Anti-Bullying Policy

Playhouse Performing Arts believes that all students have a right to a safe and healthy environment here in our virtual community. This company has an obligation to promote mutual respect, tolerance, and acceptance.

Playhouse Performing Arts will not tolerate behavior that infringes on the safety of any student or community member. A student shall not intimidate, harass, bully, or cyber-bully another student through words or actions. Such behavior includes: insulting or offensive comments, either verbal or written; verbal assaults, such as teasing or name-calling; and social isolation or manipulation.

Playhouse Performing Arts expects students and/or staff to immediately report incidents of bullying to the team leader. Staff who witness such acts must take immediate steps to intervene when safe to do so. Each complaint of bullying should be promptly investigated. This policy applies to students within company-sponsored online forums such as Discord chats or Zoom calls, company-sponsored in-person forums like a studio or field trip, during a company-sponsored event or activity, and within the general Playhouse Performing Arts community, on or off of company-sponsored platforms.

To ensure bullying does not occur within our community, Playhouse Performing Arts will provide staff development training in bullying prevention and cultivate acceptance and understanding in all students and staff to build our community’s capacity to maintain a safe and healthy environment.

Team members should discuss this policy with their students in age-appropriate ways and should assure them that they need not endure any form of bullying. Students who bully are in violation of this policy and are subject to disciplinary action up to and including exclusion from future events, activities, and shows.

As of May 22nd, 2021, Playhouse Performing Arts has adopted a Student Code of Conduct to be followed by every student while within company-sponsored online forums such as Discord chats or Zoom calls, company-sponsored in-person forums like a studio or field trip, during a company-sponsored event or activity, and within the general Playhouse Performing Arts community, on or off of company-sponsored platforms.

The Student Code of Conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Any student who engages in bullying may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including exclusion from future activities, events, and shows.
  • Students are expected to immediately report incidents of bullying to a team member, parent, guardian, or trusted adult.
  • Students can rely on staff to promptly investigate each complaint of bullying in a thorough and confidential manner.
  • If the complainant student or the parent of the student feels that appropriate resolution of the investigation or complaint has not been reached, the student or the parent of the student should contact the team leader. The company prohibits retaliatory behavior against any complainant or any participant in the complaint process.

The procedures for intervening in bullying behavior include, but are not limited, to the following:

  • All staff, students and their parents will receive a summary of this policy prohibiting intimidation, bullying, and cyber-bullying: when auditioning and/or being accepted into a show, before attending a workshop, before taking a course, and before joining any Playhouse Performing Arts Discord servers or Zoom calls.
  • When being accepted into a virtual production, students and their parents will agree to and sign a Production Participation Contract, outlining behavior expectations and requirements.
  • The company will make reasonable efforts to keep a report of bullying and the results of investigation confidential.
  • Staff who witness acts of bullying shall take immediate steps to intervene when safe to do so. People witnessing or experiencing bullying are strongly encouraged to report the incident; such reporting will not reflect on the target or witnesses in any way.
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