Sexual Harassment/Bullying

 

The Board of Education prohibits acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying.  A safe and civil environment in school is necessary for pupils to learn and achieve high academic standards.  Harassment, intimidation, or bullying, like other disruptive or violent behaviors, is conduct that disrupts both a pupil’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate its pupils in a safe environment; and since pupils learn by example, school administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers should be commended for demonstrating appropriate behavior, treating others with civility and respect, and refusing to tolerate harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

 

Teachers/staff members should report cases of harassment or bullying to the building principal.

 

Definition-

 

“Harassment, intimidation, or bullying” means any gesture, written, verbal, or physical act that takes place on school property, at any school sponsored function, or on a school bus and that:

 

1. Is motivated by a actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, or a mental, physical, or sensory disability; or

 

2. By an other distinguishing characteristic; and

 

3. A reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, that the act(s) will have the effect of harming a pupil or damaging the pupil’s property, or placing a pupil in reasonable fear of harm to his/her person or damage to his/her property; or

 

4. Has the effect of insulting or demeaning any pupil or group of pupils in such a way as to cause substantial disruption in, or substantial interference with, the orderly operation of the school.

 

Acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying may also be a pupil exercising power and control over another pupil, in either isolated incidents (e.g., intimidation, harassment) or patterns of harassing or intimidating behavior (e.g. bullying).