Hazing and Bullying Policy
Hazing means doing any act or coercing another, including the victim, to do any act of initiation into any student or other organization that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing mental or physical harm to any person.
Bullying is an intentional written, verbal or physical act that a student has exhibited toward another particular student more than once and the behavior causes both mental or physical harm to the other student and is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening or abusive educational environment for the other student.
Permission, consent or assumption of risk by an individual subjected to hazing and/or bullying does not lessen the prohibition contained in this policy.
Prohibited activities of any type including those activities engaged in via computer and/or electronic communications devices are inconsistent with the educational process and are prohibited at all times. No administrator, teacher, or other employee of the District shall encourage, permit, condone or tolerate any hazing and/or bullying activities. No student, including leaders of student organizations, may plan, encourage or engage in any hazing and/or bullying.
Administrators, teachers and all other District employees are particularly alert to possible conditions, circumstances or events that might include hazing and/or bullying. If hazing and/or bullying or planned hazing and/or bullying is discovered, involved students are informed by the discovering District employee of the prohibition contained in this policy and are required to end all hazing and/or bullying activities immediately. All hazing and/or bulling incidents are reported immediately to the Superintendent and the appropriate discipline is administered.
The Superintendent/designee must provide the Board President with a semiannual written report of all reported incidents of bullying and post the report on the District's website.
The administration provides training on the District's hazing and bullying policy to District employees and volunteers who have direct contact with the students.
District employees, students and volunteers are provided with qualified civil immunity for damages arising from reporting an incident of hazing and/or bullying. Administrators, teachers, other employees and students who fail to abide by this policy may be subject to disciplinary action and may be liable for civil and criminal penalties in compliance with State law.
No one shall retaliate against an employee or student because he/she files a grievance or assists or participates in an investigation, proceeding or hearing regarding the charge of hazing and/or bullying of an individual.
Each person employed by the Board who has direct contact with students shall complete in-service training in violence and substance abuse and the promotion of positive youth development.
