Schoolyard bullies beware.

A new policy approved last week by the Alpine School District defines bullying and provides for school administrators to use existing policy to discipline bullies, including those using the Internet and text messages to harass students.

The policy, which passed unanimously, is a response to a resolution passed in 2006 by the Utah Legislature. It "prohibits bullying of students by other students at school or at school-related functions."

"It came about because of an encouragement from the Legislature," Alpine Superintendent Vern Henshaw said. "Really, most everything was being dealt with through existing district policy. What this does is splinter out a specific issue and lay it out in detail."

The policy defines bullying as "aggressive behavior that is intended to cause harm or distress, exists in a relationship in which there is an imbalance of power or strength and may be repeated over time. Bullying may be physical, verbal/written or psychological."

It also singles out cyber bullying -- using e-mail, Web pages or text messaging, among other items, to harass and threaten other students.

"It kind of brings you more up to date with stuff that wasn't in existence five or 10 years ago," Henshaw said. "It's really more of an education process for our administrators and our teachers."

School board members passed the item with only a few comments and no complaints.

Board member Christine Hannemann said the policy was timely because she was aware of at least one instance of cyber bullying.

The policy doesn't provide for specific discipline, but refers to the district's existing discipline policy, where punishment can range from minor corrective action to suspension, depending on the severity of the offense.

Bullying on the playground and in the classroom has been getting more attention recently, but Henshaw said the district doesn't have any unusual problems with the behavior.

"I wouldn't say this was out of proportion with our other problems," he said.

But the policy does give the district another weapon to combat bullies.

"It's a positive thing because it helps to bring it to light so we can minimize as much as possible," he said.

The Alpine's new policy defines bullying as "aggressive behavior that is intended to cause harm or distress, exists in a relationship in which there is an imbalance of power or strength and may be repeated over time. Bullying may be physical, verbal/written or psychological."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.