8.1.8 HARRASMENT, BULLYING, AND HAZING POLICY

​​​​​This policy, which encompasses all inappropriate behavior, including harassment, bullying, and hazing, must be published in the parent/student handbook and applies to all students. This policy shall be communicated clearly to faculty, staff, volunteers, parents/guardians, and students. Harassment of em​ployees, parents/guardians, and other adults in the school community are addressed elsewhere in separate policies.

​The school is committed to providing a safe and comfortable learning environment that respects Christian values and is free from harassment, bullying, or hazing in any form. Harassment, bullying, or hazing of any student by any other student, lay employee, religious, clergy, school volunteer, or parent/guardian is prohibited. The school will treat allegations of any such conduct seriously and will review and investigate such allegations in a prompt, confidential manner that is appropriate to the claim.

​Credible acts of harassment, bullying, or hazing by a student will result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal of the student. Students who file false or frivolous charges will also be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

​Harassment and Bullying
​Harassment or bullying occurs when an individual is subjected to treatment that is hostile, demeaning, intimidating, or threatening, and communicated in person, in hard copy, or electronically, including on social media. A determination that a student has engaged in harassment or bullying does not require that the conduct meets applicable legal standards. Examples of harassing or bullying conduct, which can occur once or habitually, include:

• Derogatory, demeaning, humiliating, inflammatory, intimidating, or threatening words spoken to, written to, or written about another person

• Unwanted physical touching, contact, or assault

• Deliberate impeding or blocking of another's movement

• Intimidating interference with normal work or movement 

• D​erogatory, demeaning, inflammatory, intimidating, or threatening​ gestures, posters, cartoons, drawings, images, and photos

• Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature

Bullying typically consists of direct behaviors, such as teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, shoving, and stealing that are initiated by one or more students against a victim or victims. In addition to direct attacks, bullying may also be indirect, such as spreading rumors that cause victims to be socially isolated through intentional exclusion.

Cyberbullying​ or cyber harassment occurs when students bully or harass each other using electronic devices. This can include but is not limited to:

• Sending inappropriate texts, emails, or instant messages

• Posting inappropriate pictures, videos, or messages about others on blogs, social media, or websites 

• Using someone else's username to spread rumors or lies about another person 

Read about cyberbullying on StopBullying.gov.

Hazing
Hazing is any method of initiation or pre-initiation into a student organization or body, whether or not the organization or body is officially recognized by an educational institution, which is likely to cause serious bodily injury or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm to any student or other person. All hazing is prohibited.​