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Dating Violence

AISD strives to ensure that all of its students and employees are free from bullying, sexual harassment, dating violence, and sexual violence. The District has adopted policies to ensure every effort will be made to protect the due process rights of all victims and all alleged perpetrators.

Definition: Dating violence is defined as the intentional use of physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse by a person to harm, threaten, intimidate, or control another person in a dating relationship. Dating violence is a pattern of coercive behavior that one partner exerts over the other person for the purpose of establishing and maintaining power and control.

A Notice of Parent and Students Rights: Bullying, Sexual Harassment, Dating Violence and Sexual Violence is included in the Student Code of Conduct. Complaint Forms are available in the school main office.

Complaints are documented and investigated in accordance with AISD policy and guidelines. Any staff member who observes an incident that involves physical or sexual assault or threats will report the incident immediately to the principal. Any staff member who learns of an incident or threat may submit a Complaint Form on behalf of the victim.

Administrators and faculty members receive annual awareness training during in-service days in August.

Students grades 7-12 also receive age-appropriate dating and sexual violence education in Health classes and online training. Special presentations may be offered by community organizations listed below:

• Serenity House- IMPACT
• United Way- AIM for Success
• Regional Crime Victim Crisis Center - STAR

Suicide Prevention

1. The following updated intervention plan is to be implemented on each campus in the Abilene Independent School District:
   1. When a student threatens or attempts suicide, the teacher/educator, counselor, nurse, principal, or associate principal who first learns of the threat or attempt will talk with the student immediately. At this time, the staff member involved will obtain a "Student Safety Plan" agreement from the student.
   2. With the student's knowledge, the school official will telephone a parent or guardian and request that he or she come to school at once. When the parent or guardian arrives, he or she is to be informed that the student is in crisis and needs to receive counseling services from a qualified mental health practitioner. At this time, the parent should be given the names of qualified professionals in the community who can provide these services.
   3. In the event that the parent cannot afford these services, he or she should be informed that the Abilene ISD has a contractual relationship with a number of mental health service providers who can provide these services. The district will pay for as many as five counseling sessions with one of these professionals to assist the student through the current crisis. In order to receive counseling at district expense, the parent or guardian must give written permission for the district's student testing office to arrange for the student to be seen immediately by one of the professionals under contract with Abilene ISD. At this time the parent is to be given information about the relationship between the Abilene ISD and the mental health service providers that are under contract as part of this intervention plan. In addition, the parent must be given the names of other professionals in the community who can provide the same service. (Form 04.0449 should be used to obtain written consent. Send one copy to the District Testing Coordinator and keep one form for your files.)
   4. With the written permission of the parent or guardian, a school staff member will call the District Testing Coordinator, who will immediately schedule a counseling session with a professional counselor that will include the student and parent or guardian.
   5. If school personnel have difficulty contacting a parent or guardian, the school staff member that is working with the student will arrange to have someone remain with the student until a parent or guardian can be contacted.
   6. If a parent or guardian is reached and does not give his or her permission for counseling, a school staff member will have the parent or guardian sign the Abilene Independent School District Notification of Emergency Conference.
   7. The school staff member that is working with the student will notify other personnel such as the student's counselor, grade level associate principal, nurse, and principal of the action taken.
   8. If the student is seen by one of the contracted professionals, the professional will complete the Suicidal Intervention Follow-Up Form and will return it to the District Testing Coordinator. Upon receipt, the testing office will send a copy to the student's school counselor.
   9. If a parent or guardian refuses to seek help, law enforcement or Child Protective Services will be contacted.
2. It is the principal's responsibility to see that all staff members who are responsible for implementing this plan are thoroughly familiar with it.

Violence Prevention and Conflict Management

• AISD has the goal of providing every student a safe environment conducive to learning.
• Priorities include prevention, intervention, and enforcement.
• Ways these goals are reached include:
  • A good relationship with Juvenile Police Department (Sargent Brian Cokonougher and the Juvenile Officers). AISD keeps open communication with law enforcement. School officials are notified when students are arrested off school property for felony, drug or weapon related offenses and in turn, campus administrators and appropriate personnel are notified.
  • A good relationship with Taylor County Juvenile Department (Allison Stafford and her staff of Probation Officers).
  • A good relationship with Child Protective Services, MHMR (Mental Health Mental Retardation), Harmony Family Services, Acadia etc.
  • Providing 7 SRO's (School Resource Officers). They assist law enforcement, especially at the secondary schools. This is not done as much for security as for education. They teach students how to avoid criminal activity, how to deal with conflict, how to resolve problems, and how to face peer pressures. The SRO's are:
    • Officer Jason Aulerich - AHS
    • Officer Jim Walker - CHS
    • Officer Cody Josselet - Clack MS
    • Officer Adam Lopez - Craig MS
    • Officer Panya Washington - Madison MS
    • Officer Brent Payne - Mann MS
    • Officer Barry Bond - Jefferson Center, Woodson Center for Excellence
  • The process of prevention, intervention, and enforcement begins with the teacher: The teacher, possibly in coordination with the counselor, has a variety of classroom management techniques available for use (including: special curriculum, warnings, counseling, contracts, isolation, detention, work detail, etc). They also use outside agencies when appropriate that might include: MHMR, Harmony Family Services, Juvenile Probation, YMCA ISP (Intensive Supervision Program), etc. After the teacher exhausts all options available at the classroom level, the teacher might use the following:
  • Office referrals are official documents that could result in anything from a warning to expulsion from school. Some possible dispositions include:
    • In School Suspension (short term (ISS) up to 5 days) where a student is isolated on the campus but out of the classroom
    • Reassignment Center (elementary (ERAC) or secondary (RAC) with an intermediate term between 5 and 20 days) (long term Disciplinary Alternative Education Program) (DAEP)
    • Suspension (short term up to 3 days) where the student stays at home under parent supervision
    • Behavior Management Program at Bonham Elementary for elementary students
    • Jefferson Opportunity Center (TOC) for secondary students (long term Disciplinary Alternative Education Program) (DAEP). This is a program for severe persistent misbehavior and felony offenses on or off campus
    • Expulsion to Taylor County Learning Center (long term loss of school attendance privileges)
  • Some instrumental personnel involved in these programs include:
    • Jane Allred, Director of RAC / TOC / ERAC
  • A student is not allowed on any AISD campus or at any school activity while in DAEP placement or while expelled.
  • If a student is out of control and is beyond ordinary measures, school personnel might use physical restraint if the student is a threat to himself or others or refuses a lawful directive.
  • If an illegal weapon is involved, the police are called immediately and charges are filed. According to the Gun-Free Schools Act and the Texas Education Code, the possession of a firearm on or within 300 feet of school property is a felony and is grounds for a one-year expulsion.

Bullying Prevention, Policy, and Plan

BULLYING PROHIBITED

The District prohibits bullying as defined by this policy. Retaliation against anyone involved in the complaint process is a violation of District policy and is prohibited.

DEFINITION

Bullying may occur when a student or group of students engages in written or verbal expression, expression through electronic means, or physical conduct that occurs on school property, at a school-sponsored or school-related activity, or in a vehicle operated by the District and a school district's board of trustees or the board's designee determines that the behavior:

1. Has the effect or will have the effect of physically harming a student, damaging a student's property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student's person or of damage to the student's property; or
2. Is sufficiently severe, persistent, and pervasive enough that the action or threat creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for a student.

This conduct is considered bullying if it:

3. Exploits an imbalance of power between the student perpetrator and the student victim through written or verbal expression or physical conduct; and
4. Interferes with a student's education or substantially disrupts the operation of a school.

EXAMPLES

Bullying of a student may include hazing, threats, taunting, teasing, confinement, assault, demands for money, destruction of property, theft of valued possessions, name calling, rumor spreading, or ostracism.

RETALIATION

The District prohibits retaliation by a student or District employee against any person who in good faith makes a report of bullying, serves as a witness, or participates in an investigation.

EXAMPLES

Examples of retaliation may include threats, rumor spreading, ostracism, assault, destruction of property, unjustified punishments, or unwarranted grade reductions. Unlawful retaliation does not include petty slights or annoyances.