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It’s All About the KIDS!visitors on school property also are expected to comply with Board Policy and established school rules and procedures.The Board specifically prohibits reprisal or retaliation against any individual who makes a complaint or reports an incident of harassing or bullying behavior or who participates in an investigation or grievance proceeding initiated under this policy. Reprisal or retaliation against any individual who reports an act of harassment or bullying may result in disciplinary action being taken, up to and including dismissal in the case of employees, or up to and including long-term suspension or expulsion in certain cases for students.This policy shall be distributed annually in the Wake County Schools Student Handbook and the Wake County Schools Employee Handbook.DEFINITION OF HARASSMENT AND BULLYING:As used in this policy, harassing or bullying behavior is any repeated, systematic pattern of gestures or written, electronic, or verbal communications, or any physical act or any threatening communication on school property; at any school sponsored function; on a school bus; or as otherwise stated in Board Policy 6400- Student Code of Conduct, and that:Places a student or school employee in actual and reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property; orCreates or is certain to create a hostile environment by substantially interfering with or impairing a student’s educational performance,opportunities, or benefits. A hostile environment means that the victim subjectively views the conduct as bullying or harassing behavior and the conduct is objectively severe or pervasive enough that a reasonable person would agree that it is bullying or harassing behavior.Harassing or bullying behavior includes, but is not limited to, acts reasonably perceived as being motivated by any actual or perceived differentiating characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, socioeconomic status, academic status, gender identity, physical appearance,sexual orientation, or mental, physical, developmental, or sensory disability, or by association with a person who has or is perceived to have one or more of these characteristics.REPORTING HARASSING AND BULLYING BEHAVIOR:Any student who believes that he or she has been harassed or bullied in violation of this policy should report such behavior immediately to a teacher, counselor or administrator at his/her school.Any employee who believes that he or she has been harassed or bullied in violation of this policy should report such behavior to their immediate supervisor and/or the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources or designee.A school employee who has witnessed or has reliable information that a student or school employee has been subject to any act of harassing or bullying behavior shall report the incident as follows:To the principal in the case of a student; orthe immediate supervisor of the alleged harasser or bully and/or the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources.Failure to do so make such a report may subject the employee to disciplinary action.Any person may report an act of harassment or bullying anonymously. However, formal disciplinary action may not be taken solely on the basis of an anonymous reportPage 42 | Suburban Living Fuquay-Varinawww.suburbanlivingmag.com