Student Hazing 

Student Hazing 

Hazing activities of any type are inconsistent with and disruptive to the educational process, and prohibited at any time in school facilities, on school property, and/or off school property if the misconduct is connected to or associated with Board-sponsored activities (e.g., extracurricular teams, clubs, or groups) or incidents that have occurred on school property. No administrator, employee, faculty member, teacher, consultant, alumnus, or volunteer of the District shall encourage, permit, authorize, condone, or tolerate any hazing activities. The preceding prohibition includes recklessly permitting the hazing of any person associated with the District.  Additionally, no student shall plan, encourage, or engage in any hazing.

Hazing is defined as doing any act or coercing another, including the victim, to do any act of initiation into any class, team, or organization or any act to continue or reinstate membership in or affiliation with any class, team, or organization that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing mental or physical harm to any person, including coercing another to consume alcohol or a drug of abuse. No person shall recklessly participate in the hazing of another.  Permission, consent, or assumption of risk by an individual subjected to hazing shall not lessen the prohibitions contained in this policy.

Administrators, employees, faculty members, and teachers, of the District shall be alerted to possible situations, circumstances, or events that might include hazing. If hazing or planned hazing is discovered, the students involved shall be informed by the discoverer of the prohibitions contained in this policy and shall be ordered to end all hazing activities or planned activities immediately. All hazing incidents shall be reported immediately to the Superintendent.  Additionally, no administrator, employee, faculty member, teacher, consultant, alumnus, or volunteer of the District who is acting in an official and professional capacity shall recklessly fail to immediately report the knowledge of hazing to a law enforcement agency in the county in which the victim of hazing resides or in which the hazing is occurring or has occurred.  Students, administrators, employees, faculty members, and teachers who fail to abide by this policy may be subject to disciplinary action and may be held personally liable for civil and criminal penalties in accordance with law.  Likewise, consultants, alumni, and volunteers associated with the District who fail to abide by this policy may be prohibited from continuing their involvement and/or participation in activities associated with the District and may be held personally liable for civil and criminal penalties in accordance with law.

The Superintendent shall distribute this policy to all students, Board employees, consultants, and volunteers, and shall incorporate it into building, staff, and student handbooks. It shall also be posted on the District’s website.  This policy shall be the subject of discussion at employee staff meetings or in-service programs.

Board employees, shall not intentionally remain ignorant of hazing or potential hazing activities.