Parent Guide to Harassment, Intimidation & Bullying

What is Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying?

We abbreviate Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying as "HIB." HIB is a form of victimization that intentionally harms a student or their property and seriously interferes with attendance, grades, learning or participation in school activities. It is almost always one-sided and focused on hurting or humiliating someone. HIB can be committed by a single person or a group of people.

How Do I Report HIB?

How Do I Report HIB?

Guardian is our HIB Reporting tool

Using Guardian to report bullying is quick and easy! Review the steps below. When you're ready to make a report, just click on the blue "Report Bullying Now" button at the end of this tutorial:

Step 1

Fill out the form to the best of your ability. Fields with a red asterisk are required. You may choose to identify yourself or remain anonymous. Keep in mind that we generally cannot take disciplinary action based on an anonymous report; however, we will monitor the environment to prevent further bullying.

Step 2

Select "Incident Report" under the "Report Type" field.

Step 3

Choose the type of incident or concerns that you are reporting. Check all that apply.

Step 4

In your own words, tell us what happened. Please use full student names if you know them. The more detail you provide, the better we will be able to assign your concern to the appropriate people.

Step 5

Add the involved parties and their role in your concern. A Complainant is the victim of HIB. A Respondent is the aggressor of HIB. Witnesses are additional parties who saw what happened.

Step 6

Drag and drop any supporting documentation that backs-up your concern. For example, if a student wrote a threatening text message, you can screen-shot it and include it in your report.

Step 7

Click the CAPTCHA box and then press "Submit Report." You should hear from a building leader within two days. Our top priority is keeping your kids safe!

Report Bullying Now

I Reported HIB - What Happens Next?

First, your school leaders must decide if what has been reported is HIB or peer conflict. They ask, “If this report is true, does it meet the State definitions for harassment, intimidation or bullying?” The State Legislature and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction have provided us with these definitions to determine if HIB has occurred:

Sometimes HIB Involves More than Bullying

Bullying

Bullying is any unwanted negative action that is:

Done on purpose, and
Has happened before, or is likely to happen again without adult intervention, and
Shows a lack of empathy toward the victim, and
Demonstrates an actual or perceived social, physical or cognitive power imbalance.

Researchers have identified a number of factors that relate to power imbalances, including differences in: intelligence, attractiveness, age, strength, size, popularity, socioeconomic background, and whether or not the aggressor is with a group of students.

Harassment

Harassment is any malicious act that causes harm to a person's physical or mental well-being. Harassment may become a Title IX or Civil Rights violation when the harassing action has a sexual or discriminatory component.

Sexual Harassment

Harassment becomes Sexual Harassment when it includes any unwelcome sexual conduct or communication of a sexual nature.

Sexual Harassment is investigated as a potential Title IX violation if the unwanted conduct involves any form of "this for that" behavior from a person of authority, or if it unreasonably interferes with a student's academic performance, or if it creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive school environment.

Often, sexual harassment includes electronic communication, called "sexting," which is a violation of Policy 3245. The School Board has prescribed a very specific and separate response for "sexting" violations.

Discriminatory Harassment

Harassment becomes Discriminatory Harassment when it's based on a person's actual or perceived disability, membership in a protected class, or gender expression. A victim does not actually need to possess any of the qualities they are being harassed about.

Discriminatory Harassment does not always have to include intent to harm, be directed at a specific target, or involve repeated incidents..

Discriminatory Harassment is investigated as a civil rights violation when it is serious enough to create, or happens within the context of, a hostile learning environment.

Intimidation

Usually, the daily conflict we see between peers doesn’t meet the state definitions for HIB. Reports of HIB that don't meet these definitions are considered “peer conflict” and we turn to our District Handbook and discipline policy for guidance.

Peer conflict happens in everyday life and can look like anything from a disagreement to an argument or even a physical fight. Peer conflict is typically mutual and spontaneous rather than being one-sided or ongoing. Your school leaders will consider factors like a student’s age, developmental abilities, and intentions before deciding on the right course of action for HIB or Peer Conflict.

What Happens if it is HIB?

Whether your child is the victim or the aggressor, a school leader will notify you within two days if they’re going to proceed with a HIB investigation. They’ll provide you with our HIB Policy and Procedure, and will ask you if your child needs any temporary supportive measures put in place while they are investigating.

Depending on the severity of the harassment, intimidation or bullying, your school leaders may also take emergency disciplinary action, including in- or out-of-school suspension, to keep everybody safe during the investigation; however, students alleged to be bullies have rights that prevent us from taking final action until after the HIB investigation is finished.

In the event that an occurrence of HIB appears to be a crime, school district officials may report the incident to law enforcement.

What Happens During an Investigation?

Your school leaders will review all available evidence, including security footage if it is available, to determine if the report of HIB is true. They’ll also separately interview involved students, witnesses and teachers who may have seen the HIB when it happened.

Your school leaders may find out that sexual harassment or discriminatory harassment occurred. If so, they’ll pause their investigation to get guidance from our Title IX (Sexual Harassment) or Civil Rights (Discriminatory Harassment) Coordinator. Sometimes, the Title IX or Civil Rights Coordinator may directly reach out to you before we resume the HIB investigation.

When the investigation has finished your school leaders will send you a Notification Letter about their findings. If your child was the victim, the letter will include the supportive measures being put in place to prevent this from happening again. If your child committed the bullying behavior, your letter will include a description of supportive and disciplinary measures that will happen to keep everybody safe.

What If I Disagree With the Findings?

What If I Disagree With the Findings?

Whether your child is a victim of bullying or alleged to have been the bully, you have a right to appeal.

The Victim (also known as the Complainant)

The Complainant may appeal the findings of the HIB investigation. Findings include: founded, in which the facts of the complaint are determined to be true; unfounded, in which the facts of the complaint are determined to be untrue; or, undetermined, in which the facts of the case could not be substantiated as true or false.

The Agressor (Also known as the Respondent)

The Respondent may only appeal the disciplinary or corrective action assigned to the student. Findings of the case are not appealable once investigators have completed their investigation.

Appeal Level 1

Appeals must be submitted to the Superintendent's Office in writing within five (5) days of receiving the Notification Letter. Make sure to include details that may have been missed or overlooked during the original investigation. The assigned Appeals Officer will review all collected evidence and may reach out to you for more information. You'll receive a written decision from the Appeals Officer within five (5) days.

Appeal Level 2

If you're not satisfied with the outcome of your Level 1 appeal, you may file a second appeal in writing directly to the School Board of Directors within ten (10) days of receiving the written decision from our Appeals Officer. Again, be sure to include the details you want the School Board to consider. Expect to hear back from the Board with a final decision in five (5) days.

Submitting a Level 1 or 2 Appeal

You may submit your written appeal via email to Holly Kahler in the Superintendent's Office. Please put "HIB Appeal for Case # ----" in the subject line. Your case number will be found in the subject line of your Notification Letter.

What are the Consequences for Bullying Behavior?

Although this is often very frustrating for parents, our school district is not allowed to talk with you about another student’s supports or discipline. This is because the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects that student’s information from being revealed to you, or information about your child from being revealed to someone else without your permission.

While we can't share exactly what is being done with another child, we can share the of range of supports and disciplinary options we use to keep kids safe.

Please note: While classroom changes are the most requested form of protection and discipline, this strategy is reserved for only the most severe incidents.

Preventative Measures

Adult presence is our most powerful preventative measure for harassment, intimidation and bullying. We position staff and volunteers on our playgrounds and in hallways, cafeterias, bus loading and unloading zones, and other high traffic areas to reduce conflict and bullying. We also teach a highly effective bullying prevention strategy to all of our staff called Positive Greeting at the Door.

In addition to presence, our District has adopted world-class curriculum specifically designed to reduce bullying and violence. Classroom strategies like the PAX Good Behavior Game, Second Step and Botvin’s LifeSkills Training Program focus on building lifelong skills proven to reduce bullying and violence, such as emotional recognition, self-control, awareness of others, building positive relationships and responsible decision making.

Supportive Measures

"Supportive measures" really mean strategies that help a student to feel safe and protected. School Leaders will work closely with you to identify approaches that work for your child and circumstances. Common strategies include:

Increased adult monitoring in areas where HIB occurred.
Creating a personal Safety Plan.
Regular check-ins with school leaders, School Counselors, Student Support Advocates and other caring staff.
Walking with friends to certain classes or modifying the alleged bully's walking route to class.
A signed "No Interaction" or "Anti-Harassment" Agreement in which both student's agree to leave one another alone. If an agreement is violated, it usually results in additional consequences for the bullying student.
Teaching critical conflict resolution and self-management skills
Working with parents to develop in-school and at-home strategies
Student mediation with School Counselors or other school leaders. Sometimes this mediation and repair occur in "Restorative Circles," when both the victim and aggressor independently agree to this. Usually restorative circles help students with on and off-again friendships.

Disciplinary Measures

As educators, our primary goal is to teach children. We use discipline in two ways: 1) to keep students safe in serious situations; and, 2) to prevent bullying from happening again. As all young people have a constitutional right to education in Washington State, school leaders must balance demands for maximum punishment with student rights under the law; however, your child's safety is always our top priority.

Discipline can take many shapes depending on the history and severity of the bullying. Common forms of discipline include:

In-school suspension
Out-of-school suspension
Signed "No Contact" and "Anti-Harassment" agreements
Teaching critical conflict resolution and self-management skills
Writing assignments that focus on empathy or apology
Working with an aggressor's parents to develop in-school and at-home strategies
Student mediation with School Counselors or other school leaders. Sometimes this mediation and repair occur in "Restorative Circles," when both the victim and aggressor independently agree to this. Usually restorative circles help students with on and off-again friendships.

In the most severe cases of bullying, when it appears no other option is available to keep a victim safe, school leaders will consider class reassignment and other options.

Who Do I Contact if I Have Questions?

For school or student-specific questions, it is recommended that you reach out to your building leader. School contact information can be found here.

If you have general questions related to district-wide HIB prevention and response procedures, please reach out to:
Joe Neigel, Director of Prevention Services/HIB Compliance Officer.
neigelj@monroe.wednet.edu
(360) 804-2594

If you have questions about discriminatory harassment, please reach out to:
Cassandra Bunney, Director of Human Resources/Title IX Coordinator
bunneyc@monroe.wednet.edu
(360) 804-2532

Dan Johnston, Executive Director of Human Resoures//Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator
johnstond@monroe.wednet.edu
(360) 804-2539

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