1. GENERAL STATEMENT Regent Christian Online Academy recognizes the dignity and worth of every person as being created in the image of God and to that end wishes to provide a workplace and a learning environment free of harassment. RCOA is committed to maintaining a learning and working environment which is positive and respectful of every individual. The Board, employees, students, and other members within the school community, all have an obligation to promote, monitor and maintain a harassment-free learning and working environment.
The school administration is responsible for ensuring that anti-harassment education is provided to its students and staff. Harassment in the learning environment is not acceptable and any student who violates this policy may be subject to remedial or disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from school. Any employee who violates or does not enforce this policy may also be subject to remedial or disciplinary action, up to and including termination. All staff, volunteers, and students of this school are expected to conduct themselves with respect and dignity, demonstrating the worth of others as children of God.
Harassment occurs, regardless of intent, when a student harasses another student or adult, or when an adult harasses a student or an adult harasses and adult. Some examples of harassment include bullying, taunting, persistent teasing, or leering, shunning, repeated jokes or innuendoes, false accusations, verbal or physical abuse (which may also need to be reported to the Ministry of Children and Families), and stalking.
Harassment is defined as including:
Personal Harassment is repeated, unwelcome, offensive conduct or comments, directed towards a specific person, or persons, and has that effect of creating an intimidating, humiliating, or offensive learning environment.
Sexual Harassment is defined as repeated, unwelcome sexual advances, comments, looks, suggestions, audio and visual material of a sexual nature, requests for sexual favours and other verbal or physical conduct emphasizing sexuality, or sexual identity which such conduct interferes with a student’s school performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, and offensive learning environment.
Discriminatory Harassment is defined as discrimination contrary to the BC Human Rights Code and includes discriminatory acts against a student with respect to the learning environment or any educational program or service provided to the student because of race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental ability, or sex. Any student who is subjected to harassment as defined in this policy, shall have the right to file a complaint in accordance with the procedures as set out in the regulations to this policy. No student shall by subject to retaliation for making a complaint of harassment against another student, volunteer, director, or employee. The right to confidentiality, both of the complainant and the respondent, will be respected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, S. B.C.
2. EDUCATION
- The school administration shall ensure that all students, employees, volunteers, and parents at the school are informed of the student harassment policy and procedures.
- The school administration shall ensure that the school has educational activities to create awareness, understanding and prevention of harassment in the learning environment.
- These opportunities will include Health and Careers CaPP 8&9, and especially Planning 10!
> STUDENTS WILL BE TAUGHT
If you are harassed:
- Don’t ignore harassment
- Don’t feel guilty
- Tell the harasser when conduct in inappropriate and unwanted and tell them to stop
- Approach a counsellor, teacher, administrator, parent or trusted adult for advice, support and strategies to stop the harassment.
If you witness harassment:
- Refuse to join in
- Support the student being harassed
- Approach a counsellor, teacher, administrator, parent or trusted adult for advice, support and strategies to stop the harassment
- Encourage the student being harassed to inform a teacher, counsellor or administrator about the incident
- Students will be encouraged to document the facts of their concerns in writing.
3. GENERAL REGULATIONS
- These processes shall vary according to the age and characteristics of the students involved.
- Harassment complaints may be resolved through informal discussion, counselling or confidential mediation.
- This school is committed to resolving any reported complaint or incident through a process of reconciliation that maximizes the potential for healing, restoration and, hopefully, continuation of the working relationship.
4. RESOLUTION PROCESS
When a staff member receives a complaint from a student:
- Gather the facts of the alleged incident – when, where, who, what.
- Determine which steps the student has taken to resolve his/her concern.
- The staff member will assist the student to reach a resolution.
- Parents will be informed of the complaint (at the secondary level, this will be determined in consultation with the student).
However, if:
- The harassment continues, or
- The staff member determines that the complaint is of a serious nature, or
- The student decides to seek further assistance,
a formal resolution may be pursed by the following under the process under “ Written Complaint”.
Written Complaint Process
- Complete a written complaint form (seek assistance if needed)
- Complaint forms will be submitted to the school administration.
- Upon receipt of the complaint form, the administrator will conduct a full investigation into the allegation.
- The administrator will meet with the complainant, and contact the parents of the parties involved to inform them of the complaint and the process of investigation.
- All information provided to the administrator shall be kept in confidence by the individuals involved in the investigation.
- Where the administration deems appropriate, he/she may prepare and submit a report for the school board with copies to both parties. Where the complaint is serious and of merit, the administration will submit such a report to the school board. The report should include a summary of the discussions to date and any recommendations as to the appropriate action to take.
- Upon receiving a report from the administration, the school board may investigate the complaint. The individual investigating the complaint on behalf of the board will advise the complainant and the alleged perpetrator that an investigation has begun.
- Following completion of the investigation, the individual who conducted the investigation will report the findings to the school board and will recommend the appropriate action to be taken. The school board will then decide on the appropriate action to be taken, if applicable, and will ensure that it is carried out.
- Where an investigation results in a finding of harassment, the administrator, after consultation with the parent and student, shall determine an appropriate response, which may include remedial and/or disciplinary action.
The purpose of remedial action is to prevent further harassment and provide the harasser with an understanding of the impact of his/her conduct on the victim.
The purpose of the disciplinary action is to provide consequences for continuing and/or serious complaints of harassment. Whenever possible, such disciplinary action will be used in conjunction with remedial action.
10. Where the investigation discloses that no harassment has occurred and that the complainant acted in a bad faith, the administrator may impose appropriate discipline.
Child Abuse, and the observation of the same, by a teacher or representative of the school, is certainly less visible in an online situation as with RCOA. Students are basically at home, mostly unobserved by the teacher.
However, there are two scenarios that must be addressed:
- One day per week school . Even though the class time is voluntary and only 24 time per year, our teachers must be vigilant to notice any signs that could be an indication of child abuse, either-physically or emotionally, and to report suspected instances to the proper authority.
- Online Abuse . In this case it is imperative that all online communication be monitored, whether it be teacher to student, or student to student. At RCOA all school communication is not only monitored, but saved, able to be retrieved for future references.
Anti-bullying teaching for students is almost unnecessary at RCOA, as the students rarely gather together, except for the one day per week school. Again, teachers must be vigilant and be prepared to support a created learning environment that is encouraging to every student. Working with the children involved, and their parents through the previous Resolution Processes will be of primary importance.
In conclusion then, it is recognized by RCOA that there does exist potential for predatory behaviour online. Abuse, bullying and harassment can exist and must be identified as totally unacceptable and linked with consequences. RCOA has posted this information of Policy on its website for all students, parents and teachers to be aware of. RCOA further believes that the teachers need to make a concerted effort to be vigilant to observe when students do get together, and to act in a professional manner in the dealing and reporting of the same. Teachers are encouraged only to visit homes when parents are present and to act in the highest professional manner when online at all times. Prevention is RCOA’s best policy in these regards, and the monitoring and the saving of communicative data is the best response.
