LWHS is committed to maintaining an environment for all students and employees that is free from all forms of discrimination, harassment, bullying or hazing. The School prohibits sexual harassment as well as discrimination and harassment based on a student’s race, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability. LWHS will not tolerate harassing or discriminatory treatment of students by other students, their family members, the School’s volunteers, employees or contractors. Additionally, the School forbids retaliation against any individual who reports an incident of harassment, opposes harassment or participates in an investigation of a complaint of harassment.
As a school that values inclusion and a community built upon trust and safety, interactions within OR outside of school can affect a student's ability to feel safe and thrive at school. Accordingly, this policy applies to all interactions involving students, whether or not occurring during school or school functions or on campus, if
the conduct has a negative impact upon the school performance of the student who is subject to harassment or affects that student's academic status or progress
the conduct adversely affects the educational environment including creating an educational environment that is intimidating, hostile, or offensive
such conduct affects the benefits, services, honors, programs, or activities available to any student at the School.
Harassment
It is important that students think carefully about their actions and the impact their decisions have on others in the LWHS community; what a student may consider "joking" has a negative, often harmful, impact on other community members. There is no place for such behaviors in a school environment. LWHS is committed to educating students about the impact of harassing behavior, including how to assume responsibility and how to effect repair with others. Such behaviors include but are not limited to:
Verbal or online comments such as derogatory jokes or slurs
Verbal or online comments that make fun of or demean a peer or group based on racial, religious, gender, or sexual identity, class, sexual preference or any other identifiers
Visual displays and written communication, such as derogatory posters, photography, cartoons, drawings, gestures, or email messages
Physical conduct including assault, unwanted touching, intentionally blocking normal movement or interfering with work; and
Retaliation for reporting or threatening to report harassment.
Sexual Harassment
In addition to the examples of harassment described above, for the purposes of this policy, "sexual harassment" is defined to also include:
For adult to student interaction: any sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
For student to student interaction: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, written, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
such conduct has a negative impact upon the recipient student’s school performance
such conduct adversely affects the educational environment including creating an educational environment that is intimidating, hostile, or offensive
such conduct affects the services, honors, programs, or activities available to any student at the School.
Student to student sexual harassment is not social or courting behavior. The overriding factor in student to student sexual harassment is that the behavior is uninvited and unwanted and often an assertion of power. Sexual harassment may include:
physical assault, including rape
coerced sexual relations
inappropriate personal questions of a sexual nature
sexually explicit or suggestive remarks about a person's body, clothing, or sexual activity
sexually stereotyped or sexually charged insults, humor, or verbal abuse
public display of sexually explicit, offensive or demeaning objects, photographs, or cartoons
leering or ogling at a person's body
unnecessary touching in any form
demanding sexual favors, accompanied by promises, hints, or threats concerning one's academic status or opportunities
subtle pressure for sexual activity
repeated expressions of sexual or "romantic" interest after being informed that the interest is unwelcome.
Harassment may take many forms. It can be subtle and indirect, or blatant and overt. It can occur between people of either or the same gender, between peers, or between individuals in a hierarchical relationship. A single incident of prohibited harassment could be grounds for dismissal or expulsion, depending upon its severity.
Bullying and Hazing
Bullying consists of acts of aggression toward a student by an individual or group of individuals with the intent of harming the student either physically or psychologically. Bullying may be physical, verbal or social, and it may include hitting, threatening, intimidating, teasing and taunting, and name-calling. It may also be accomplished by use of technology and electronic communications or by more subtle attacks such as spreading rumors or encouraging others to reject the student.
Hazing is a form of bullying and consists of actions by a group (such as an athletic team) to intentionally produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule among one or more students wishing to join the group.
Complaint and Resolution Procedures
Complaints of violations of the School’s policy against harassment will be handled in accordance with the following procedures.
Adult to Student Harassment, Bullying or Hazing
A student or their parent who believes that the student has been subject to prohibited harassment, bullying or hazing by any adult member of the School’s community, including employees, contractors or family members of other students, should immediately bring this to the attention of either the Head of School or one of the
Anti-Harassment Committee members:
- Director of Student Inclusion
- Director of the Center for Civic Engagement
- Dean of Adult Equity and Inclusion
- Director of Coaching, BME Faculty
- Dean of Students
A student or parent may also notify the President of the Board of Trustees at any time. If a student feels more comfortable speaking to another trusted LWHS employee, that employee will assist them in reporting their concerns.
The parents of the student(s) involved will be notified. The Head of School will lead an immediate investigation and will take corrective action if any is appropriate, including possible disciplinary actions against employees of the School. The School will advise the student who reported concerns and the student’s parents of the disposition of the complaint.
Student-to-Student Harassment, Bullying or Hazing
A student who believes that they have been subject to prohibited harassment, bullying or hazing by another student may elect to handle the matter informally by telling the other student to stop.
Whether or not the other student stops, LWHS encourages the student or their parent to bring conduct of other students that violates this policy to the attention of one of the members of the Anti-Harassment Committee or any faculty-staff member. Depending on the nature of the conduct involved, the complaint may be handled informally.
If informal actions do not cause the offensive behavior to cease, or if the behavior is of such a nature that informal resolution is not appropriate, the Anti-Harassment Committee will initiate a formal process and notify the Head of School. The School will also notify the parent(s) of the students involved unless notice at that time is inappropriate under the circumstances.
The School will conduct a fair, timely, and thorough investigation of the complaint. The investigation will normally be conducted by School personnel although in some cases the School may retain an outside investigator. If the School determines that conduct in violation of this policy has occurred, the School will take prompt corrective action. The School will notify the student who made the complaint and the student's parents of the disposition of the complaint.
Final Review A complaining student not satisfied with the disposition of the complaint or a student subject to discipline under this policy, and/or their parents, may ask the Head of School to review the matter. Such a request for review should be submitted in writing within fifteen days of receiving notice of the disposition of the complaint or the imposition of discipline. The request for review should explain why the student believes the disposition was not satisfactory or the discipline was not warranted, including reference to any relevant facts. The Head of School will issue a decision which shall be final.[SA2]
In some cases, the School may be required by law to report harassing conduct to law enforcement or child protective agencies. The School will cooperate with such agencies and may need to defer proceeding with its internal complaint procedures to avoid interfering with the agency procedures.
Accountability and Discipline
Depending on the behavior involved, the students may engage in an accountability process that focuses on repair and restoration. A student who violates this policy may also be subject to discipline which may include a range of actions including warnings, suspension or dismissal.
Confidentiality:
Records of all complaint resolution proceedings will be maintained by the Anti-Harassment Committee. The School will keep the complaint and the investigation as confidential as possible consistent with the need to conduct an investigation, determine responsibility, cooperate with law enforcement, and implement any appropriate remedial measures.
Mandated Reporting
Employees of the School are considered mandated reporters, and they comply with the requirements of California law to make a report to child protective services agency or law enforcement whenever they have a reasonable suspicion that a child they encounter as part of their job duties has been subjected to child abuse or neglect. In some cases, School employees will be required to report information they learn in connection with a complaint of violation of the School’s policies against harassment. By law, reports made by mandated reporters must be kept confidential.