Reporting Incidents Related to Culture and Identity - Elementary Focus

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ISD Safe and Positive Environment

The Issaquah School District believes that a safe, civil environment is essential to high student and staff achievement, to the free exchange of ideas central to a quality educational process, and to the development of youth as thoughtful participants in our democracy. Conversely, uncivil conduct, like other forms of disruptive behavior, interferes with a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate its students. The Issaquah School District strives to maintain a learning environment where all students, staff and members of our community can be free from intimidation and harassment. One way we foster such an environment is by informing students and employees--as well as parents--of their personal rights. We explain proper behavior in schools and what kinds of behavior are inappropriate. The District’s Regulations on harassment-- sexual and otherwise--support our high expectations for proper behavior. Please take a moment to review the summary of Regulation 3205 and 3207, which protect students.

How do schools support students?

• District – Equitable Conduct Policy (Elementary and Secondary) and EL 16 
• School administration - Review the school policy at the start of the year (varies - announcements, visits to classroom, school assembly), at curriculum night with parents •
• Teachers - Review procedures in Elementary school with students
  • Teachers often remind students about school rules and procedures throughout the year (usually after each break).
• Parents - Review the school policy at the start of the year (September)
  • Listed in the Student Handbook on your child's school website, under "Our School"  and in EVP process for parent review in August
  • Listed in the School Planner and Student Handbook on your child's school website, under "Our School" (Middle and High School)
  • If students enroll later in the year, parents should read the handbook and/or meet with a liaison to learn more about general school policies and procedures.
• School Counselor - Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit – Taught in ISD Elementary Schools from Kindergarten to 5th grade

School Counselor will do classroom lesson on Bullying Prevention as part of the Second Step curriculum – Social Emotional Learning curriculum in the ISD elementary and middle schools.

What do School Counselors do?

• Conduct school wide trainings for staff, provide classroom lessons for students, and learning opportunities for parents.
• Identify students who need help:
  • Provide individual and small group counseling
  • Help families support their student
  • Work with teachers to support classroom success
  • Connect students and families to community resources (food, scholarships, mental health resources)
• Meet and discuss academic options and including postsecondary options (at high school).
• Section 504 Coordinator at the school (504 plan to support students with disabilities that limit daily activities in a major way – not special education)
• Not a stigma to talk to counselor – support person in school
• Support for students to overcome challenges and barriers to achievement in school
• Works with individual and small groups of students in teaching social skills such as making friends and resolving conflicts
• Works with students about managing feelings
• Meet and talk with students and parents about social/emotional concerns.
• Counselors teach the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum

Bullying Prevention Unit concepts taught  - Bystander vs Upstander vs Tattletale

• Students may be fearful of being tattletales when they experience, or witness mean or bullying behavior
  • SEL curriculum in K-5 reviews the difference between tattling and reporting
  • The curriculum defines “passive bystander” and supportive bystander
  • Students are first taught the importance or speaking or acting out and then encouraged to speak up or act in support of an individual being bullied or treated unfairly (age appropriate and situation appropriate)being a supportive bystander –an Upstander
  • Students are encouraged to report –reporting to help someone for unkind, racist or bullying actions is not being a tattletale 

What is racist behavior around culture and ethnicity?

• What is racist behavior around culture and ethnicity?
• Teased or targeted  - made fun of for hair, skin color, name, accent, facial features
• Students may be excluded from groups due to race, religion, or identity
• Made fun of for their dress (Sikh turban, hijab, other clothing)
• Made fun of the food eating at lunch or snack rice, curry, tofu, noodles, pasta
• Other Microaggressions -– a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as racial minority). As defined by Merriam Webster.

Examples of racist incidents:

• “Ana –you cannot sit with us at this table, it is the “white” table and you are not white.”
• “Why does your hair look messy and so kinky?”
• “Eww, your food smells! It looks so gross.”
• “Slanty eyes”
• Calling an Asian student “Corona virus,” “China girl,” “Wuhan girl”.
• Telling a black or brown child their skin is dirty.
• Pulling the turban of a Sikh boy or the hair of black girls.

Who is doing this?

• Incidents of Asians being unkind or picking on new Asian immigrants (Fresh off the Boat) (Power difference)
• Incidents of “full” blood Indian, Chinese or Black students picking on students that are bi-racial or multiracial.
• Incidents from Asian students or European students towards Blacks or Hispanic students.

To whom to report the incident?

Reporting Incidents

Washington State and the ISD have clear definitions of HIB terms.

Many behaviors that do not rise to the level of harassment, intimidation, or bullying may still be prohibited by other district policies or building, classroom or program rules.

See: Definition of Bullying, Harassment and Intimidation

Report the incident so that the school is aware of the concern and can address it.

3207F Prohibition Against Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (complete this form to be submitted to the Principal)

OR

Issaquah School District Prohibition Against Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying Incident Reporting Form 

Safety Concerns can also be reported on this form.

Behaviors/Expression

It can be very hard to distinguish if an incident is a “one-off” example of mean/unkind behavior or a pattern that is bullying behavior without details and background information.

“Harassment", "intimidation", and "bullying" are separate but related behaviors. Each must be addressed appropriately. Although this procedure differentiates the three behaviors, this differentiation should not be considered part of the legal definition of these behaviors. 

Every situation may be unique and is treated as such by the school administration.

What can parents do to help their child? Proactive strategies (before incidents happen).

• Ask your child about their day. What good things happened at school? What was something not positive or good that may have happened?
• Ask: What was recess, lunch, bus ride or class like that day?
• Ask your child –what they would do if someone was being mean to them or ‘bullying” them at school.
• Encourage your child to be an upstander (supportive bystander) and the difference between tattling and reporting
• Model empathetic behavior-words you use to talk about people of other races.
• Be aware of your own prejudice and bias.
• Talk to your kids about race and culture.
• Talk to your kids about kindness and embracing differences –not to be colorblind but to recognize and see color, on being antiracist individuals
• Show curiosity –learn about other cultures (Ideas: Read and watch TV/movies about other cultures)
• Discuss unkind or bullying behaviors when reading books or watching TV shows. (example books–Always Anjali, My Food, Your Food, Our Food; or The Proudest Blue).
• While reading: Ask questions:
  • What would you do?
  • Do you know someone who has experienced this?
  • Who would you talk to if this happened to you?
  • If you saw this happen to someone, how would you help them?

Warning signs that something may be wrong

Monitor your child’s behavior –know warning signs that something may be wrong at school.

Check with child’s teacher if you have concerns.

Source: Mayo Clinic

What can parents do to help their child when an incident happens

• Listen to child
• Validate child’s concerns and feelings (See Get details Homelinks for tips)
• Get details - ask questions so that you can get the context of the incident or incidents, names of students or adults involved, where and when it happened
• Consider if it is a problem the school needs to address? How can the classroom teacher, school or counselor address the behavior? Does the behavior need to be monitored? (big problem or minor problem)
• Ask your child to help you determine how to help them:
  • Can he/she address it on their own? be a coach and mentor 
  • Has it been going on for a while? -monitor
  • Is it impacting student behavior, academics, etc.? How?
• Depending on age and incident - either have the student report or you may report incident to school administrator via an email or phone call.
• Parents can also fill out an incident report (more in video from Compliance Officer)
• Don’t expect the child to solve the problem on their own in elementary school - intervene and monitor
• Cultural components
  • Parents may want to avoid a problem at school
  • Parents may not want to make a “big deal”
  • Some cultures and parents are fearful of reporting
  • If you are not sure since new to US school system, ask for help from the School Counselor, Family Partnership Liaison, or other staff

Parent Reporting an incident

• For major incidents, parents should contact school administrator by calling, emailing or filing an incident report.
• Call or email the School Principal, Assistant Principal or Dean of Students.
• Include the teacher (if incident is happening in classroom) so they are aware of your concern
• Parents can encourage students to report to a trusted adult but are always welcome to follow up with a call, email or report to school principal.

Issaquah School District Prohibition Against Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying Incident Reporting Form

OR

3207F Prohibition Against Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (complete this form to be submitted to the Principal)

Safety Concerns can also be reported on this form.

Response by the school

• School administrator will talk to (interview) the students involved including witnesses to the incident (important to give details of when, who and where if possible).
• Review previous incidents by student or the person who engaged in the bullying or incident (alleged aggressor)
• Implement corrective measures after investigation - response will depend on unique situation (including if claim was false)
• Depending on severity of incident corrective measures may include counseling, education, discipline, (referral to law enforcement as appropriate)
• Response will depend on several factors including - incident, age of student, history of behaviors, etc.
• All responses of incident are confidential (from parents reporting, teachers and/or other staff unless they need to be involved).

Response of school for incidents reported

• All responses of incident are confidential - even from the student/parent that reported the incident.
  • Parents are not connected with the other parents
  • No public apologies are required by the school
  • Consequences of incident are kept private and confidential
• If your child was the complainant (reporting student)
  • Supports are available for them - counselor or teacher check ins, check in with administrator, etc.
  • Retaliation is prohibited. 
  • Students and parents are informed about retaliation in handbook and often in discussions about consequences for the behavior
• Parent role after reporting an incident
  • Check in with your child
  • Ask if the situation has improved or resolved
  • Continue to monitor and check in with student, school administrator, teacher and counselor

Resources

• Elementary curriculum access for families at www.Secondstep.org, using one of these activation codes:

• Social Emotional Learning
• Cyberbullying 
• Family Resources for Bullying
• Equitable Conduct Policy: Elementary, Secondary
  • (Definitions, information about reporting, etc)
• Incident Reporting Form
• Equity Resources for parents:
  • Talking to Kids about race
  • Resources for Black Families
  • Learning for Justice, Let's Talk About it!

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Thank you, 

click below for presentation in Chinese

如何报告因文化和身份相关引起的事件