaviors) are unwanted and repeated written, verbal, or physical behavior, including any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing acts by an adult or student that are severe or pervasive enough to create an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational environment, to cause discomfort or humiliation, or unreasonably interfere with the individual’s school performance or participation (School Environmental Safety Reporting--SESIR).

Effective bully prevention includes school-wide, classroom-level, and individual elements as well as addressing the multiple factors which contribute in allowing the behavior to exist.

All Teague administrators have completed the SCPS in-service on bullying and harassment and are prepared to implement the county protocol. The three-step protocol includes intervene, document, and report. Students are encouraged to report incidents to classroom teachers, staff members, guidance counselors or administrators. Once a report has been made to a staff member, parents will be notified and the investigation will begin. Parents will be notified of the determination at the conclusion of the investigation.

PBS is designed to foster a climate of cooperation, academic excellence, respect and safety in a school environment. In June of 2009 a team of teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, and non-instructional staff attended a three-day workshop and developed a plan for Teague. Our plan makes use of effective instructional strategies, consistent correction procedures, logical consequences and positive reinforcement to teach students the skills and behaviors necessary to succeed now and in the future. PBS is one intervention that will address some of the factors that contribute in allowing negative behaviors to exist such as bullying and noncompliance with school rules. Throughout the school year, parents and students will be hearing and seeing PBS at Teague.

Information for Parents ► Suggestions for Students

.