COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. BOX 2120
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 127
August 15, 2003
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Jo Lynne
DeMary Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Technical
Assistance Survey on Harassment |
An important
shared goal of school divisions throughout Virginia is to ensure that students
have a safe and secure environment that is conducive to learning and affords
equal educational opportunities regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, or
disability. As you know, harassment in
its many forms can have serious consequences for students. At a recent No Child Left Behind and Safe
Schools Conference, Education Secretary Rod Paige said: All the reforms in the world wont mean a thing if we dont have safe
classrooms for students to learn and teachers to teach.
National studies show that far too many students experience
incidents of harassment in our nations schools. Students may encounter harassment by other students as well as by
teachers and other school employees.
Harassment can encompass harmful conduct ranging from violent crimes to
vandalism or abusive name-calling that may deprive students of equal
educational opportunities. If ignored,
harassment can jeopardize students academic achievement, undermine their
physical and emotional well-being, provoke retaliatory violence, and exacerbate
community conflict.
While school
divisions already have anti-harassment policies and procedures in place, the
Virginia Department of Education, with the assistance of the U. S. Department
of Educations Office for Civil Rights and the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium,
is available to help ensure that these policies are consistent with federal
civil rights laws and court decisions, and that the procedures are effective.
To help ensure that our continuing efforts meet your needs, we would appreciate
your response to the attached survey.
We look
forward to working with you on this important issue. Please return your responses to Dr. Sandra E. Ruffin, director of
federal program monitoring, by August 25, 2003. If you have questions
concerning the survey or this initiative, you may contact Dr. Ruffin at (804)
225-2768 or by E-mail at sruffin@mail.vak12ed.edu
JLD/SER/dct
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