Harassment includes verbal, physical, and visual conduct that creates an intimidating, offensive, or hostile environment or that interferes with an employee’s work performance or a student’s ability to access their education or associated benefits. Such conduct constitutes harassment when:
- Submission to the conduct is made either an explicit or implicit condition of employment, is used as the basis for an employment decision, or the conduct is considered unwelcome “quid pro quo” sexual harassment by a school employee towards a student or prospective student; or
- The harassment interferes with an employee’s work performance, a student’s ability to fully access their educational program or benefits, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.
Harassing conduct can take many forms and may include, as examples: slurs, jokes, statements, gestures, assault, impeding or blocking another’s movement or otherwise physically interfering with normal activities, pictures, drawings, or cartoons, violating someone’s “personal space,” foul or obscene language, leering, stalking, staring, unwanted or offensive letters or poems, and offensive electronic or voicemail messages.
Sexually harassing conduct in particular may include these or other unwelcome conduct, such as requests for sexual favors, conversation containing sexual comments, and other unwelcome sexual advances. Sexually harassing conduct can be by a person of either the same or opposite sex. Sexually harassing conduct need not be motivated by sexual desire to be violative of this policy. Such conduct may occur away from the work/school environment and not during school/work hours. Such circumstances do not lessen KIPP Colorado’s interest in creating and maintaining a harassment-free environment. Furthermore, KIPP Colorado will not tolerate retaliation against any employee or student for making a good faith complaint of discrimination or harassment or for cooperating in an investigation.
Any person may submit questions and/or file a complaint with KIPP Colorado’s Title IX Coordinator or with the Office of Civil Rights. Concerns regarding unlawful discrimination and harassment, and any related retaliation for having engaged in activity protected by the civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination, including harassment, will be addressed through our Title IX Grievance Process. Through our grievance process, KIPP Colorado will utilize the “Preponderance of Evidence” standard of evidence to determine responsibility for cases of discrimination.
