School District
Student Safety
Bullying Resources
Hello Parents,
We recognize that creating a safe learning environment is vital for students to achieve academic success. Coachella Valley Unified School District has an online system called Sprigeo that students can use to report school safety threats and bullying incidents. Signs are in your child’s school promoting the use of Sprigeo (www.Sprigeo.com ).
Sprigeo gives your child another medium for communicating with our school administration when bullying or school safety incidents occur. All information sent through the Sprigeo system goes directly to school administrators through a secure online connection. We prefer that your child report bullying and safety incidents immediately to a teacher or administrator, however, sometimes electronic reporting is more accessible, when the opportunity to report directly was not available.
- How does the Sprigeo system work?
- Does the school receive false reports?
- Why is there a need for an online reporting system?
How does the Sprigeo system work?
Students can access the reporting form directly through a link on your school’s web site by hovering over “PARENTS” on the top bar, dropping down to “Report Bullying and Safety Concerns”. Then with a click, the Sprigeo report is available. Students may also go to the Sprigeo.com web site. After completing the reporting form and clicking the “submit” button, the report details are sent in a secure email to our school administrators. Over 90% of students include their name when using the Sprigeo system. We encourage students and staff to include names so that our investigations of the reports can be more effective.
Does the school receive false reports?
Over 95% of reports sent through the Sprigeo system have been confirmed as authentic requests for help with a bullying incident or school safety threat. Unlike text messages or Facebook posts that can be shared among students, all Sprigeo reports are viewable only by school administrators and/or school counselors.
Why is there a need for an online reporting system?
The Coachella Valley Unified School District values your child’s safety and want to have every possible tool available for you to communicate safety concerns so. Please contact your child’s principal if you have any concerns or questions regarding Sprigeo or reporting safety and bullying incidents.
Forms
Types of Bullying
Bullying Definition:
A desire to hurt + a hurtful action + a power imbalance + repetition (typically) + an unjust use of power + evident enjoyment by the aggressor + a sense of being oppressed on the part of the target.
Bullying among youths may take place in a variety of hostile acts that are carried out repeatedly over time. The acts involve a real or perceived imbalance of power, with the more powerful child or group attacking those who are less powerful.
Bullying may be:
Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying may include:
- Teasing
- Name-calling
- Inappropriate sexual comments
- Taunting
- Threatening to cause harm
Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
- Hitting/kicking/pinching
- Spitting
- Tripping/pushing
- Taking or breaking someone’s things
- Making mean or rude hand gestures
Psychological:
- spreading rumors
- manipulating social relationships
- promoting social exclusion
- extortion
- intimidation
Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:
- Leaving someone out on purpose
- Telling other children not to be friends with someone
- Spreading rumors about someone
- Embarrassing someone in public
Cyberbullying happens when kids bully each other through electronic technology. Cyber bullying may include:
- Using cell phones
- Computers/tablets
- Social media sites
- text messages/chat/websites
Sexual bullying includes many of the actions typical of bullying behavior with the added actions of:
- exhibitionism
- voyeurism
- sexual propositioning
- sexual harassment
- and sexual abuse (touching, physical contact, sexual assault
Bias or hate-motivated bullying is a basic bias against or hate for a person or group. If the behavior or incident is hate-motivated, it may, in some instances, constitute a hate crime. Some examples of hate-motivated bullying include:
- taunting one’s:
- race
- religion
- national origin
- sexual orientation
- physical or mental disabilities
- The bullying behavior may also be:
- aggressive
- antagonistic
- and assaultive
Hazing is a form of aggressive behavior that usually involves intimidation and humiliation during an initiation process for a club, group, or sports team. It may involve:
- harassment through unnecessary or disagreeable actions that ridicule and embarrass the target
- may escalate to actions serious and offensive enough to be declared criminal
- Education Code Section 32050 specifically defines hazing as activities that cause “bodily danger, physical harm, or personal degradation or disgrace,” and Section 48900 specifies hazing as a suspendable or expellable offense.
Links on Bullying Prevention
The CDE has publications and resources for educators, parents, and community members with tools for recognizing bullying behavior and approaches for determining how to respond.
PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center unites, engages, and educates communities nationwide to address bullying through creative, relevant, and interactive resources.
The World's Foremost Bullying Prevention Program StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on how kids, teens, young adults, parents, educators and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying. If you or someone you know is being bullied, get help.
PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center unites, engages, and educates communities nationwide to address bullying through creative, relevant, and interactive resources.
The Olweus Program (pronounced Ol-VAY-us) is a comprehensive approach that is focused on long-term change that creates a safe and positive school climate. It is designed and evaluated for use in elementary, middle, junior high and high schools (K-12). The program’s goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school children, and improve peer relations at school.
Teens Against Bullying was created by and for teens, this website is a place for middle and high school students to find ways to address bullying, to take action, to be heard, and to own an important social cause.
Technology and Youth: Protecting Your Child from Electronic Aggression
Cyberbully411 is an effort to provide resources for youth who have questions about or have been targeted by online harassment. The website was created by the Center for Innovative Public Health Research, formerly Internet Solutions for Kids, Inc, with funding from the Community Technology Foundation of California.
Here at the Cyberbullying Research Center, we routinely collect data from middle and high school students so that we can keep on top of what they are experiencing online. Over the last two decades, we have completed about twenty unique studies of teens and tweens in the United States involving more than 30,000 subjects.
Home of "Don't Stand By, Stand Up," StopCyberbullying was the first cyberbullying prevention program in North America. Its specially-trained young volunteers design and deliver community programs to help their peers address cyberbullying.
- On Suicide Prevention
- On Drug Abuse
- On Social Media
- On Violence Prevention
- On Support for Children with Special Needs
- On Comprehensive Information for Professionals
- On Support for Students Who Identify as LGBTQ
- CA Dept. of Ed.- Transforming Schools: Superintendent’s Initiatives
- CDE - Safe Schools
On Suicide Prevention
Mental Health Flyer (English)
Folleto de Salud Mental (Spanish)
Teen Line is a confidential telephone helpline for teenaged callers. It operates every evening from 6:00pm to 10:00pm and is toll-free from anywhere in California.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention creates a culture that’s smart about mental health by educating the public and advocating for mental health and suicide prevention, as well as supporting survivors of suicide loss and those affected by suicide.
The Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.
Take my Hand's Peer Support is an evidenced based practice bringing people together who have similar “lived experiences” to share hope and recovery. A person embarking on a journey to wellness and recovery receives support from a person who has been through similar challenges. This person is a Peer Support Specialist.
On Drug Abuse
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is the lead federal agency supporting scientific research on drug use and its consequences.
The Riverside County Latino Commission provides programs and services for those in our community who are facing problems of substance abuse and/or problems with mental health issues.
For more than 70 years, Hazelden Betty Ford has been at the forefront of providing lifesaving, compassionate care and specialized services to help people from all walks of life get to feeling like their best self.
On Social Media
Common Sense Media rates movies, TV shows, books, and more so parents can feel good about the entertainment choices they make for their kids. They have the largest, most trusted library of independent age-based ratings and reviews.
We believe that knowledge empowers families and communities to promote kids’ mental health. Whether we are sharing evidence-based information in our Family Resource Center or training educators and mental health professionals, we bring life-changing care within reach.
Article on teaching kids how to be smart about social media.
Common Sense Media
Netlingo
Urban Dictionary
Urban Dictionary is the dictionary you wrote. Define your world 5,806,500 DEFINITIONS SINCE 1999
On Violence Prevention
24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse.
Through treatment programs like Childhelp Advocacy Centers and Childhelp Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program designed to help children already affected by child abuse, and prevention programs like Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe, designed to educate children and aid in prevention, we can help change the lives of many.
SafeHouse of the Desert, with Community Support, provides Emergency Shelter, Intervention and Outreach Services to Youth in Crisis.
On Support for Children with Special Needs
AbilityPath empowers people with special needs to achieve their full potential through innovative, inclusive programs, and community partnerships.
Desert Arc has championed the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1959. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life and create opportunities for people with disabilities.
DOR administers the largest vocational rehabilitation and independent living programs in the country. Vocational rehabilitation services are designed to help job seekers with disabilities obtain competitive employment in integrated work settings. Independent living services may include peer support, skill development, systems advocacy, referrals, assistive technology services, transition services, housing assistance, and personal assistance services.
On Comprehensive Information for Professionals
Child Welfare Information Gateway connects child welfare and related professionals to comprehensive information and resources to help protect children and strengthen families. We feature the latest on topics from prevention to permanency, including child abuse and neglect, foster care, and adoption.
The Safe States Alliance is a non-profit organization and professional association whose mission is to serve as the national voice in support of state and local injury and violence prevention professionals engaged in building a safer, healthier America.
On Support for Students Who Identify as LGBTQ
The Center Coachella primarily serves as a safe and inclusive space for the LGBTQ+ community in the East Coachella Valley. We are currently open Monday – Fridays from 9-4PM with some evening and weekend programming.
At The Center we offer various types of LGBTQ+ youth programming, through our Center Coachella location.
SafeHouse of the Desert, with Community Support, provides Emergency Shelter, Intervention and Outreach Services to Youth in Crisis.
Mental Health Flyer (English)
Folleto de Salud Mental (Spanish)
CA Dept. of Ed.- Transforming Schools: Superintendent’s Initiatives
Information and resources about the initiatives and priorities of State Superintendent Tony Thurmond that transform our California K-12 public schools by integrating new programs and strategies for students, families, educators, and LEAs.
Big changes are underway for California K–12 education, and we need all the resources possible to help students heal, recover, and thrive.
Safe Havens: Protecting Access to Education for Immigrant Families
Safe Havens are LEAs, which include school districts, county offices of education, and direct-funded charter schools that have committed themselves to reassuring students, parents and educators that everyone is welcome on school sites, regardless of immigration status. Safe Havens also provide helpful resources, such as information about immigration laws, and ways to be prepared in case a student or family member is deported.
Learn more about the Safe Havens Initiative
Correspondence
Housing Initiative: Renewing the California Dream
State Superintendent Thurmond’s Housing Initiative reframes access to housing as an essential part of the "California Dream," underscoring the state's commitment to ensure this dream remains attainable for all Californians, especially educators, teachers and school staff, regardless of their background. Housing is a critical foundation for building stable, thriving school communities, and the initiative recognizes that expanding access to affordable homes is key to preserving the inclusive nature of California’s identity.
One of the most promising solutions to accelerate housing development is by leveraging the 75,000 acres of developable land owned by California's LEAs. With the potential to create 2.3 million new housing units, this land offers an unprecedented opportunity to address the state's housing crisis while fostering economic growth. By utilizing this resource, California can lead the way in creating forward-thinking solutions to housing access.
Learn more about the potential for educator workforce housing
News Releases
- State Superintendent Thurmond Launches Initiative to Add 2.3 Million New Housing Units by Developing Land Owned by Schools(Posted 30-Jul-2024)
- State Superintendent Thurmond Convenes Key State Leaders to Accelerate Housing Development in California(Posted 14-Aug-2024)
Community Schools: It Takes a Village—Schools Can Be More Than Academics
A community school is a public school serving any grade prekindergarten–12, inclusive, with community partnerships that ensure pupil learning and whole-child and family development. This includes integrated support services, collaborative leadership, extended learning time, and practices for educators and administrators.
Learn more about Community Schools
Professional Learning: Supporting Our Teachers and Mentors
We are re-evaluating how our teachers and mentors are being engaged. Proactive teacher support will be key to success in the short and long term. Teachers are learning new technologies, engaging in educator trainings, and putting in the work to reach our students.
Teacher preparation programs will need to reflect our new reality over the long term and help prepare future teachers for the flexibility and adaptability that will help them succeed and reach every kind of learner.
Learn more about Professional Learning
Mental Health Support: A Healthy Mind Is Essential for Learning
The mental health of our school communities is essential to addressing the needs of the whole child. There is a lasting impact of the pandemic, one that we know has adversely effected the mental wellness of our school communities, with a disproportionately effecting students of color, English learners, and those socioeconomically challenged. The data around the mental wellness has raised concerns around providing mental health resources and support for our school communities. Knowing that we are still in recovery from the pandemic, we must look at not only learning loss but the whole child to try and negate the factors that are impacting our school communities and look at the Whole Child.
Learn more about Mental Health Support
Universal Prekindergarten (UPK): California's Great Start
Decades of research demonstrates that high-quality early learning experiences can have long-lasting impacts on both short-term outcomes (school readiness) and long-term outcomes, including grade retention, special education placement, and high school graduation—and later, income levels and civic participation.
High-quality early education disrupts the school-to-prison pipeline, reduces the likelihood of suspensions and expulsions, and increases the likelihood of home ownership, college attendance, and positive health outcomes later in life.
UPK will bring together programs across early learning and K–12, relying heavily on transitional kindergarten (TK), the only program to be funded by universal preschool, and the California State Preschool Program, to ensure that by 2025–26, every four-year-old child—regardless of background, race, zip code, immigration status, or income level—has access to a quality learning experience the year before kindergarten, and that more three-year-old children from income-eligible households and children with disabilities have access to an additional year of high-quality preKindergarten.
Learn more about Universal Prekindergarten
Universal Meals: Nourishing Young Minds for Learning
Universal School Meals provide the opportunity for all students to reach their full academic potential by fueling their brains and nurturing their social–emotional needs for optimal learning. The California Universal Meals Program is designed to build on the foundations of the federal National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and to supplement, not replace, the federal nutrition programs.
Learn more about Universal Meals
Antibias Education: Preventing, Addressing, and Eliminating Racism and Bias
This initiative is designed to empower educators and students to confront hate, bigotry, racism, and bias rising in communities across the state and nation. CDE leads a series of strategies—including educator training grants, partnerships with community leaders, examination of policies, virtual classroom sessions—that leverage the power of education to create a more just society.
Learn more about Antibias Education
Expanded Learning Programs: Education Outside of the Classroom
Expanded Learning refers to before school, after school, summer, and intersession learning experiences that develop the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs and interests of students. Expanded Learning opportunities should be hands-on, engaging, student-centered, results-driven, involve community partners, and complement learning activities in the regular school day/year.
Learn more about Expanded Learning Programs
Other Related Priorities
California Literacy: Reading by Third Grade and Beyond
State Superintendent Thurmond’s Reading by Third Grade and Beyond initiative aims to ensure literacy and biliteracy for students in California. The effort includes policies, initiatives, evidence-based practices, and resources for educators, parents, and community members to ensure California students are reading by third grade and beyond.
Learn more about California Literacy
Black Student Achievement Task Force
In an effort to call out the impacts that systemic and institutional racism have had on Black students in California, State Superintendent Thurmond formally launched a statewide task force, Improving Black Student Achievement.
Improving Black Student Achievement news releases:
- State Superintendent Thurmond Leads Task Force and Programs to Support Black Student Achievement(Dated 15-Nov-2021)
- State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Co-Chairs for Task Force to Improve Black Student Achievement(Dated 14-Oct-2021)
For more information or questions, contact the Governmental Affairs Division at GAD@cde.ca.gov.
Literacy Task Force
State Superintendent Thurmond launched a literacy task force to help all California students reach the goal of literacy by third grade, by the year 2026. This effort will also include a biliteracy milestone for dual-language learners. The task force pulled together experts and community partners to design a strategy for reaching this goal, including making recommendations to expand resources for improving reading proficiency of California students.
For more information, email statewideliteracycampaign@cde.ca.gov.
Literacy Task Force news release:
Closing the Digital Divide
The Closing the Digital Divide Initiative focuses on identifying needed resources and partnerships to support distance learning in California schools. State Superintendent Thurmond and his Closing the Digital Divide Task Force have been working to help equip all California students with computing devices and connectivity to ensure equitable teaching and learning environments.
Learn more about Closing the Digital Divide
Looking for more?
Questions: CDE Initiatives Team | Initiatives@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0800
Last Reviewed: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
CDE - Mental Health Resources - LINK
CDE - Safe Schools
Child Abuse Prevention Training and Resources
Information on training and reporting requirements for mandated reporters, training guides and model practices for parents, families, and administrators, and technical assistance to promote child well-being and protection from abuse.
Crisis Preparedness
Provides training, resources and technical assistance in preparedness for, immediate response to, and mitigation of the aftermath of school safety crises.
Safe Schools for Safe Learning Act of 2013
Requires the California Department of Education to post information including a list of statewide resources for youth who have been affected by gangs, gun violence, and psychological trauma caused by violence at home, at school, and in the community.
School Environment
Provides training, resources, and technical assistance in the establishment of a school/community environment that is physically and emotionally safe, well disciplined, and conducive to learning.
Violence Prevention
Information concerning violence prevention, safe storage of firearms, and school safety planning.