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Text Box: Phase Four Letters referencing opportunities to view policies either in the student handbook or online should be mailed to parents and guardians before the school year begins. The school’s policies should be shared with parents through newsletters, at open houses and parent association meetings. Establish a Harassment Hotline for parent and student use to report incidents that take place in school or on school grounds. Phase Five Establish a data base for tracking incidents of sexual harassment and dress code infractions. Use this data to generate base line information that will be used to monitor policy effectiveness and violations over a prescribed time period. Secure legal counsel regarding the format and use of this information. Phase Six Create an advisory committee consisting of students, parents, teachers, building and district administrators to evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of the school’s sexual harassment and dress code policies. The length of membership on the committee’s should be staggered to assure consistency and maintain a historical perspective. Generate and share the results of the committee’s evaluation with students, parents, staff and the community. Use the committee’s findings to refine the existing policies. Text Box: Phase One The policies found in the student handbook must be consistent those of the school district. Posters of the policies should be displayed in all classrooms and common areas of the school. Policies should be posted on the school district’s website Phase Two The school’s staff should be made aware of school policies at the onset of the academic year. Staff members should receive ongoing in-service training regarding sexual harassment and the procedures to be followed if intervention or reporting is necessary. A standardized form should be generated that would be used to report and track incidents of sexual harassment. The form should be posted on the school and district’s website. Phase Three Policies related to sexual harassment and student dress should be presented to students at the start of the year orientation program. Scenarios depicting incidents of sexual harassment should be included in the program as should examples of unacceptable dress. Follow-up assemblies regarding school policies should be presented after the school year begins Procedures for reporting incidents of sexual harassment should be included in both assemblies The sexual harassment reporting form should be included in the student handbook. Text Box: ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Robert Ruder retired in December 2004 after thirty-six years as an educator. He served as a middle level principal in urban and suburban school districts for twenty-five years. His last assignment was in the Manheim Township School District. He has written articles of interest to middle level educators that have been published in Principal Leadership, Middle Ground, Middle Matters and the Middle School Journal. Dr. Ruder recently founded Ruder Educational Consulting Services, whose purpose is to assist middle level educators in finding solutions to middle level problems. He can be contacted at Rruder@aol.com.

Policies addressing sexual harassment and student dress code represent a fraction of middle school life. However, these important strands are linked directly to the school’s disciplinary code and intricately woven into the complex dynamics of a middle school ultimately affecting student behavior and learning. The importance of these policies and their connection to the overall climate of the school cannot be minimized.

 

Being cognizant of the relationships between dress code, sexual harassment and the psychosexual development of middle school students will further support a safe school environment that enables teaching and learning to take place. Despite the impact of multimedia marketing stimulation that bombards students on a daily basis, middle school students are what they are - middle school students who need the guidance, attention and affection of their parents, teachers and school leaders.