Avery County Schools Policy Policy Code: 4331

ASSAULTS, THREATS AND HARASSMENT

The Avery County Board of Education will not tolerate assaults, threats or harassment from any student. Any student engaging in such behavior will be removed from the classroom or school environment for as long as necessary to ensure a safe and orderly environment for learning.

A. PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR

   1.     Assault

          Students are prohibited from assaulting, physically injuring, attempting to injure
          or intentionally behaving in such a way as could reasonably cause injury to any
          other person. Assault includes engaging in a fight.

   2.      Threatening Acts
           Students are prohibited from directing toward any other person any language that
   threatens force, violence or disruption, or any sign or act that constitutes a threat of force,
   violence or disruption.

   Bomb and terrorist threats are also addressed in policy 4333, Weapons, Bomb Threats,
   Terrorist Threats and Clear Threats to Safety.

   3.     Harassment
          Students are prohibited from engaging in or encouraging any form of harassment,
   including bullying and cyberbullying of students, employees or other individuals on
   school grounds or at school-related functions, and at any time or place when the behavior
   has a direct and immediate effect on maintaining order and discipline in the schools.
   Harassment is unwanted, unwelcome and uninvited behavior that demeans, threatens, or
   offends the victim and results in a hostile environment for the victim. The hostile
   environment may be created through pervasive or persistent misbehavior or a single
   incident if sufficiently severe.

   Harassment and bullying are further defined in policy 1710/4021/7230, Prohibition
   Against Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying, Complaints of harassment will be
   investigated pursuant to policy 1720/4015/7225, Discrimination, Harassment and
   Bullying Complaint Procedure. For incidents of misbehavior that do not rise to the level
   of harassment, see policy 4310, Integrity and Civility, which establishes the expectation
   that students will demonstrate civility and integrity in their interactions with others.

Avery County Schools Policy Code: 4331 Page 1 of 2 B. CONSEQUENCES

   The disciplinary consequences for violations of this policy shall be consistent with
   Section D of policy 4300, Student Behavior Policies. The superintendent or designee
   shall list in the Code of Student Conduct the specific range of consequences that may be
   imposed on a student for violations of this policy.

   A student who is long-term suspended or reassigned to alternative education services as a
   result of assaulting or injuring a teacher shall not return to that teacher's classroom
   without the teacher's consent.

   A student who is convicted under G.S. 14-458.2 of cyberbullying a school employee will
   be transferred to another school. If there is no other appropriate school within the school
   system, the student will be transferred to a different class or assigned to a teacher who
   was not involved as a victim of the cyberbullying. The superintendent may modify the
   required transfer of an individual student on a case-by-case basis and shall provide a
   written statement of this modification in the student’s record.

Legal Reference: G.S. 14 -33, 34 through -34.2; -458.2; 115C-47, -276(r), -288, -307, -366.4, - 390.2, -390.7

Cross Reference: Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying (policy 1710/4021/7230) Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying Compliant Procedure (policy 1720/4015/7225), Student Behavior Policies (policy 4300), Integrity and Civility (policy 4310), Weapons, Bomb Threats, Terrorist Threats and Clear Threats to Safety (policy 4333), Adopted: 12-03-01 Revised: 9/26/07, 12/8/08, 9/13/11, 6/11/13

Avery County Schools Policy Code: 4331 Page 2 of 2