The Pittsburgh Public Schools prohibits sexual harassment of, or by, all persons within the School District of Pittsburgh including, by way of illustration but not by way of limitation, all students, employees, applicants for employment, and non-employees who transact business within the School District with or without compensation. This policy applies to conduct during and related to the operation of the schools, school sponsored activities, and all School District business. The Board considers sexual harassment in the work and educational environment to be inappropriate and offensive. It will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

This policy adopted in May, 1995 is intended to help students and non-students recognize, understand, prevent and take corrective action to address sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature in the workplace and in instructional settings.
 

For more information on preventing and responding to sexual harassment, please click on any of the links below.
 

1. Definition of Sexual Harassment
2. Where to Go for Help
3. Who May be Involved in Sexual Harassment
4. Conduct Which May Constitute Sexual Harassment
5. Legal Protection
6. Reporting to Outside Agencies
7. Sexual Harassment Policy Governing All Non-Students Within the School District
8. Sexual Harassment Policy Governing All Students Within the School District
9. Equity & Compliance Statement

 

Definition of Sexual Harassment

Where to Go for Help

Students of the Pittsburgh Public Schools may contact any of the following individuals or offices for guidance or information on a sexual harassment issue:

Your school principal, advisors, teachers or other identified staff.
Office of Student Services: 412-529-3950

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Who May be Involved in Sexual Harassment

Male to Male
Female to Female
Male to Female
Female to Male
 

Conduct Which May Constitute Sexual Harassment

The following examples are intended to include all persons affiliated with the School District, whether adults or children, students or non-students. These examples are provided to illustrate the type of conduct proscribed by this policy; the list is not exhaustive.
 

• Unwelcome leering, staring, sexual flirtations or propositions.
• Unwelcome sexual slurs, epithets, threats, verbal abuse, derogatory comments or sexually degrading descriptions.
• Unwelcome graphic verbal comments about an individual’s body or overly personal conversation.
• Unwelcome sexual jokes, stories, drawings, pictures, or gestures.
• Unwelcome spreading of sexual rumors.
• Unwelcome touching of an individual’s body or clothes in a sexual way.
• Cornering or blocking of a sexual nature of normal movements.
• Displaying objects in a sexually suggestive manner in the educational or work environment.
• Unwelcome teasing or sexual remarks about a student enrolled in a predominately single-sex class.
• Purposely limiting of a sexual nature of a student’s access to educational tools.
• Conditioning academic and/or student activity privileges on submission to unwanted sexual conduct from students or non-students as hereinafter defined.

Legal Protection

In addition to the Board of Education policy, there are several other federal and state measures that protect individuals from sexual harassment discrimination and provide specific prohibitions against acts of discrimination or other unlawful conduct.
 

Federal Law

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended in 1972 and 1991, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in all terms, conditions or privileges of employment.

 

Pennsylvania State Law

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act of 1955 prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender among other bases.
 

Reporting to Outside Agencies

 

Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
1000 Liberty Avenue
Federal Building - Room 2038
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-644-3444
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
State Office Building
300 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-1210
412-565-5395

Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations
908 City-County Building
414 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219-2464
412-255-2600
Office of Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
The Wanamaker Building, Suite 515
100 Penn Square East
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-656-8541

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Sexual Harassment Policy Governing All Non-Students Within the School District

Definition of Non-Student

As used in this Policy, a non-student is a person who is 17 years of age or older and is not a student in the School District. The term includes, but is not limited to, school directors, employees, volunteers, contractors, and their employees, parents, guardians and visitors.
 

Discipline/Consequences

The School District will take all necessary steps to put a stop to sexual harassment of anyone in a school, at school sponsored activities, or in the conduct of all School District business, and to prevent any future occurrences of such harassment. Any employee who permits or engages in such conduct may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. Any non-employee who engages in such conduct may be subject to sanctions to the extent of the School District’s authority and control over the alleged harasser or employer of the alleged harasser.

Any employee who receives a complaint of sexual harassment from a student and who does not act promptly to forward that complaint to the principal and central office administrator housed in the Office of Employee Relations shall be disciplined appropriately.

Any employee who retaliates against any individual who has made a complaint of sexual harassment or participated in an investigation of a complaint of sexual harassment will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. In addition, any non-employee doing business with the School District who retaliates against any individual who has made a complaint of sexual harassment may be sanctioned to the extent of the School District’s authority over the non-employee or his/her employer. If deemed necessary, the School District may refer the victim of sexual harassment to any of the agencies listed under E above.
 

Reporting Procedure/Investigation

 

• The Board encourages and expects all persons to immediately report incidents of sexual harassment to the principal and central office administrator in the Office of Employee Relations.
• Any supervisor who receives a report, verbally or in writing, from any person regarding sexual harassment of that person, by an employee, a non-employee doing business with the School District, or a student in the work setting must notify the principal and central office administrator within 24 hours or a reasonable extension of time thereafter for good cause. Failure to comply with this reporting could result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
• No person shall be required to report an allegation of sexual harassment to the individual who is the harasser.
• All complaints of sexual harassment will be investigated and promptly resolved. The complainant and alleged harasser will have the opportunity during the investigation to present witnesses or other evidence with respect to the complaint. Upon receipt of an allegation of sexual harassment from any person, the principal or central office administrator will designate an investigator who will initiate an investigation into the complaint within 48 hours.
• Each complaint of sexual harassment shall be promptly investigated in a way that respects the privacy of all parties concerned to the extent permitted by law and to the extent practical and appropriate under the circumstances.
• Verbal reports of sexual harassment should be put in writing by the individual complaining or by the person who receives the complaints and should be signed by the person complaining; however, if a complaining person chooses not to sign a written complaint for any reason, a thorough and complete investigation of the complaint must still be made.
• The School District will designate a sufficient number of employees who are trained to investigate sexual harassment complaints.
• The complaint investigator will put his/her findings in writing and will forward a copy to the principal and central office administrator within one week or a reasonable extension of time thereafter for good cause after concluding the investigation.
• The investigator will communicate his/her findings, in writing, to the principal and central office administrator a expeditiously as possible. The principal and central office administrator will communicate the findings of the investigator to the complainant and the alleged harasser.
• The record of the investigation with findings and recommendation for discipline will be maintained by the School District, in the office of the central office administrator, separate and apart from any personnel file. The findings and recommendation for discipline will only become a part of an individual’s personnel file if disciplinary action is taken against an individual for sexual harassment. 

 

Retaliation Prohibited

The School District prohibits retaliatory behavior against any complainant or any participant in the complaint process. The good faith initiation of a complaint of sexual harassment will not reflect negatively on the person who initiates the complaint nor will it affect the person’s job assignment, status, rights, privileges or benefits.
 

Enforcement

Each non-school site administrator and principal shall have the responsibility of maintaining a work environment and/or educational environment free of sexual harassment. Both non-school site administrators and principals shall take appropriate actions to reinforce the School District’s sexual harassment policy. These actions will include:
 

• Providing staff in-service within two weeks after the adoption of this policy and annually thereafter.
• Acquainting new employees in the School District with this policy.
• Taking prompt action to investigate complaints of sexual harassment.
• Taking appropriate disciplinary action as needed, including action to prevent reoccurrence of complained sexual harassment and/or retaliation.
• Instructing non-students on the procedures for reporting sexual harassment on an as-needed basis. 

 

Notifications

A copy of this School District policy on Sexual Harassment of and by non-students shall:
 

• Be displayed in a prominent location at each work site.
• Be provided to each School District employee within two weeks of the adoption of this policy, and whenever a new employee is hired.
• Appear in any School District or work site publication, which sets forth the School District’s comprehensive rule, regulations, procedures, and standards of conduct for employees.
• Be made available to such non-student individuals as contractors, volunteers, parent representatives, and members of the Parent-School Community Council.

 

Penalty for Falsely Accusing a Person of Sexual Harassment

 

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Sexual Harassment Policy Governing All Students Within the School District

 

Definition of a Student

As used in this Policy, a student is a person who is enrolled and is regularly attending classes within the School District, including Kindergarten through twelfth grade and the Connelley Technical Institute and Adult Education Center, regardless of age.
 

Discipline/Consequences

Any student who engages in sexual harassment of any one in the school setting, at school sponsored activities, and in the conduct of all School District business may be subject to disciplinary action as set forth in the current Code of Student Conduct.
 

Reporting Procedure/ Investigation

 

• The Board encourages and expects students to immediately report incidents of sexual harassment to their teacher, principal, or other individual staff member within the school, designated to receive reports of sexual harassment.
• All reports, whether verbal or written, from a student regarding sexual harassment of that student, by another student, an employee or non-employee doing business with the School District, shall be communicated to the principal or designated staff member and central office administrator within 24 hours or within a reasonable extension of time thereafter for good cause. Failure to comply with this reporting requirement could result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
• No student shall be required to report an allegation of sexual harassment to the individual who is the harasser.
• All complaints of sexual harassment shall be investigated and promptly resolved. The complainant and alleged harasser will have the opportunity during the investigation to present witnesses or other evidence with respect to that complaint. Upon receipt of an allegation of sexual harassment, the principal or designated staff member will initiate an investigation into the complaint within 48 hours.
• Each complaint of sexual harassment shall be promptly investigated in a way that respects the privacy of all parties concerned to the extent permitted by lay and to the extent practical and appropriate under circumstances.
• Verbal reports of sexual harassment should be put in writing by the individual complaining or by the person who receives the complaint and should be signed by the person complaining; however, if a complaining person chooses not to sign the written complaint for any reason, a thorough and complete investigation of the complaint must still be made.
• The School District will designate a sufficient number of employees who are trained to investigate sexual harassment complaints.
• The investigator will communicate his/her findings, in writing, to the complainant and the alleged harasser as expeditiously as possible. Results may be indeterminate. If so, the matter will be recorded as unresolved.
• The complaint investigator will put his/her finding, in writing and will forward a copy to the principal or designated staff member and central office administrator within one week or a reasonable extension of time thereafter for good cause after concluding the investigation.
• The record of the investigation with findings and recommendation for discipline will be maintained by the School District, in the office of the central office administrator, separate and apart from any student file.

All communications shall be confidential and will be covered by State regulation found in 22 PA Code 12.12.

The above reporting/investigation procedures apply to internal investigation of complaints by the School District.

Nothing in this reporting procedure shall relieve any employee at the School District from the reporting obligation imposed under the child abuse reporting acts.
 

Retaliation Prohibited

The School District prohibits retaliatory behavior against any complainant or any participant in the complaint process. The initiation of a complaint of sexual harassment will not reflect negatively on the student who initiates the complaint nor will it affect the student’s academic standing, rights, or privileges.
 

Enforcement

Each principal has the responsibility of maintaining an educational environment free of sexual harassment and shall take appropriate action to reinforce the School District’s Sexual Harassment Policy. These actions include:
 

• Removing promptly all vulgar or sexually offensive graffiti.
• Providing staff in-service within two weeks of the adoption of this policy and by the first week of each school year thereafter.
• Providing student instruction about sexual harassment through at least one assembly and two full class periods of each school year.
• Taking appropriate disciplinary action as needed, including action to prevent reoccurrence of complained of sexual harassment, and/or retaliation.
• All health/physical education teachers shall discuss this policy with their students within one month after its adoption by the Board and during the first week of the school year thereafter. Written copies of this policy shall be given to each student as part of these discussions. Written material shall contain information that is age appropriate and must assure students that they need not endure any form of sexual harassment. Discussion shall also be age appropriate and must deliver the same message to all students.
• In addition, all teachers counselors and administrators shall instruct students on the procedures for reporting sexual harassment within the educational setting on an as-needed basis.

 

Notifications

A copy of this sexual harassment policy shall:
 

• Be included in the notifications that are sent to parents/guardians at the beginning of each school year.
• Be displayed in a prominent location near each school principal’s office.
• Be provided as part of any orientation program conducted for new students at the beginning of each school year.
• Appear in any school or School District publication that sets forth the school or School District’s comprehensive rules, regulations, procedures and standards of conduct.

 

Penalty for Falsely Accusing a Person of Sexual Harassment

 

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Equity & Compliance Statement

Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) does not discriminate on the basis of not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, creed, religion,gender (including gender identity or expression), sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, marital status, pregnancy or disability in its programs activities or employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Inquiries may be directed to the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, Title IX Coordinator or the Section 504/ADA Title II Coordinator at 341 S. Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, 412-529-3950, TitleIXCoordinator@pghschools.org or 412.529.HELP (4357).