he Ministry of Education of the City of Buenos Aires Submitted this morning Comprehensive protocol To prevent, detect, intervene and monitor cases of bullying or harassment among peersa guide with specific tools aimed at teachers and parents, the main objectives of which are to comprehensively prevent, detect and treat these attacks, accompanying victims, aggressors and their families during the detected case and also in a subsequent case.
Until now, the municipal government has worked with schools based on a document that includes general guidelines for treating bullying cases, but without a protocol that includes a detailed plan for prevention and post-intervention, sources from the Buenos Aires Ministry of Education explained.
The protocol, which contains 20 shells, encourages the creation of… School coexistence councils; situation Coexistence agreements in every school and in every classroomAnd organization Reflection days and awareness campaigns Within the educational field.
It also highlights the importance of “active participation” for families. The document highlights that “families are jointly responsible actors in building safe environments. They must participate in prevention, accompany school interventions and cooperate in repairing relationships when conflicts arise.”
In this protocol, the city government specifies the importance of the actions of both families and schools in the event of detection of any suspicion or case. The school said: “The school has a key role in educating citizens and in building healthy bonds. This protocol accompanies this commitment, and provides the necessary tools to prevent and act against any form of peer violence.” Buenos Aires Minister of Education, Mercedes Miguel.
The protocol primarily defines what bullying is, and differentiates it from sporadic peer conflicts. To talk about bullying, the document explains, one must confront a situation Violence that is committed intentionally and continues over timewithin a Unequal power relationship between students. This violence can manifest itself in different ways: through physical, verbal, psychological, social or digital attacks (cyberbullying). The effects on those who suffer from it are physical, emotional or social damage.
The protocol stipulates that bullying usually occurs in the presence of witnesses who reinforce the dynamic of violence through their silence or consent.
The document designed by Miguel’s team stipulates a series of conditions that must be met in all schools. He explains that every educational institution should have Safe individual listening spaces Where students can express their concerns. These spaces must be in charge of teachers, tutors, professors or professional chaperones.
In turn, each school must design Personalized support plans for students who have a history as victims or perpetrators of bullying“A closer look ensures care and prevention in the face of possible future situations.”
When relationship modalities that could become risk factors are detected, school authorities should make preventive referrals to external teams or rights protection organizations.
The document also points out the importance of educational institutions Involve families “Share feedback that may require support from home carefully and in a timely manner, provide guidance and promote joint working with the school.”
Every school must schedule At least one meeting every three months with families, It aims to promote school coexistence, think about boundaries, promote responsible use of technologies and develop emotional containment strategies.
Families must also be involved in reflection days, in institutional campaigns and in the preparation of coexistence agreements. “Signing of agreements by families is mandatory It constitutes a valuable tool to enhance the sense of belonging, commitment and shared responsibility in promoting school coexistence.
School authorities must also involve the parents of their students Information materials including guidance for identifying warning signs And how to deal with potential cases of bullying. “It is important for families to participate in early detection and care Pay attention to signs such as isolation, behavioral changes, or reports of violenceHe points this out, without belittling the conflicts.
Given these signs, the document states that families should address the issue of bullying or harassment “with empathy, avoid blame, and seek appropriate responses in dialogue with the school.”
He has the protocol List of boarding procedures After discovering a possible case of assault. First, highlight The need to create a space for individual or group dialogue To listen carefully to what happened.
Added to this is mergingEducational contents and activities It is associated with empathy, respect, peaceful coexistence and the responsible use of words. As well as developing entertainment proposals, plays or participatory dynamics that promote dialogue, cooperation and peaceful resolution of conflict.
He, in turn, added it Group review and – Strengthening the agreed-upon rules of coexistence with the group, promoting their active compliance, and accompanying student witnesses so that they can position themselves as “agents of care, prevention and support within the classroom.”
The school must engage and inform families to share what has happened and make observations that may require support from home, “provide guidance and promote joint action with the school in order to reverse the action and remedy the resulting situation and assume the obligation to carry out joint monitoring.”
The institution must also Record the detected condition In the corresponding institutional records, relevant data are recorded: description of facts or suspicions, preliminary analysis performed and preliminary procedures adopted.
If the bullying situation persists, the school must activate “comprehensive institutional intervention.” “The seriousness of the events requires a formal, planned and sustained response, which includes in a clear manner the management team, technical teams, academic staff and families, and which may include communication and expression with other competent organisations,” the protocol emphasizes.
The school should invite the participation of technical teams competent in social and educational support. In the case of state-run institutions, this intervention may be implemented by the Department of School Counseling (DOE), the Social and Educational Assistance Team (ASE) and/or the School Counseling Team (EOE), as appropriate. In the case of privately managed educational institutions, the authorities of the educational institution may request the intervention of the supervision teams of the General Directorate of Special Education for the purposes of receiving advice.
The protocol states at this point Different levels of intervention, Which involves conversations and actions with the people directly involved, with their families and also with the rest of the students in the classroom.
Intervention with a victim of bullying includes generating a A space for dialogue, safe and trustworthy, and the establishment of caring measures within the school, such as accompaniment by an adult reference and adaptation to the dynamics of the school, among others.
In relation to the person or group of people who attacked the victim, intervention involves creating a listening space that focuses on thinking about the harm caused, Bearing responsibilities and compensation. The school authorities’ awareness of… Written warnings of possible consequences if the behavior is repeated And notify responsible adults.
This intervention, in turn, includes application Compensatory measures or penalties According to the provisions Articles 58 and 59 of the school regulations, Such as: “verbal or written warnings to be communicated to parents or responsible adults, compensatory measures for the benefit of the school community, suspension of the participation of the child or participants in any extracurricular initiative organized by the educational institution or change of educational institution, among others.”
With regard to parental involvement, the institution must Hold separate meetings with the families of all parties involved (victim, aggressors, and witnesses, if possible), providing information on the interventions that were implemented and Establish concrete commitments and verifiable accompaniment and participation in spaces for reflection. The school must formalize these obligations in writing and incorporate them into institutional records.
The Protocol details that “unjustified non-compliance with obligations undertaken by families and/or responsible adults may lead to the adoption of additional institutional measures and, if necessary, the intervention of bodies competent for the protection of rights.”
In case you noticed The existence of a risk or alleged violation of rightsThe institution must apply the “Joint Action Procedure between the Council on the Rights of Girls, Boys and Adolescents and the Ministry of Education in Cases of Assumption or Violation of the Rights of Girls, Boys and Adolescents”, approved by Joint Signatory Resolution No. 1-GCABA-CDNNYA/24.
The document stated: “School supervision may intervene with the Ministry of Public Guardianship, so that it intervenes when necessary in its jurisdiction within the framework of the program of respectful coexistence among peers.”
Among the main innovations brought by the document is the integration of the profile of cyberbullying or digital violence, with action guides for teachers and families in the event that a case of this type is detected.
The document stipulates that in these cases, in addition to the procedures already mentioned, the school must provide advice to the families of students who have been victims, and inform the communication channels with The Financial Unit specializes in computer crimes and violations of the City of Buenos Aires.
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