Harassment can be a type of unlawful discrimination. Harassment is unwanted, unwelcomed, and uninvited behavior that demeans, threatens, or offends the victim and results in a hostile environment for the victim. Harassing behavior may include but is not limited to epithets, derogatory comments or slurs and lewd propositions, assault, impeding or blocking movement, offensive touching, or any physical interference with normal work or movement, and visual insults, such as derogatory posters or cartoons. Legitimate age-appropriate pedagogical techniques are not considered harassing behavior.
The hostile environment can be created through pervasive or persistent misbehavior or a single incident, if sufficiently severe.
It is possible for harassment to occur at various levels. These include actions between fellow students or coworkers, between supervisors and subordinates, between employees and students, or imposed by nonemployees, including visitors, on employees and/or students.
Legal References: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq., 34 C.F.R. pt. 100; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq., 34 C.F.R. pt. 106; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's "Final Amended Guidelines on Discrimination Because of Sex"; Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 621 et seq.; The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 706(8), 794, 34 C.F.R. pt. 104; The Americans With Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. 12134, 28 C.F.R. pt. 35; Office of Civil Rights, Sexual Harassment Guidance: Harassment of Students by School Employees, Students or Third Parties, 62 Fed. Reg. 12,034 (1997); Office of Civil Rights, Racial Incidents and Harassment Against Students at Educational Institutions; Investigative Guidance, 59 Fed. Reg. 11,448 (1994); G.S. 126-16
Cross References: Student and Parent Grievance Procedure (Policy 1740/4010), Grievance Procedure for Employees (Policy 1750/7220)
Adopted: January 9, 2006