VII. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
If there is a conflict of interest with respect to any party affected by
this policy, appropriate accommodations will be made, such as, but
not limited to, appointing or contracting with a neutral third-party
investigator to conduct the investigation, or recusing from the
process the person for whom a conflict or potential conflict of
interest exists.
VIII. RIGHT TO ALTERNATIVE COMPLAINT PROCEDURES
These procedures do not deny the right of any individual to pursue
other avenues of recourse which may include filing charges with
the agencies identified below, or initiating an action in state or
federal court.
Minnesota Department of Human Rights
Freeman Building
625 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55155
toll free: 800.657.3704
tty: 651-296-1283
fax: 651-296-9042
www.humanrights.state.mn.us
U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights, Region V
500 W. Madison Street - Suite 1475
Chicago IL 60661
Tel: 312-730-1560
TDD: 312-730-1609
IX. MONITORING OF INCIDENTS
The Title IX/Equity Coordinator will monitor the frequency, nature,
and severity of harassment, and the district’s response to harass-
ment incidents over time, in order to address the effectiveness of
the district’s prevention efforts and compliance with this policy.
X. DISSEMINATION OF THE POLICY
1. Each school will ensure that this policy is discussed at the
start of each school year with all staff and with each student
in a manner appropriate to his/her age and level of under-
standing and the principal or a designee will document the
date it was discussed in each classroom.
2. This policy, including possible consequences for a violation,
will be in the student handbook of every school.
3. This policy will be conspicuously posted throughout each
school and other District buildings in areas accessible to
students and staff. Posters will be made available to each
school for duplication.
4. This policy will be sent to every home by mail at the start of
each school year as part of the district publication, Back to
School News. If a newsletter is sent to the homes of students,
a summary of this policy/procedure will be included in that
newsletter at least once each year.
5. This policy shall be given to each district employee and
independent contractor at the time of entering into the
person’s employment contract.
XI. REVIEW OF THE POLICY
This policy will be reviewed by the Board or its designee on an an-
nual basis for effectiveness and appropriateness and, if necessary,
will be revised to conform with applicable state and federal law.
2019-20 School Handbook
ahschools.us/policies
Policy in Practice:
The Language of Harassment
The district is committed to creating an inclusive and positive
climate in all of our schools so all students feel comfortable, safe
and ready to learn. The language of harassment has no place in
our schools.
The language of harassment is addressed in section III B,
paragraph six of the Anoka-Hennepin School District discipline
policy. It is language that creates a hostile, offensive or intimidat-
ing school environment.
It is communication of any kind (words, writing, symbols) that
is intended to or has the effect of hurting, demeaning,
degrading, abusing, insulting and/or intimidating another
person or groups of people, related to a person’s race, color,
creed, religion, national origin, sex/gender, marital status,
disability, status with regard to public assistance, sexual
orientation, age, family care leave status, or veteran status.
Such communication, even a single incident, may constitute
a violation of the law.
Some examples of different kinds of harassment in schools are:
Race, Color, Religion or National Origin Harassment
• Students anonymously insert offensive notes into African-
American students’ lockers and notebooks, use racial slurs,
and threaten African-American students who try to sit near
them in the cafeteria.
• A student posts on a Facebook page “the Mexicans in our
school should all go home.” The next day a loud argument
involving two students discussing “racist Facebook posts”
occurs in the hallway at school.
Sexual Harassment
• Shortly after enrolling at a new high school, a female
student has a brief romance with another student. After the
couple break ups, other male and female students begin
routinely calling the new student sexually-charged names,
spreading rumors about her sexual behavior, and sending
her threatening text messages and e-mails.
Sexual Orientation/Gender-Based Harassment
• Over the course of a school year, a high school student is
called names (including anti-gay slurs and sexual com-
ments) both to his face and on social networking sites. He
is threatened and ridiculed at school because he does not
conform to stereotypical notions of how teenage boys are
expected to act and appear (e.g., effeminate mannerisms,
nontraditional choice of extracurricular activities, apparel,
and personal grooming choices).
Disability Harassment
• Several classmates repeatedly call a student with a
learning disability “retard” while in school and on the
school bus.
Harassment is banned not just at school during school hours, but
also before or after school hours on all school property, including
the school bus, school functions, or school events held at other
locations. The policy also applies to any off-campus conduct
that causes or threatens to cause a substantial and material
disruption at school, or interferes with the rights of students or
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