• Guide to Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) Incident Reporting

    We abbreviate Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying as "HIB." HIB is a form of victimization that intentionally harms a student or their property and seriously interferes with attendance, grades, learning or participation in school activities. It is almost always one-sided and focused on hurting or humiliating someone. HIB can be committed by a single person or a group of people. 


    Everett Public Schools maintains a safe, respectful and secure learning environment for all students that is free from harassment, intimidation and bullying. Everett Public Schools core values include our commitment to value differences among people and treat one another respectfully. In accordance with Washington state     RCW 28A.300.285, harassment, intimidation and bullying of students by other students, by staff members, by volunteers, by parents or by guardians is prohibited.

    Everett Public Schools will abide by district policy 3204 and procedure 3204P.

    How Do I Report HIB?  Vector

    If a student has experienced harassment, intimidation or bullying, it should be reported to school counselors, school teachers or administrators by the targeted student, his/her friends, family, and/or witnesses. School administrators will intervene.

    • To report unresolved, severe or persistent harassment, you can:
    • Contact the administrator at the targeted student's school.
    • Contact Dani Mundell, the district Compliance Officer.

    This site is not monitored after hours. If this is an emergency, please call 911.    

    I Reported HIB- What Happens Next?

    First, your school leaders must decide if what has been reported is HIB or peer conflict. They ask, “If this report is true, does it meet the State definitions for harassment, intimidation or bullying?” The State Legislature and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction have provided us with these definitions to determine if HIB has occurred:

     

    Sometimes HIB Involves More than Bullying

    Bullying                                                                    

    Bullying is any unwanted negative action that is:

    • Done on purpose, and
    • Has happened before, or is likely to happen again without adult intervention, and
    • Shows a lack of empathy toward the victim, and
    • Demonstrates an actual or perceived social, physical or cognitive power imbalance.

    Researchers have identified a number of factors that relate to power imbalances, including differences in: intelligence, attractiveness, age, strength, size, popularity, socioeconomic background, and whether or not the aggressor is with a group of students.

    Harassment                                                                

    Harassment is any malicious act that causes harm to a person's physical or mental well-being. Harassment may become a Title IX or Civil Rights violation when the harassing action has a sexual or discriminatory component.

     

    Sexual Harassment

    Harassment becomes Sexual Harassment when it includes any unwelcome sexual conduct or communication of a sexual nature.

     

    Sexual Harassment is investigated as a potential Title IX violation if the unwanted conduct involves any form of "this for that" behavior from a person of authority, or if it unreasonably interferes with a student's academic performance, or if it creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive school environment.

     

    Often, sexual harassment includes electronic communication, called "sexting," which is a violation of Policy 3245. The School Board has prescribed a very specific and separate response for "sexting" violations. 

     

    Discriminatory Harassment

    Harassment becomes Discriminatory Harassment when it's based on a person's actual or perceived disability, membership in a protected class, or gender expression. A victim does not actually need to possess any of the qualities they are being harassed about.

     

    Discriminatory Harassment does not always have to include intent to harm, be directed at a specific target, or involve repeated incidents..

     

    Discriminatory Harassment is investigated as a civil rights violation when it is serious enough to create, or happens within the context of, a hostile learning environment.

     


    Intimidation                                                              

    Intimidation is any implied or overt threat of violence directed toward another student.

    Usually, the daily conflict we see between peers doesn’t meet the state definitions for HIB. Reports of HIB that don't meet these definitions are considered “peer conflict” and we turn to our District Handbook and discipline policy for guidance.

     

    Peer conflict happens in everyday life and can look like anything from a disagreement to an argument or even a physical fight. Peer conflict is typically mutual and spontaneous rather than being one-sided or ongoing. Your school leaders will consider factors like a student’s age, developmental abilities, and intentions before deciding on the right course of action for HIB or Peer Conflict.

     

    What Happens if it is HIB?

    Whether your child is the victim or the aggressor, a school leader will notify you within two days if they’re going to proceed with a HIB investigation. They’ll provide you with our HIB district policy 3204  and procedure 3204P. and will ask you if your child needs any temporary supportive measures put in place while they are investigating.

    Depending on the severity of the harassment, intimidation or bullying, your school leaders may also take emergency disciplinary action, including in- or out-of-school suspension, to keep everybody safe during the investigation; however, students alleged to be bullies have rights that prevent us from taking final action until after the HIB investigation is finished.

    In the event that an occurrence of HIB appears to be a crime, school district officials may report the incident to law enforcement.

     

    What Happens During an Investigation?

    Your school leaders will review all available evidence, including security footage if it is available, to determine if the report of HIB is true. They’ll also separately interview involved students, witnesses and teachers who may have seen the HIB when it happened.

     

    Your school leaders may find out that sexual harassment or discriminatory harassment occurred. If so, they’ll pause their investigation to get guidance from our Title IX (Sexual Harassment) or Civil Rights (Discriminatory Harassment) Coordinator. Sometimes, the Title IX or Civil Rights Coordinator may directly reach out to you before we resume the HIB investigation.

     

    When the investigation has finished your school leaders will send you a Notification Letter about their findings. If your child was the victim, the letter will include the supportive measures being put in place to prevent this from happening again. If your child committed the bullying behavior, your letter will include a description of supportive and disciplinary measures that will happen to keep everybody safe.

     

       

    What if I disagree with the findings?  

    Whether your child is a victim of bullying or alleged to have been the bully, you have a right to appeal.

     

    The Victim (also known as the Complainant)

    The Complainant may appeal the findings of the HIB investigation. Findings include: founded, in which the facts of the complaint are determined to be true; unfounded, in which the facts of the complaint are determined to be untrue; or, undetermined, in which the facts of the case could not be substantiated as true or false.

     

    The Agressor (Also known as the Respondent)

    The Respondent may only appeal the disciplinary or corrective action assigned to the student. Findings of the case are not appealable once investigators have completed their investigation. 

                              

    Appeal Level 1

    Appeals must be submitted to the Superintendent's Office in writing within five (5) days of receiving the Notification Letter. Make sure to include details that may have been missed or overlooked during the original investigation. The assigned Appeals Officer will review all collected evidence and may reach out to you for more information. You'll receive a written decision from the Appeals Officer within five (5) days.

     

    Appeal Level 2

    If you're not satisfied with the outcome of your Level 1 appeal, you may file a second appeal in writing directly to the School Board of Directors within ten (10) days of receiving the written decision from our Appeals Officer. Again, be sure to include the details you want the School Board to consider. Expect to hear back from the Board with a final decision in five (5) days.

     

    Submitting a Level 1 or 2 Appeal

    You may submit your written appeal via email to Dani Mundell, HIB Compliance Officer.  Please put "HIB Appeal" in the subject line.  

    What are the Consequences for Bullying Behavior?

    Although this is often very frustrating for parents, our school district is not allowed to talk with you about another student’s supports or discipline. This is because the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects that student’s information from being revealed to you, or information about your child from being revealed to someone else without your permission.

     

    While we can't share exactly what is being done with another child, we can share the of range of supports and disciplinary options we use to keep kids safe.

     

    Please note: While classroom changes are the most requested form of protection and discipline, this strategy is reserved for only the most severe incidents. 

    PREVENTATIVE MEASURES 

    Adult presence is our most powerful preventative measure for harassment, intimidation and bullying. We position staff and volunteers on our playgrounds and in hallways, cafeterias, bus loading and unloading zones, and other high traffic areas to reduce conflict and bullying. We also teach a highly effective bullying prevention strategy to all of our staff called Positive Greeting at the Door.

     

    In addition to presence, our District has adopted world-class curriculum specifically designed to reduce bullying and violence. Classroom strategies like Second Step focus on building lifelong skills proven to reduce bullying, such as emotional recognition, self-control, awareness of others, building positive relationships and responsible decision making. 

     

    Who Do I Contact if I Have Questions?

    For school or student-specific questions, it is recommended that you reach out to the school administrator. School contact information can be found here.

     

    If you have general questions related to district-wide HIB prevention and response procedures, please reach out to Dani Mundell, HIB Compliance Officer

    dmundell2@everettsd.org

    425 385-4269

     

    If you have questions about discriminatory harassment, please reach out to:

    Chad Golden, Assistant Superintendent,

    Title IX/Civil Rights Compliance Officer

    425 385-4100