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All members of the South Kingstown School Department community - faculty, staff, and students - are expected to treat each other with dignity and respect, and are entitled to freedom from personal harassment. Harassment is defined as unwelcome, harmful behavior towards another person, which is found to be annoying, bothersome, or physically and/or mentally injurious. Harassment is a form of discrimination and may reveal itself in many forms, including but not limited to:

· Sexual harassment - unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Such conduct is prohibited when the behavior is directed to an individual because of his or her gender and (1) when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of instruction, employment or otherwise full participation in department, institute or school life; (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct is considered in evaluating a person's academic work or job performance or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with a person¹s academic or job performance or creating a sexually intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or educational environment. Additionally, the district has a separate policy relating to employees and sexual harassment.

· Bullying –assault, threatening, battery, stalking, menacing, intimidation, extortion, humiliation, taunting, malicious rumor-mongering, or attack on property. It may be individual or group-based behavior (such as in shunning), but involves the intimidation of others through the real or threatened infliction of physical, verbal, written, electronic, or emotional abuse. It is a deliberate, hurtful behavior that is often repeated over a period of time and it is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves. The person who bullies has and exercises power inappropriately over the victim

· Hazing - any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person. Such conduct shall include, but not be limited to whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to the weather, forced consumption of any food, liquor, beverage, drug or other substance, or any brutal treatment or forced physical activity which is likely to adversely affect the physical health or safety of the student or any other person, or which subjects the student or other person to extreme mental stress, including extended deprivation of sleep or rest or extended isolation.

No form of harassment will be tolerated. For purposes on non-discrimination, harassment is prohibited whether related to race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, physical appearance, physical or mental capacity, gender identity or expression, or citizenship status. For the purpose of this policy, school includes: classrooms, throughout school buildings, on school property, immediately adjacent to school property, school busses and vehicles, school bus stops, while traveling to and from school, at any school sponsored activity or event, regardless of location.

The goal of this policy and of the school district is to operate schools and programs that are free from harassment and are respectful and resolve differences through peaceful, non-violent means. To accomplish this goal, this policy provides for actions that are preventive to create a community where harassment is unwelcome, and consequential, that prescribes intervention when individuals harass.

The school district may use various means to evaluate this policy, both quantitative and qualitative. The primary data to be utilized to measure changes in school climate and culture as a result of this policy will be SALT Surveys. SALT Surveys are taken annually in all district schools and asks questions related to school environment and safety. Specific SALT Survey data will include Student Perceptions of School Environment and Teacher Ratings of School Safety. Informal school surveys, incident reports and complaints may be part of that process.

Preventive activities are undertaken to create peaceful, respectful school communities, ones in which individuals are unlikely to harass. Policy expectations for preventive actions include:

The consequences of harassment are both educational and disciplinary. Educational consequences are designed to develop awareness of actions taken and their consequences on other(s) and to develop the ability to act alternatively. Disciplinary actions are designed to communicate the prohibition against harassment, to safeguard the victim, and to reinforce the importance of educational interventions. Disciplinary actions may vary with individual circumstance, including, repetition, age, victim impact, and may include:

If you have been physically attacked, threatened with physical harm or discriminated against while participating in a school-related activity, because of your race, color, religion, national origin, ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation or disability, or if you witness these acts against another student:

· In all circumstances where you are the subject of any serious incident of harassment or any incident involving intimidation, threat of violence or physical attack, you should notify a school official (your school Principal).

· If you do not feel safe or comfortable approaching the person harassing you alone, ask someone you trust - such as a parent, a good friend, a family member, the school nurse, a teacher, or your school counselor - to accompany you.

· If you feel that your concerns are not being appropriately addressed, you may file a formal complaint with your School Committee. Your school committee must respond to you in writing within 30 days of your filing a complaint.

· You may request an investigation of your complaint by contacting the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of Equity or the person designated to coordinate or handle harassment and discrimination complaints in your school district.

Complaints about harassment will be responded to promptly. Retaliation against an individual bringing a complaint of harassment constitutes a violation of School Department policy as well as state and federal law. An individual found guilty of harassment or retaliation, or any individual who initiates a fraudulent claim of harassment, shall be subject to disciplinary action. All persons who believe that they are or may have been victims of harassment are encouraged to seek resolution promptly through the established informal and formal procedures of the school department.

Individuals seeking information regarding harassment may consult with any of the following offices or individuals for advice and assistance. Those who have been witness to harassment should report their observations as well. South Kingstown lists here appropriate points of entry where a student or staff member may seek guidance: union representatives, school counselors, school principals, central administrators, the Section 504 Coordinator (Director of Pupil Personnel Services) and the Title IX coordinator (Director of Administration). Where harassment may reach the level of criminal activity, Law Enforcement is an appropriate entry point.

All employees of the South Kingstown School Department are expected to make every effort to ensure that students and fellow employees are not subjected to any form of sexual or other harassment. This effort may be formal or informal depending on the circumstances. School personnel are expected to be proactive in this effort. Due to the power relationship between the parties sexual relations between employees and students is harassment and therefore forbidden.

Students who engage in harassment off school department premises at department-sponsored activities will be subject to discipline in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct.

Confidentiality will be respected during all complaint procedures to the degree the procedure will allow. However, if an employee or student wishes to bring a complaint and remain anonymous, the ability of the South Kingstown School Department to respond may be limited.

The purpose of intervention should be to make the harassment CEASE! If at any time a complainant is uncomfortable with bringing a complaint to an individual, or if the complaint is against the person to whom the complaint is to be filed, the complainant may move directly to the Principal, Superintendent, School Committee, or state or federal agency as appropriate.

Complainants may report harassment to their teacher, school counselor, union representative, supervisor or manager, or, if they are involved in the allegation of sexual harassment, to the Superintendent at the district office, 792-7681.

The Principal/Supervisor or his/her designee will thoroughly investigate the report of harassment as promptly as possible, keeping the matter as confidential as is practicable. After investigation, he/she will take whatever action is necessary to remedy any harm done by a proven instance of sexual harassment and the complainant will be notified of the action taken. If, after investigation, the Principal/Supervisor or his/her designee is unable to establish that any act of sexual harassment has occurred, he/she will meet with the complainant and with the complained-against individually to explain both the results of the investigation.

It is the responsibility of every member of the school community to cooperate fully with any investigation under this policy. This may be appealed to the Commissioner of Education/E.E.O.C. and/or O.C.R.