High School Consequence for bullying

[JMulcheer]

Hey folks!
A group of 4 cheerleaders (juniors) made a group chat about another girl (new freshmen). It was brought to my attention and did some digging, found it and scrolled through it. They had some pictures of this freshmen with doodles on it like wigs. They were just making fun of her. They showed other girls on the team and soon they were saying the name of the chat “Granma Ken Ken” in practice.
We have a strict no bullying rule but I’m not sure if this is actually bullying or just Mean girl activities. My admin will be calling them in but I need to issue a punishment. I’m not removing them because it’s a first time offense. They’re still children and learning but they need a consequence.
One of my coaches wants to condition them until they “drop”. I want to have them roll up mats after practice for a set amount of time. What’s appropriate? What’s enough? Is conditioning good enough? How much conditioning before it becomes too much?

 

[catlady]

This sounds like "mean girl" nonsense, to me. If this girl is aware they've been making fun of her, I would have them go in front of the entire team and apologize to her for their immaturity and not thinking about how they were impacting her and breaking down the trust of entire team, as well. I would, also, have them say they realize if it happens again, they will be off the team. I think rolling mats after each practice is sufficient, as far as physical consequence, and would avoid any over conditioning that might end up in parent intervention or injury.

 

[WinstonsGirl]

I think an apology in front of the team is a great start, including what they did (though maybe not exactly what they said about who), so the team is aware. From there, I think they should plan/organize/run a team bonding activity where the goal is to get to know each member of the team better. It's much harder to make fun of people when you know them better. And yes, if anything happens again, they're gone. Make sure you document in case you need it in the future

 

[JMulcheer]

I think an apology in front of the team is a great start, including what they did (though maybe not exactly what they said about who), so the team is aware. From there, I think they should plan/organize/run a team bonding activity where the goal is to get to know each member of the team better. It's much harder to make fun of people when you know them better. And yes, if anything happens again, they're gone. Make sure you document in case you need it in the future

I like that. Thank you.