Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District makes extensive revisions to existing policies on nondiscrimination, sexual harassment

Extensive revisions to two important school policies – one dealing with nondiscrimination and harassment and the other addressing sexual harassment of students – were approved on 5-0 votes by Placentia-Yorba Linda school district trustees at their March meeting.

Updates to the “nondiscrimination and harassment” policy are part of a fifth revision of a policy that was first adopted in 1975. Nine paragraphs of new language were added to a 2012 revise.

Executive Services Director Richard McAlindin told trustees the policy outlines a “commitment to providing a safe school environment that allows all students equal access and opportunities in...academic, extracurricular and other educational support programs, services and activities.”

And the revision updates lawfully protected classes, with new wording that adds “sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or gender expression or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics” to policy provisions.

Previously existing language and other new wording also lists actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, nationality, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, mental or physical disability and sex as among the protected categories.

Revisions also extend protection against unlawful discrimination, including harassment, intimidation and bullying, which occurs “off campus or outside of school-related or school-sponsored activities which may have an impact or create a hostile environment at school.”

Disciplinary action ranges to suspension or expulsion for students when offending behavior is “severe or pervasive” and “up to and including dismissal” for employees who violate the policy.

Revisions to the “sexual harassment of students” policy are the first since the document was adopted in 1993, and include new wording more than doubling the count in the original policy.

One new provision extends the policy's reach: “any student who feels that he/she has been sexually harassed off-campus and is concerned about or reports an impact on campus or school-related activity, even if the off-campus misconduct did not occur in the context of a school-related activity, should immediately report the incident....”

In these cases, district officials will determine “whether there is a hostile environment at school or in an off-campus school program or activity.” Disciplinary action for grade 4-12 students will range to suspension or expulsion, with employee penalties extending to dismissal.

Also new to policy language is the district's pledge to promptly investigate every complaint of sexual harassment, “even if the complainant requests that nothing be done or is anonymous.”

Both policies require the district to maintain a record of all reported cases “to enable the district to monitor, address and prevent” repetition of prohibited behaviors.