Please read this draft of our Updated Code of Conduct 
II.c.Board-level Procedure
When a request for review by the Board has been made, the Superintendent shall submit all written statements and other materials concerning the case to the President of the Board.
The Board shall notify all parties concerned of the time and the place when a hearing will be held. Such hearing will be held within fifteen (15) school days of the receipt of the request of the complainant.
The Board shall render a decision in writing within fifteen (15) school days after the hearing has been concluded.
The District shall retain documentation associated with complaints and investigations in accordance with Schedule ED-1.
Provisions for Students Who do not Feel Safe at School. The District recognizes that there is a need to balance accommodations which enhance student safety against the potential to further stigmatize the targeted student. Therefore, each case will be handled individually, and the student, and school administration will collaborate to establish safety provisions that best meet the needs of the targeted student. Follow-up discussion and/or meetings will be scheduled, as needed, to ensure that safety concerns have been adequately addressed and to determine when and if accommodations need to be changed or discontinued.
Disciplinary Consequences/Remediation
While the focus of this policy is on prevention, bullying acts may still occur. In these cases, offenders will be given the clear message that their actions are wrong and the behavior must improve. Student offenders will receive in-school guidance in making positive choices in their relationships with others. If appropriate, disciplinary action will be taken by the administration in accordance with the District’s Code of Conduct, as applicable. If the behavior rises to the level of criminal activity, law enforcement will be contacted.
Consequences for a student who commits an act of bullying shall be unique to the individual incident and will vary in method and severity according to the nature of the behavior, the developmental age of the student, and the student’s history of problem behaviors, and must be consistent with the District’s Code of Conduct.
Non-Retaliation
The District prohibits any retaliatory behavior directed against complainants, victims, witnesses, and/or any other individuals who participated in the investigation of allegations of harassment. Follow-up inquiries and/or appropriate monitoring of the alleged harasser and victim shall be made to ensure that harassment has not resumed and that those involved in the investigation of allegations of harassment have not suffered retaliation.
Dissemination, Monitoring, Review, and Reporting
This policy, or a plain language summary, shall be published in student registration materials, student, parent and employee handbooks, and posted on the District’s website.
Each year, as part of the annual review of the Code of Conduct, this policy will be reviewed to assess its effectiveness and compliance with state and federal law. If changes are needed, revisions will be recommended to the Board for its consideration.
- School employees who witness harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination or receive an oral or written report of such acts shall promptly orally notify the principal, superintendent, or their designee not later than one school day after such employee witnesses or receives a report of such acts, and shall also file a written report with the principal, superintendent, or their designee no later than two school days after making an oral report;
- The principal, superintendent or their designee shall lead or supervise the thorough investigation of all reports of harassment, bullying and/or discrimination, and ensure that such investigation is completed promptly after receipt of any written reports;
- When an investigation verifies a material incident of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination, the superintendent, principal, or designee shall take prompt action, reasonably calculated to end the harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination, eliminate any hostile environment, create a more positive school culture and climate, prevent recurrence of the behavior, and ensure the safety of the student or students against whom such behavior was directed;
- The principal, superintendent, or their designee shall notify promptly the appropriate local law enforcement agency when it is believed that any harassment, bullying or discrimination constitutes criminal conduct;
- The principal shall provide a regular report, at least once during each school year, on data and trends related to harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination to the superintendent;
- Pursuant to Education Law section 13, retaliation by any school employee or student shall be prohibited against any individual who, in good faith, reports or assists in the investigation of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination.
The Board will receive the annual VADIR report, for each building and for the District as whole, with particular attention to the trends in the incidence of bullying . In addition, the Board will receive on an annual basis a more detailed report of the number of bullying incidents that occur, disaggregated by school, student demographic information and type of incident. Based on the review of the data, the Board may consider further action, including but not limited to modification of this policy and additional training.
The District will ensure that reporting of information to the public will be in a manner that complies with student privacy rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
DAS Complaint Form
Your statement is very important to our investigation of alleged student bullying, discrimination and/or harassment. All efforts will be made to keep the information you provide confidential. Retaliation or threats of retaliation against any person involved in an investigation of harassment, discrimination, or bullying is a violation of the law. If you believe you are subject to such action as a result of your cooperation with this investigation, please contact the Dignity Act Coordinator.
