STUDENT HARASSMENT AND BULLYING

The Board is committed to providing its students equal educational opportunities and a safe learning environment free from harassment, bullying, discrimination and hazing. These forms of dangerous and disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.  The Board will employ a variety of prevention and remediation strategies to maintain, to the extent practicable, a safe school climate conducive to learning. All Internet use at school will be monitored and supervised.

DEFINITIONS

"Bullying" means any repeated and pervasive verbal, written, or electronic expression, physical act or gesture, or a pattern thereof, that is intended to cause distress upon one or more students in the school, on school grounds, in school vehicles, at a designated bus stop, or at school activities or sanctioned events, whether on or off school property. Bullying includes, but is not limited to, hazing, harassment, intimidation or menacing acts of a student which may, but need not be, based on the student's race, color, sex, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation.

"Cyberbullying" means bullying through the Internet, cell phones, instant messaging, emailing or other technical means.

"Harassment" is defined as knowingly pursuing a pattern of conduct, whether physical, verbal, written or electronic, that is intended to annoy, alarm or terrorize another person. Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

·              verbal acts, teasing, use of sarcasm and jokes;

·              name-calling and belittling;

·              nonverbal behavior such as graphic or written statements; or

·              conduct that is physically threatening, harmful or humiliating.

"Disability Harassment" means intimidation or abusive behavior towards a student that is based on the student's disability and creates a hostile environment by interfering with or denying the student's participation in or receipt of benefits, services or opportunities in the District.

"Racial Harassment" consists of physical, verbal, written or electronic conduct relating to an individual's race when the conduct:

·              has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive academic environment;

·              has the purpose or effect of substantially or unreasonably interfering with an individual's academic performance; or

"Sexual Harassment" means any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other inappropriate physical, verbal or written conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment may take place under any of the following circumstances:

·              when submission to such conduct is made, explicitly or implicitly, a term or condition of obtaining an education; or

·              submission to or rejection of that conduct or communication by an individual is used as a factor in decisions affecting that individual's education; or

·              that conduct or communication has the purpose or effect of substantially or unreasonably interfering with an individual's education, or creating an

         intimidating, hostile or offensive educational environment.

For more specific information regarding sexual harassment refer to the Board's Title IX Nondiscrimination Policy (2.2).

"Hazing" means committing an act against a student, or coercing a student into committing an act, that creates a risk of harm to a person, in order for that student to be initiated into or affiliated with a student organization or for any other purpose. Hazing includes, but is not limited, to:

·              any type of physical brutality such as whipping, beating, striking, branding, shocking, or placing a harmful substance on the body;

·              any type of physical activity such as sleep deprivation, exposure to weather, confinement in a restricted area, calisthenics or other activity that subjects      the student to unreasonable risk of harm or that adversely affects the mental or physical health of the student; or

REPORTING INTIMIDATION, HARASSMENT OR BULLYING BEHAVIOR

Any student who believes he or she has been the victim of harassment, intimidation, or bullying, or any person with knowledge or belief of such conduct that may constitute harassment, intimidation, bullying or hazing toward a student should immediately report the alleged acts.

Reports may be in writing using the Student Harassment and Bullying Complaint Form. A copy of this form is available on our school system’s website.  See document upload under "Bullying" or a bullying form can be obtained at any school.

INVESTIGATING HARASSMENT OR BULLYING BEHAVIOR

The principal or his designee will promptly investigate all reports of harassment or bullying. In determining whether the alleged conduct constitutes harassment or bullying, the totality of circumstances, nature of the conduct, student's history and the context in which the alleged conduct occurred will be investigated or considered.

CONSEQUENCES FOR HARASSMENT OR BULLYING BEHAVIOR