HIB Defined:
When trying to determine if an incident is harassment, intimidation or bullying, compare it against the definition.
Does the incident meet all of the following?
- Enabled Harassment, Intimidation, or bullying means any gesture, any written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communications, whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents that:
- Is reasonably perceived as being motivated by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical, or sensory disability; or by any other distinguishing characteristic; and that takes place on school property, at any school sponsored function, on a school bus, or off school grounds that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students
And, does it meet one of these?
- A reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, that the act(s) will have the effect of physically or emotionally harming a pupil or damaging the pupil’s property, or placing a pupil in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm to his/her person or damage to his/her property
- Has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students
- Creates a hostile educational environment for the pupil by interfering with a pupil’s education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student