Action protocol

Phase 1: Detection, Communication and Protection of the Victim

The action protocol begins the moment any member of the educational community (teachers, family or another student) becomes aware of a possible case of cyberbullying.

The first step is the immediate communication of the facts to the tutor and the management team or the welfare coordinator of the center.

The absolute and immediate priority, even before verifying the facts, is to ensure the safety of the victim.

This implies adopting urgent precautionary measures: ensuring that the victim feels protected, offering initial psychological support, and if the harasser is identified and is from the center, ensuring that they do not have contact in common spaces.

The victim should be given clear instructions: do not respond, do not delete evidence, and set up privacy settings on their accounts (if they have not already done so).

A direct and secure communication channel should be established with the victim's family.

Phase 2: Information Gathering and Identification

Once the victim is protected, the investigation phase begins, which should be swift, discreet and thorough.

A designated person in charge (usually the guidance counselor or head of studies) must collect all evidence (screenshots, messages, URLs of fake profiles) and interview the parties involved, always separately.

The interview with the victim should be empathetic, seeking to understand the scope, duration and impact of the bullying.

The interview with the alleged aggressor should be assertive, presenting the known facts and listening to his or her version, but without being a police interrogation. It is also crucial to talk to key observers.

If the aggressor is anonymous, the center should use its resources to try to identify him or her, or advise the family on how to report to the police (who have telematic crime units).

Phase 3: Factual Analysis and Intervention

With all the information, the management team and the guidance department analyze the nature of the facts.

They must determine whether it is a one-time conflict or a case of cyberbullying (intentional, repeated and with power imbalance).

If cyberbullying is confirmed, simultaneous action must be taken on three fronts:

With the Aggressor: He/she should be informed of the seriousness of his/her actions and disciplinary measures should be applied as contemplated in the Internal Regime Regulations of the center (which can range from community tasks to temporary expulsion).

This sanction must be accompanied by re-educational measures (empathy workshops, restorative justice if appropriate).

With the Victim: A reparation and psychological support plan should be designed to restore self-esteem and well-being.

With the Group (Observers): Intervention should be made in the classroom to work on group dynamics, empathy and tolerance, without pointing directly to the victim or aggressor, but making it clear that the center has zero tolerance.

Phase 4: Follow-up and Closure of the Case

The protocol does not end with the sanction. The center must establish a medium and long-term follow-up plan.

This involves periodic meetings with the victim and his or her family to ensure that the bullying has completely stopped and that the victim's emotional recovery is positive.

The aggressor should also be followed up to verify that his behaviors have changed and that he is complying with the re-educational measures.

The ultimate goal is not just to punish, but to repair the harm and ensure that the environment is safe again for everyone.

Summary

The protocol begins with the detection and immediate communication to the tutor or coordinator of coexistence. The absolute priority is to guarantee the protection and safety of the victim before anything else.

The second phase is victim protection and information gathering. The parties are interviewed separately and digital evidence (screenshots) are collected to confirm the harassment.

Once the case is confirmed, disciplinary (sanction) and re-educational (empathy) measures are applied to the aggressor. Finally, a long-term follow-up is conducted with both parties to ensure that the harassment has ceased.