" Harassment , intimidation or bullying " means any gesture , any written , verbal or physical act , or any electronic communication , whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents , that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived characteristic , such as race , color , religion , ancestry , national origin , gender , sexual orientation , gender identity and expression , or a mental , physical or sensory disability , or by any other distinguishing characteristic , that takes place on school property , at any school-sponsored function , on a school bus , or off school grounds as provided for in section 6 of P . L . , c . ( C .) that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students and that : a . a reasonable person should know , under the circumstances , will have the effect of physically or emotionally harming a student or damaging the student ' s property , or placing a student in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm to his person or damage to his property ;
b . has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students c . or creates a hostile educational environment for the student
d . by interfering with a student ’ s education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student
I . A reasonable person should know , under the circumstances , that the act ( s ) will have the effect of harming a student or school personnel , or damaging the student ’ s or school personnel ’ s property , or placing a student or school personnel in reasonable fear of harm to his / her person or damage to his / her property ; or
II . Has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or school personnel , or group of students or school personnel , in such a way as to cause substantial disruption in , or substantial interference with , the orderly operation of the school .
The District prohibits active and passive support for harassment , intimidation or bullying . Students are encouraged to support other students who walk away from these acts when they see them , constructively attempt to stop them , and report these acts to the Building Principal or his / her designee . The District prohibits reprisal or retaliation against any person who reports an act of harassment , intimidation or bullying .
Students who believe they have been subject to harassment should promptly report the incident to any teacher , counselor , principal or assistant principal . All reports , whether oral or written , shall be forwarded promptly to the Affirmative Action Officer for review .
Please refer to Policy and Regulation 5512 Harassment , Intimidation and Bullying , which is available on the Board website , for further clarification .
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