Meadowbrook Hate and Harassment Policy Policies
What is Hate Harassment or Hate Motivated Behavior?
The District and State of California define hate motivated behavior as actions or statements that are hostile or threatening toward another person based on their:- Race, ethnicity, national origin, or immigrant status
- Gender or sexual orientation
- Religious beliefs or cultural characteristics
- Age, disability or any other physical conditions
How do you know if it is Hate Motivated Behavior?
If the victim perceives or feels it is threatening or hate motivated.If someone who witnesses the act or hears the statement has reasonable belief that it was hate motivated.
Are there different types or levels of Hate Motivated Behavior? Are the consequences different for each one?
The District’s Hate Behavior policy outlines three different levels of behavior that are considered unacceptable.Hate Violence - These behaviors include any actions that cause harm, attempting to cause harm, or threatening to cause harm based on someone’s characteristics or status. It also includes any threats of hostility that have historical significance such as burning crosses, swastikas, or images that threaten to cause harm. Racial slurs, name calling, and bigoted epithets along with a threat to cause harm are also considered Hate Violence.
Consequences for Hate Violence are suspension and/or expulsion as well as police notification and arrest. Hate Violence is the most serious offense because it not only breaks school rules, it is also against the law.
Hate-Motivated Intimidation or Harassment - These are actions, remarks or statements that create a negative or hostile learning environment but do not include physical harm or threat. Examples are name calling, racial slurs, demeaning jokes, physical or verbal harassment, offensive drawings or word(s) used in graffiti, paintings or on clothing. Hate-Motivated Intimidation can also be the repeated use of insensitive language or inappropriate remarks as well as defacing or destroying posted materials or information about protected groups on campus.
Consequences of Hate-Motivated Intimidation depend on the seriousness and frequency of the offense and may include suspension and expulsion when other means of correction have failed to change the behavior. In cases when the victim feels they are being harassed, police notification may result as well as possible arrest.
Insensitive or Inappropriate Remarks and Behavior -These types of acts do not threaten or are absent of hostility. These include demeaning or degrading statements or phrases between students who are not doing it to be harmful or hateful.
Consequences for Insensitive or Inappropriate Remarks or Behavior may include counseling, detention, parent phone calls or conferences, behavior contracts, etc. Students may be suspended for repeated offenses that have been addressed but continue to occur.