Dist. 303 maps out policies on bullying

Just two months ago, the word “bullying” became a marker of the tension running through the halls of St. Charles North High School. Students divided over where to draw the line on expressions of pride in both gay and straight sexuality when “Straight Pride” and Biblical quotes became words emblazoned on shirts at the school.

Part of the difficulty district staff had in dealing with the shirts was the lack of a policy that actually identified the shirts as a bullying tactic.

On Thursday night, St. Charles Unit District 303 school board members took steps to not only address the issue of bullying but also define what it really is. A school board committee agreed to insert “sexual orientation” into the list of taboo subjects students can potentially use as a weapon to interfere “with a student’s educational performance” or create a “hostile environment.” Topics like race, nationality and religion are already on the list, but anything about sexual orientation is currently absent.

Also added for the first time is an actual definition of bullying. Bullying would now encompass “any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student.” That conduct would also need to have the impact, or possible impact of harming the student either physically, mentally, academically or emotionally.

Superintendent Don Schlomann told the committee the changes, especially the definition, will go a long way in empowering district staff to deal with bullying issues as they arise.

However, the policy changes didn’t come easily. Board Member Kathy Hewell said she was concerned about creating special protected classes of people who shouldn’t be bullied.

“What we want the policy to say, essentially, is no one should be harassed,” she said.

But School Board President Scott Nowling said the classes help determine when bullying happens.

“I am interested in creating protected classes where we can identify bulling and say we know that’s bullying,” he said.

What the committee could identify was why “gender identity” and “gender-related identity or expression” should be added to the protected topics along with “sexual orientation.” The committee didn’t necessarily disagree with including the terms; committee members just didn’t understand what the terms meant. The committee agreed to pay for an attorney to provide a professional definition of the terms before including them in the anti-bullying policy.

The full school board must vote on the changes before they become official policy.