Law Summary
Definition of Terms
- "Act" refers to Republic Act No. 10627 (Anti-Bullying Act of 2013).
- "Bullying" includes severe or repeated use of written, verbal, electronic, or physical acts that cause fear, create a hostile environment, infringe on rights, or disrupt the educational process.
- Forms of bullying include physical contact, emotional harm, slander, cyber-bullying, social bullying, and gender-based bullying.
- Key roles defined: Bully (perpetrator), Victim (target), Bystander (witness), Service Provider (non-teaching personnel), and Student.
Adoption of Anti-Bullying Policies
- All schools must adopt and regularly update policies addressing bullying.
- Policies must include prohibited acts, prevention, intervention programs, and procedures.
Prohibited Acts
- Bullying is prohibited on school grounds, school-related activities, school buses, and through the use of school technology.
- Bullying outside school but involving students is also covered.
- Retaliation against reporters or witnesses of bullying is prohibited.
Prevention Programs
- Schools must implement comprehensive prevention programs involving all stakeholders.
- Programs include school-wide initiatives, classroom-level activities, parental involvement, and monitoring of vulnerable students.
Intervention Programs
- Intervention addresses factors causing bullying, effects on victims, emphasizing corrective, formative measures.
- May involve counseling, life skills training, education, and activities fostering pro-social behavior.
- Involves all parties affected by bullying.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Central Office: Nationwide anti-bullying campaigns, monitoring, training, reporting.
- Regional Offices: Support campaigns, policy review, monitoring, and impose sanctions.
- Division Offices: Conduct training, monitor policies, consolidate reports, resolve appeals, impose sanctions.
- Schools: Adopt policies, educate stakeholders, conduct prevention/intervention, ensure safety, and maintain records.
- Teachers and personnel: Participate in prevention and report incidents.
- Students: Cooperate, avoid bullying, protect victims, report incidents.
Child Protection Committee (CPC) as Anti-Bullying Committee
- CPC handles bullying cases, composed of school head, counselor, teacher, parent, student, and community reps.
- Tasks include awareness programs, policy monitoring, case monitoring, and referrals.
Procedures in Handling Bullying Incidents
- Jurisdiction exclusive to schools; no barangay settlement.
- Immediate response to stop bullying and ensure victim safety.
- Reporting by victim, bystander, or personnel to school authorities.
- Fact-finding involves private interviews and threat assessment.
- Intervention through programs for bully, victim, and bystanders.
- Referral to professionals and police when criminal charges may apply.
- Disciplinary actions ranging from reprimands to expulsion, with due process.
- False accusations subject to disciplinary action.
Confidentiality
- Information on bullying victims and perpetrators kept confidential.
- Breach of confidentiality results in disciplinary and possibly civil/criminal actions.
Training and Development
- Inclusion of anti-bullying topics in training for school personnel.
Reporting Requirement
- Schools must submit anti-bullying policies and annual reports on bullying cases to Division Office.
- Private schools must also submit policies for review upon permit application.
Sanctions for Non-Compliance
- Public school personnel face administrative disciplinary action.
- Private school personnel face disciplinary sanctions; schools face suspension or revocation of permits.
Separability Clause
- Invalidity of any part of the order does not affect other provisions.
Amendments and Repeals
- Amends previous child protection policy on bullying.
- Repeals conflicting prior orders and issuances.
Effectivity
- Effective fifteen days after publication in official channels.
- Officially registered with the Office of the National Administrative Register.