At 羞羞视频, the safety of our students is our top priority, and 羞羞视频 strives to create an environment where every student is given the opportunities and supports that they need to thrive. As a part of these commitments, 羞羞视频 works to create a learning environment that supports the whole child by building capacity and systems for prevention and instituting systems for timely response and support when an incident occurs.
Safety-Related Policies
羞羞视频 has created district policy to help support the safety of our students, including policies on anti-discrimination, preventing and addressing student-on-student sexual harassment, preventing student sexual abuse by staff, sexual assault, bullying and dating violence. These policies are available at dcps.dc.gov/page/dcps-policies.
Student Safety Task Force
In order to engage families around the implementation of sexual misconduct policies and protocols, as well as student sexual health curricula, 羞羞视频 has established a citywide task force. For more information, see the Student Safety Task Force overview.
Lessons on Sexual Safety
DC law requires public schools in the District to provide age- and developmentally-appropriate, evidence-based lessons on recognizing and reporting sexual misconduct and child abuse; setting and respecting appropriate personal and body boundaries and privacy rules; communicating with adults about concerns regarding body boundaries or privacy violations; the meaning of consent; developing and maintaining healthy relationships; and other appropriate topics to support the healthy development of students. As these lessons are required under the law, students cannot opt out of this content when it is being taught.
羞羞视频 currently uses the to help provide these lessons on rights, respect, and responsibilities in a developmentally appropriate manner for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Students will also be made more aware of the support structures and grievance procedures through which they can report incidents that may involve inappropriate conduct. For additional information on 羞羞视频’ sexual safety lessons and sexual health curriculum, please see this overview.
Staff Clearances
All 羞羞视频 employees pass a robust clearance process including fingerprinting and an FBI background check prior to receiving an offer letter and reporting to work. 羞羞视频 employees are then required to renew their clearance every two years per .
A review of the clearance status of all 羞羞视频 employees and partners in summer 2019 found that 羞羞视频 staff members and 羞羞视频 partners are not consistently in compliance with our clearance requirements. To remedy this situation, 羞羞视频 directed additional financial and personnel resources to fingerprint and complete background checks on all employees with expired clearances as soon as possible. In this work, 羞羞视频 prioritized clearances for staff who work most directly with our students for the start of the school year and are setting clear goals for 100 percent compliance.
Download an overview of the SY19-20 Prioritizing Student Safety Systems Improvement work plan.
School Program Providers
A School Program Provider as an organization that offers a program directly to 羞羞视频 schools and/or students; requires collaboration directly with 羞羞视频 schools; and works with students or schools three or more times per year. All School Program Providers must be vetted and approved by Central Office every three years. School Program Providers also enter a , which includes a requirement for all program staff and volunteers to be cleared through the 羞羞视频 clearance process.
Any complaints about a School Program Provider should be directed to your school principal. Inquires can also be sent to the School Partnerships Team at [email protected].
Incident Response
Even with strong leadership and purposeful planning, every system or organization experiences incidents in which a human or structural failure results in an event which causes loss or harm to one or more individuals. In the case that these incidents occur, it is important to have a structured approach to reviewing the incident so that remedies can be identified to repair the harm and leadership can leverage the lessons learned in order to strengthen the system and mitigate future risks. 羞羞视频 incident response guidelines support a robust risk assessment and incident response process that helps 羞羞视频 meet these goals. All partner organizations are required to report incidents to their school-based and Central Services-based contacts.
Responding to Incidents of Hate and Bias
No matter the intent, report the incident.
羞羞视频 does not tolerate incidents of hate or bias among or towards students, staff or the community. For additional details on responding to incidents of hate and bias in 羞羞视频, review the 羞羞视频 protocol for responding to incidents of hate and bias and watch this . This video must be accessed using a 羞羞视频 staff email account.
What is a bias incident? A bias incident consists of conduct, speech or expression motivated, in whole or in part, by bias or prejudice. (Source: )
What is a hate crime? A hate crime is a crime (vandalism, physical assault, arson, etc.) motivated, in whole or in part, by bias, and the targeted individual or group must be . If you suspect a hate crime, please . (Source: )
What should I do if I experience, witness or hear about an incident of hate or bias within my school community or team – either virtually or in-person? No matter the intent, report the incident. You should report the incident to your principal if it is school-based or to your supervisor if it is Central Office-based.
You can also report the incident directly to the Comprehensive Alternative Resolution & Equity (CARE) Team if it involves a student or the Office of Labor Management & Employee Relations (LMER) if it involves a staff member.
Resources for Families and Educators
Questions?
- For general, school, or student-specific inquiries and concerns from parents, students, school staff, and community stakeholders, please contact the 羞羞视频 Office of Integrity.
- For claims of discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, or any unfair treatment, please review 羞羞视频' grievance process.
- For additional resources for school program providers, please visit 羞羞视频 partner resources.