Students shall be provided a learning environment free from sexual, racial, ethnic and religious discrimination/harassment. It shall be a violation of this policy for any employee or any student to discriminate against or harass a student through disparaging conduct or communication that is sexual, racial, ethnic, or religious in nature. The following guidelines are set forth to protect students from discrimination/harassment.

 

Student discrimination/harassment will not be tolerated. Discrimination/harassment is defined as conduct, advances, gestures or words either written or spoken of a sexual, racial, ethnic or religious nature which:

1.       Unreasonably interfere with the student’s work or educational opportunities; or

2.       Create an intimidating, hostile or offensive learning environment; or

3.       Imply that submission to such conduct is made an explicit or implicit term of receiving grades or credit; or

4.       Imply that submission to or rejection of such conduct will be used as a basis for determining the student’s grades and/or participation in a student activity.

 

Alleged victims of sexual, racial, ethnic and religious discrimination/harassment shall report these incidents immediately to a teacher, counselor or building administrator. Allegations of discrimination/ harassment shall be sully investigated by a complaint manager (as set forth in Student Concerns, Complaints and Grievances Policy below).

 

The privacy and anonymity of all parties and witnesses to complaints will be respected; however, because an individual’s need for confidentiality must be balanced with obligations to cooperate with police investigations, or legal proceedings, to provide due process to the accused, to conduct a through investigation or to take necessary action to resolve a complaint, the identity of parties and witnesses man be disclosed in appropriate circumstances to individuals with a need to know.

 

A substantiated charge against an employee shall result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. A substantiated charge against a student may result in corrective or disciplinary action up to and including suspension.

 

There will be no retaliation against any person who reports harassment or participates in an investigation. However, and employee who refuses to cooperate or gives false information during the course of any in investigation may be subject to disciplinary action. The willful filing of a false report will itself be considered harassment and will be treated as such.

 

An employee disciplined for violation of this policy may appeal the decision by contracting the Federal Rights Coordinator. Any student disciplined for violation of this policy may appeal the decision in accordance with disciplinary policies and procedures. (MMSD Board Policy –6.304)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DISCRIMINATION/HARASSMENT OF STUDENTS (Sexual, Racial, Ethnic, Religious) see MilanSpecialSchool District Policy 6.304