It is important for these procedures to respect and advance the rights of all parties, including personal privacy interest and the protection of the reputation  of all concerned and involved parties. In order to ensure fair procedures to  protect these interests, all parties are encouraged to keep these matters confidential. All investigating individuals are charged with the responsibility to hold these matters in the strictest confidence, to the extent authorized by law, in order to guard against the unnecessary or inadvertent disclosure of information relating to any pending charges or investigations.

Students who believe they are the victims of harassment, or parents/guardians who believe their child is a victim of harassment, should immediately report their concerns to the principal, a guidance counselor, or a teacher. If an adult other than the principal receives the complaint, the adult shall forward the complaint to the principal/designee for review and action as necessary. If the principal is the subject of the complaint, the complaint should be forwarded to another designated administrator. The principal or other administrator will compose a written record of any verbal complaints.

Formal complaints will be taken seriously and will be subject to thorough review and immediate investigation by the receiving officer or designee. While time periods are established below for the completion of various actions, the principal shall provide prompt written notice to concerned parties of the  expected time period for completion of the required action when exceptional circumstances do not allow completion within the expected time period.

The following procedures will be used:

• If informal discussions do not result in the initiation of formal disciplinary procedures, the offending parties may be asked to explain their conduct or behavior to the reviewing officer at the request of the complainant.
• Complaints may be made either verbally or in writing to the principal/designee.  The complaint should include a specific statement of the alleged behavior, including (if possible) additional background details such as time, date, location and circumstance of each alleged incident.
• The principal/designee shall make an initial determination of the complaint which shall include investigating the complaint, notifying the person who has been accused of harassment; permitting a response to the allegation; arranging a meeting; and responding to the complaint. Since the District takes these complaints seriously, they will be subject to immediate review and investigation. The District Administrator will be called immediately when a complaint has been filed. Every effort will be made to complete this initial review within fifteen (15) calendar days. The principal/designee shall give a written report to the complainant after the completion of the initial review.
• If any party is not satisfied with the report of the principal/designee, a written appeal may be submitted to the District Administrator/   designee indicating the nature of the disagreement. The appeal must be filed within twenty (20) calendar days after receipt of the principal’s/designee’s decision. The District  Administrator/designee shall schedule a meeting of all parties to the complaint to review the issues presented in the appeal.
• The District Administrator/designee shall provide written response outlining the findings and disposition of the appeal within ten (10) calendar days of the date the appeal is filed or ten (10) calendar days  after the meeting, whichever is later.
• If either party is not satisfied with the decision on the appeal, the party may file a request for formal review by the Board of Education. The appeal must be filed within ten (10) calendar days of the receipt of the prior decision. The Board shall conduct a hearing within thirty (30) calendar days of the request for formal review of the prior decision.
• If either party is not satisfied with the decision of the Board, the party may pursue further review by filing a request with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction within thirty (30) days of the  Board’s decision in accordance with state law and regulations.

Nothing in these procedures shall preclude persons from pursuing other avenues afforded by law to deal with a student harassment complaint in addition to or in lieu of these procedures.