Anti-Harassment General Policy Statement

It is the policy of the School Board of the Porter Township School Corporation to maintain an education and work environment that is free from all forms of unlawful harassment occurring in the Corporation’s educational opportunities, programs, or activities, or, if initially occurring off Corporation grounds or outside the Corporation’s educational opportunities, programs, and activities, affecting the Corporation environment (hereinafter referred to collectively as “unlawful harassment”). This commitment applies to all Corporation operations, educational opportunities, programs, and activities. All students, administrators, teachers, staff, and other school personnel share responsibility for avoiding, discouraging, and reporting any form of unlawful harassment occurring in the Corporation’s educational opportunities, programs, or activities, or, if initially occurring off Corporation grounds or outside the Corporation’s educational opportunities, programs, and activities, affecting the Corporation environment. This policy applies to unlawful conduct occurring on school property, or at another location if such conduct affects the Corporation environment.

The Board will vigorously enforce its prohibition against unlawful harassment that is based on race, color, national origin, sex (including gender status, sexual orientation and/or gender identity), religion, disability, military status, ancestry, or genetic information, which are classes protected by Federal and/or State civil rights laws (hereinafter referred to as “Protected Classes”), and encourages those within the Corporation community as well as Third Parties who feel aggrieved to seek assistance to rectify such problems occurring in the Corporation’s educational opportunities, programs or activities, or, if initially occurring off Corporation grounds or outside the Corporation’s educational opportunities, programs and activities, affecting the Corporation environment.

All Corporation employees, including administrators, professional staff and support staff, shall report any incident of alleged unlawful harassment that the employee observes or which is reported to the employee. 

The Corporation will investigate all allegations of unlawful harassment and, in those cases where unlawful harassment is substantiated, take steps immediately to end the harassment, prevent its recurrence, and remedy its effects. 

Individuals who are found to have engaged in unlawful harassment will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or expulsion from school. 

Furthermore, Corporation employees who fail to report any incident of alleged unlawful harassment that the employee observes or which is reported to the employee also are subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.