A recent incident among students at Trimble Middle School caused a routine district policy review to be timelier than expected.
An alleged sexual harassment incident between one male student and a group of female students led to the review of the district's sexual harassment policy.
Following the incident, parents wanted to know how it was going to be handled, and revising board policy will help administrators know how to deal with future incidents if they occur, said Darrell Dugan, middle school principal.
Policy review is a routine procedure for boards across the state, Superintendent Jack Loudin said during Monday's board meeting. A draft of board policies has been sent out and will be ready in about six weeks.
Every few years it's customary for school boards to review and revise policy
Loudin said. In between revisions there are cases that come up and problems other school districts have had and those are taken into consideration.
In addition to policy review, the board reviews procedure, which is usually developed once the policy is in place.
Although no one was able comment on the actual incident because it involved minors, Dugan said it is time to review the board's policy and procedures concerning sexual harassment.
When things happen you find out what you're not prepared for he said. So you go back and you adjust what needs adjusted.
School officials responded to the incident by educating students on what is and is not considered to be sexual harassment, said Linda Craddock school counselor of Trimble Elementary and Middle schools. Many students were unaware that sexual harassment could be female-to-female or male-to-male harassment, she said.
Most were under the impression that sexual harassment only occurs between members of the opposite sex, which is one reason Craddock said the policy needs clarification.
Craddock also taught students how to respond to a possible sexual harassment incident. Students were instructed to say no forcefully, walk away and tell the nearest adult. The next step is to alert Craddock or another school administrator.
Educating students on how to relate with one another is an important task teachers and administrators face on a daily basis, Dugan said.
(Educators) spend a lot of time teaching kids how to get along with other kids he said. That's what you spend a lot of time doing - sorting out problems between kids.
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