a guide for administrators, counselors and teachers

teaching tolerance // responding to hate and bias at school i

a guide for administrators, counselors and teachers

Responding to Hate and Bias

at scHool

a publication of teaching tolerancetolerance.org

a guide for administrators, counselors and teachers

Responding to Hate and Bias

at scHool

a publication of teaching tolerancetolerance.org

teaching tolerance // responding to hate and bias at school 1

Table of ConTenTs

Preface 2

seCTion one // before a Crisis oCCurs 3WhatistheSchool’sClimate? 4

administrators’ precrisis checklistListen,WatchandLearn 5StayCurrent,StayConnected 6SetHighExpectations 7MaketheMostofTeachableMoments 7SpeakUp 9

seCTion Two // when There’s a Crisis 10WhatHasHappened? 11

administrators’ crisis checklistPutSafetyFirst 14DenouncetheAct 14Investigate 15InvolveOthers 16WorkwiththeMedia 17ProvideAccurateInformation—andDispelMisinformation 20SupportTargetedStudents 20SeekJustice,AvoidBlame 21PromoteHealing 22

seCTion Three // afTer The worsT is over 23WhatComesNext? 24

administrators’ postcrisis checklistLessonsLearned 25PlanningfortheLongTerm 26CapacityBuilding 26

appendix // CheCklisTs, forms and worksheeTs 28Acknowledgments 41


preface

Responding to Hate and Bias at scHool

a noose is found hanging from a goalpost on a high school campus.

a swastika, 20 feet in diameter, is burned into the pavement at a junior high school.

a group of white high school students dresses in banana suits for a basketball game and taunts their majority-black rival with racial slurs.

a sikh student has his turban pulled off and hair cut by fellow students.

Yourschoolhasplansandprotocolsinplacetorespondtofires,severeweather,medicalemergencies,fightsandweaponspossession.Butwhataboutschoolincidentslikethoselistedabovethatinvolvebig-otryandhate?Areplansinplacetorespondtoabiasincidentorhatecrime?Toooftentheseplansarecreatedinthemomentduringtheactualcrisis.Biasincidentsarefartoocomplexforon-the-flyplanning;anearlymisstepcanheightentensionanddamagechancesforlong-termsuccess.

responding to bias and hate at schoolisdesignedprimarilyforschooladministrators,butteachers,staff,counselors,studentsandothersalsomayfindguidancehere.

Theguideisdividedintothreesections:before a Crisis oCCurs. Howcanyouandotherschoolleadersassessyourschool’sclimatewithaneyetowarddefusingtension,preventingescalationandavoidingproblems?

when There’s a Crisis. Whataretheninekeypointstoconsiderwhenrespondingtoacrisisthathasbeentriggeredbyabiasincidentatyourschool?

afTer The worsT is over. Howcanyouaddresslong-termplanningandcapacitybuildingforthefuture,includingdevelopmentofsocialemotionalskills?

Hatefulactsatschoolaredangerous,disturbinganddisruptive.Butkeepthisinmind:Abiasincidentdoesnotdefineaschool.Itis,inmanyways,atestoftheschool’scultureandclimate.Howyourespondisthetruemeasureofaschool’scharacter.

It’suptoschoolleaderstosetexpectations.Everyoneonstaff,fromthebusdriverandcustodiantoclassroomteachersandtheITdepartment,mustknowthathate,disrespectandintimidationhavenoplaceoncampus,andthateverystudentshouldfeelwelcome.


Section one


WHat is tHe scHool’s climate?

Unsavorypranks,biasincidentsandevenhatecrimescanhappenatanyschool,anywhere—rural,urban,suburban,public,private,small,large,East,West,NorthorSouth.Sometimestheyarriveasacompletesurprise;othertimes,theyarisefromtensionthathasbeenbrewingforweeks,months,evenyears.

Sowhatistheclimateatyourschool?Everydayactsofintolerancemanifestthemselvesinmanyways:name-calling,slurs,sexualharass-

ment,casualputdownsregardingrace,ethnicity,gender,size,abilities,perceivedsexualorientationorgenderidentification.Thebiasmightcomeintheformofclothing—certaincolorsorstyles—ormusicorsymbolsassociatedwithhategroups.Growingintolerancecanalsobefoundonline,postedonTumblrortweetedonTwitter.Itmightbeblatant,suchasanooselefthangingfromanAfrican-Americanstudent’slocker.Oritmightbesubtle,ahushedrumortextedlikeawhisper,phonetophone,persontoperson.

Insomecases,theviciousnessisintentional;inothers,perpetratorsmighthavelittleclue—otherthanshockvalue—aboutthemeaningbehindthewords,signsandsymbolstheyshout,tweet,paintortext.Inmanyways,theissueislessaboutintent—whocanknowforcertainwhysomeonedoessomething?—andmoreaboutimpact.Nomattertheintention,thesemessagesandbehaviorscancausefear,damageandinjurytoindividualsandtheentireschoolcommunity.

Howcaneducatorsdealwiththis?Theadultsatanyschoolteachinsomanyways,farbeyondtext-booksandlessonplans.Theyteachbyexample,bythetoneandwordstheychoose,byhowtheytreatothersduringmomentsofdisagreementortension.Theyteachbywhattheydon’tsay.If,forexample,theyallowabigotedcommenttogounchecked,theyareofferingtacitapprovalofsimilarcomments.

Aschoolclimatethatencouragesinclusionandpromotestolerancedoesnotguaranteethatbiasinci-dentswon’thappen.Instead,itcreatesanatmosphereinwhichtheseactsarelesslikelytogainmomen-tumandmorelikelytobequicklyandwidelydenounced.


administrators’ precrisis checklist

lisTen, waTCh and learnWhenyouwalkthehallsorspendtimeinthecafeteria—whereveryouareoncampus—bealert.Areyouhearingputdownsandslurs?Doyounoticetenseorfearfullooksbetweensomegroupsofstudents?Theseareearlywarningsignsofpotential trouble.Unacknowledgedandunchal-lenged,theseattitudesandbehaviorscansetthestageforworsetocome.

Safety,ofcourse,isyourfirstconcern.Aredirectthreatsbeingmade?Isdanger imminent? These situations may require immediate action. Moregeneral,indirectbehaviorsindicatethattheremightbeaproblemwiththeschool’sclimate.Isthisthetypeofschoolyouwant?Posethatquestiontostudents,teachers,parentsandstaff,andlistencloselytotheanswers.

Take notes. Identify patterns. Be the person who knows what’s reallygoingonatyourschool.

Onemorething:Makesureyourstaffmembersexercisethesamevigilanceinclassrooms,playgrounds,thecafeteria,buses—everywhere.Beingalertistheresponsibilityofeveryoneoncampus,andeveryonehasadutytoreportproblemstheyseeandhear.Makethisanexpectationandsetupanefficientreporting system, like an anonymous complaint box or a designated staffmember.Afterproblemsarereported,theremustbeclearsignsoffollow-up.

Here’sachecklisttoconsiderasyoutravelthehalls,classroomsandschoolgrounds:Casual pejoraTives. Doyouhearcertainwordsusedregularlyinaderogatorymanner?That’ssogay.That’slame.That’sretarded.Istheword“bitch”usedcasuallytolabelfemalestudents?Worktoestablishaclimatewherecasualslursareuncommon—andarechallengedwhentheydooccur.speak up at schooloffersadviceonrespondingtoeverydaybias(tolerance.org/speak-up-at-school).

sChool “pride.” Docheersandchantsatsportingeventsfocusonpositiveaspectsofyourschool,ordotheydemeanopponentsinstead?Chantsortauntsbasedonethnicstereotypesandsocioeco-nomicdifferenceshavenoplaceinaninclusiveschoolcommunity.

assemblies and holidays. Skitsandcostumescanconveybigotedandstereotypicalmessages:the“day-laboringMexican,”studentsdressedas“rednecks,”peopleinblackface.Peprallies,Halloweenandotherevents,likespiritdays,canbecomesteepedinstereotypesandbigotry.Setexpectationsbeforehandaboutappropriatecostumesandculturalsensitivity.Discusstheinappropriatenessofcaricaturesordisturbingrepresentationsthatarerootedinbiasandbigotry.

marginalized sTudenTs. Engagestudentswhoappeartobeleftoutinthecafeteria,ontheplay-groundorinotherschoolsettings.Watchforpatternsorchangesinthewaygroupsofstudentsarealigned.Checkforsignsofhostility,depressionoramarkedchange in behavior or academic performance, and reachouttothestudents’parentsorguardiansand/ortheschoolcounselor as appropriate. Alienated students—either asindividualsoringroups—aremoresusceptibletobias-basedbullyingandeventorecruitmentbygangsandhategroups.

sTudenT reCogniTion. How does your school recog-nizestudentachievement?Long-standingtraditionsmaycontribute to a sense of entitlement among some stu-dents, and feelings of frustration or inadequacy in oth-ers.Whoisspotlightedandwhoisignored?Isthereaper-ception—fair or not—that athletes, advanced placement(AP)studentsandstudentleadersenjoyprivilegesorare

The anti-defamation league’s pyramid of hate offers a lesson—suitable for older students as well as for professional development—exploring levels of hate and bigotry. this can be helpful in gauging the seriousness of what you might encounter on campus.adl.org/education/courttv/pyramid_of_hate.pdf

every person in the school—from the music teacher who visits twice a week to the newest transfer student—should understand the climate of tolerance at your school.


disciplinedlessseverelyformisconduct?Collaboratewithstudentsandfacultyindevelopingmoreegalitarianwaystohonoranarrayofstudentachievements.

sTaff lounges. Howareteachersandotherstafftalkingamongthemselveswhenoutsideofstu-denthearing?Areteachersmakingnegativecommentsaboutthe“kidsfromthetrailerpark”?Aretheytellingcasuallybigotedjokes?Modelinclusive,nonbigotedbehavioryourself,andinterruptmomentsofbiasamongstaff.

your own perCepTions. Payattentiontothecommentsorcomplaintsyouautomaticallydismissordiscount.Isthereapattern?Isthereagapbetweenyourperceptionofacertainissue(bias-basedbullying,forexample)andtheperceptionothershaveoftheissue?Explorethatwithanopenmindandawillingnesstolearnfromothers.

involve everyone. Everypersonintheschool—fromthemusicteacherwhovisitstwiceaweektothenewesttransferstudent—shouldunderstandtheclimateoftoleranceatyourschool.“Ifyouseesomething,saysomething”shouldbethemodeleveryoneuses.Leteveryoneknowthatincidentsandconcernsshouldbereportedtoschoolleadersinpersonoranonymously.

don’T forgeT The sChool bus. Speakregularlywithbusdriversaboutwhattheyareseeingandhearingonthebuses.Occasionallyassignstaff toridebuses (orride thebusyourself ) tomoni-torbehaviorandtoreinforcetostudentsthattheclimateoftoleranceincludesnotjusttheschoolgrounds,butthebusaswell.

sTay CurrenT, sTay ConneCTedBias-based social media cases involving students have alreadymadeitintoU.S.andCanadiancourtrooms.Cyberbullying,oncea new term, is now a common one. Some schools have or areconsideringpoliciesoragreementsaroundFacebookuse.

“We have kindergartners with Facebook accounts,” saidDawnDuPreeKelley,anAlabamaschoolprincipal.

Andwhenmorethantwo-thirdsofyouthshavecellphones—onwhichtheyaremorelikelytotextthantalk—andmorethan90percentofyouthsareactiveonline,otherplatforms,beyondFacebook,comeintoplay.

Enter Instagram. Tumblr. Digg. StumbleUpon, Fark, four-squareandreddit.Theseareallnewtools,andallpotentialnewoutlets for bias-based bullying and bigoted cyber interactionsamongstudents.

Addtothattheadventofonlinecommentary,whichcanbevicious and bigoted, exposing young people to dehumanizinginvectiveacrosstheWebonadailybasis.And,ofcourse,there’sthecasualbigotryfoundinvariousformsofmusic.

Thelandscapeisdizzying.Yourjob,asaschooladministrator,isn’tnecessarilytoknow

everyhillandvalleyofthatlandscape.Butyoumuststayabreastofnewavenues,astheyarise,andmakesurethey’renotinfiltrat-ingyourschoolcommunitywithbiasedandbigotedmessages.Itmightbetheracistandmisogynisticimpactof“gangstarap”atoneschool,andtheantigaymessagesheardinso-called“murdermusic”atanother.OritmightbePhotoshoppedpicturesofatar-getedstudentatoneschool,postedona“burnpage,”anditmightbeatextingcampaigntargetingalesbian,gay,bisexual,ortrans-gender(LGBT)orLGBT-perceivedstudentatanotherschool.

the anti-defamation league offers resources around school-based internet issues.adl.org/cyberbullying

a pilot program from seattle public schools focuses on prevention and parental engagement.bit.ly/QctbVx

the Cyberbullying research Center offers updated information about the nature, extent, causes and consequences of cyberbullying, with an assortment of downloadable resources. cyberbullying.us

The New York Times provides an array of resources on cyberbullying (as well as bullying), including case studies and lesson plans.learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/resources-on-bullying-and-cyberbullying

mTv’s “a thin line” is a youth-directed campaign to raise awareness about how what seems like a harmless joke can end up having serious repercussions.athinline.com

wired safety is one of the longest running online safety organizations. its tween and teen angel programs empower youths to lead presentations on responsible use of social media and online technology.wiredsafety.org


Keepyourfocusonbehaviors.Whatarestudentsdoingwiththesesocial-mediaplatformsorthesesongs?Theobjectivesaretokeepupwithtrendsandinnovations,tobevigilantagainstbiasedorbigotedbehaviorsandnottoburyyourheadinthesand.

Knowhowstudentsusesocialmedia,knowhowtomonitorandsetexpectationsaroundthatusageanddecidehowtorespondwhentheseplatformsareusedtoharmastudentortargetagroupofstudents.Availyourselfofresourcesthataddressthemanyaspectsofthisissue.

seT high expeCTaTionsProtect your school against hate, bias and bigotry by setting firm—and high—expectations early andoften.Andnotjustforstudents.Everyoneonstaff,fromjanitorsandbusdriverstoclassroomteachersandsupportservices,mustknowthathate,disrespectandintimidationhavenoplaceoncampus.Thenreinforcetheseexpectationsateveryturn.

Messagesshouldbeconsistent,fromtheadministrator’sofficetoeveryclassroomandschoolactiv-ity.Expectationsshouldbesetatregistration,atorientation,onthefirstdayofschool,atthefirstschool-wideassembly—ateveryopportunitytoremindstudentsthatyoursisaschoolthatdoesnotallowhateorbiastoflourish.

Whileit’sessentialtospeakupagainstbiasandbigotryinaconsistentmanner,it’sequallyimportanttoreinforcegoodbehavior,praisingstudentsforusingrespectfullanguage,especiallyduringtenseordiffi-cultmoments.Disciplinepoliciesshouldbereasonable,withnozero-tolerancestancesandafocusthatisrestorativeratherthanpunitive.(See“CapacityBuilding”inSection3formoreguidanceonthissubject.)

“Setupstructurestopromoterespectfulbehavior,”saidAmberStrongMakaiau,ahighschoolteacherinHawaiiwhoauthoredaconflict-resolutioncurriculumthatwasadoptedstatewide. “Make itclear:Thisishowwewantpeopletobehave.Thisisthenorm.”

Herearethreeotherconsiderations:CreaTe a no-slur sChool. Earlyintheterm,stateclearsupportforasafe,openlearningenviron-mentfreeofslurs.Bespecific:noinsultsrelatedtoability,appearance,culture,gender,homelanguage,race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or social class will be tolerated. Make sure these expec-tationsareclearlyoutlinedintheschoolhandbook—forstudents,staffandfaculty—andensurethatthey’rerootedineducation,helpingtoraisebothawarenessandempathyabouttheharmdonebyslurs.

Curb TaunTing and Teasing. Setexpectationsofhowstudentsshouldspeaktoeachother,whethertheyareinoroutofearshotofateacheroradministrator.Listenforteasingorinsultsrelatedtorace,eth-nicity,bodysize,physicalabilities,religion,sexualorientation,clothing,appearanceorsocioeconomicsta-tus.Asneeded,leadandencouragediscussionsaboutrespectfulwayspeopleshouldinteract.Guidestu-dentsinbrainstormingwaystocurbtauntingandteasing.Havingstudentsdeveloptheirownrules,withadultguidance,oftenresultsingreaterstudentbuyin.TeachingToleranceoffersanexcellentactivity,“BuildingaClassroomConstitution,”tokickofftheschoolyear.(tolerance.org/activity/new-set-rules)

posT reminders. Administratorscanputupsignsintheirofficesandaroundtheschool(e.g.,“SafeSpacefromHate,”or“HateHasNoHomeHere”).Classroomteacherscandothesame.Teachersalsoshouldbeencouragedtoinvolvestudentsinmakinggroundrulesfortheclassroomatthestartofeachyear,focusingonrespectfulbehaviorandpositiveinteractions.Theserulesshouldbepostedprom-inentlyineachclassroomsotheycanbereferredtowhenrulesarenotfollowed.Thesesamerulesapplytoalladultswithintheschoolcommunity,whoalwaysshouldmodelrespectfulinteraction.

make The mosT of TeaChable momenTsIt’sgenerallyeasiertodiscussahatecrimeorbias incidentthathasoccurredelsewhere—toposethequestions“Couldithappenhere?”or“Howwouldwerespond?”inatheoreticalmanner,ratherthanintheheatofyourowncrisis.


So prior to any crisis arising on your campus, pay attention tostruggles happening at other schools. Find moments that can beusedforstaffandclassroomdiscussion.Focustheconversationonthekindofatmosphereyouwantatyourschoolandhowyoucanachievethat.Don’tdiscusshowtopunishperpetrators;insteadtalkabouthowtocreateandsustainaclimateinwhichsuchanincidentwouldbelesslikelytooccur.Framediscussionquestionsaccordingly.

Don’task,“Whydidhedothat?”Askinstead,“Howandwhydidthishappen?”

Theseareteachablemoments.Momentswhenyoucanremindallmembersof theschoolcommunityaboutschoolexpectations.Momentswhenyoucanhelpstudentsunderstandthedamagedoneandpaininflictedbybiasandbigotry.Teachersacrossthecountryshare“teachablemoments”withTeachingToleranceonaregularbasis.JoinusonFacebooktofollowthesestories.(facebook.com/teachingtolerance.org)

Alsousetheseteachablemomentstobuildstudentcapacityforempathy.Istheresomethingstudentscandotosupportthoseattheotherschoolwhoweretargetedbyhate?Writecardsofencouragement?Paintabannerofsupportandsendittotheschool?Holdarallyatyourschoolinsupportofvictimsattheotherschool,andpostavideoofitonYouTube?

Andrememberthis:Sometimes,youasaschoolleaderaretheonelearninginateachablemoment.Inanymomentofbiasorbigotry,whetherithappensoncampusorelsewhere,askyourself—andaskothersintheschoolcommunity—whathappenedandwhyarepeoplereactingtoit?Couldithappenhere?Ifso,whatmightwedotopreventit,oratleastlessenitsimpact?

Becausemakenomistake,thingscangopowerfullywronginthewakeofabiasincidentataschool—astheydidinJena,Louisianain2006.Read“SixLessonsfromJena:WhatEverySchool&EducatorShouldTaketoHeart”tolearnmoreabouthowtoconstructivelyrespondtoahateincidentatyourschool.(tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/tt_lessons_from_jena.pdf)

Hereareotherconsiderations:whaT if haTe Comes To Town? Ifahategroup,suchasFredPhelps’WestboroBaptistChurch,planstoholdarally inyourcommunity, taketimetodiscussthemosteffectiveresponse.Talkaboutthegroup’shistoryandpracticeswithstudents,anddiscusswhatothercommunitieshavedoneinthe

if a hate crime happens in your community or in a neighboring community, be prepared to discuss how your school might respond.


past.Developaplanthat isthoughtfulandstrategic,avoidingknee-jerkreactionsthatmayendupbeingportrayedaslittlemorethanshoutingmatchesonTVnewsprograms.Likewise,ifahatecrimehappensinyourcommunityorinaneighboringcommunity,bepreparedtodiscusshowyourschoolmightrespond.Not inOurTown(niot.org)anditsNot inOurSchoolprogram(niot.org/nios)aregreatresourcesforplanningthiskindofresponse.

avoid reinjury. It’sbadenoughwhenapejorativewordisusedpublicly.Don’tcompoundtheprob-lembyfocusingontargetedstudentswhenaskingquestionsaboutthedamagecausedbyabias-basedincident.Don’tsingleouttheLatinostudentstocommentonananti-immigrantcrimeorincident.Askthewholeclassorgroup,withoutsinglinganyoneout,puttinganyoneonthespotortacitlydemand-ingthatasinglepersonspeakforhisorherentireidentitygroup.

speak upYou’rewalkingthehalls,stayingconnected,settinghighexpectationsandembracingteachablemoments.There’sonemoreimportantstep.Speakupandoutagainstintolerance.

Whenaslurflies,speakup.Whenaracistjokeistold,speakup.Makesureyoursisacommunitythatdoesnotremainsilentinthefaceofbigotry.Ifschoolleaderssaytheschoolisano-slurzoneandthenremainsilentwhensomeonecallssomeoneelsea“bitch”ora“spaz”inthehallway,themessageislost.

Andspeakingupisnotjustanadministrator-to-studentorteacher-to-studentscenario.Theclimateshouldencourageeveryonetospeakupagainstbiasandhate,atalllevelsandinallareasthroughouttheschool.

“Wedon’tuseslursatthisschool,”shouldbeaphraseeveryonehasattheready.

Herearesomeotherconsiderations:biased “jokes” aren’T ok. Speakupagainstallbiasedspeech,evenifit’susedina“joking”man-ner.Interruptwhateverishappening—aconversationintheteachers’ lounge,alessonintheclass-room,someonestarting to tellanobviouslyracistorsexist joke—andoffercalm,firmguidance.“Thosewordshurtandangeralotofpeople.Wedon’tusetheminthisclassroom.”

iT doesn’T have To be personal. Apowerfulresponsetohatespeechis to tie it to one’s own life—my grandmother died in the Holocaust,mybrotherhasadevelopmentaldisability,andsoon—butthewordorslurneednotbetiedtoyoupersonallyforittobeoffensive.Thegoalisnottohavestudentsavoidusingslursinfrontofthepeopletargetedbytheslurs;rather,thegoalistoeliminatetheuseofslursnomatterwhomightbewithinearshot.

waTCh for nonverbal TaunTs, Too. If a student hurtfully mocksanother’sappearance,mannerisms,mobilityorability,calltheoffend-er’sattentiontothefundamentalissueofrespect.Youmightconsiderpullingtheindividualasidetoaddressandcorrectsuchbehavior,ratherthanembarrassinghimorherinfrontofpeers,asituationthatcanleadtoamoredefensivereaction.

be a role model. All adults in the school community should modelrespectfulbehavior,especiallyintenseordifficultmoments;rememberthatyouare leadersandmentors,not justrandomadults.Studentsarewatching,and,whether theyadmit itornot, theytaketheircues fromtheadultsaroundthem.It’sespeciallypowerfulwhenoneadultspeaksupagainstanotheradultwhohasusedaslurorbiasedlanguage.Ifyouignoreacolleague’sracistlanguage,you’retacitlyindicatingthatit’sOKtousesuchlanguage.

a Tool for your Toolboxteaching tolerance has written a guide, “speak Up at school,” which offers guidance in speaking up against everyday bigotry. (tolerance.org/speak-up-at-school)

A Guide for TeAchers

SpeakUp at School

A PublicAtion of teAching tolerAnce

how to respond to everyday Prejudice, Bias and stereotypes


Section two


WHat Has Happened?

a latino student and an asian student have an argument that escalates into screamed slurs and a physical scuffle, observed by more than 50 classmates.

an opposing football team refuses to take the field against a team that has a female player, saying girls have no place in “boys’ sports.”

students play an off-campus game called “beat the jew,” in which some students pre-tend to be nazis chasing the student identified as “the jew.”

a teacher discovers a “burn” page on facebook filled with endless bigoted comments against a male student who is perceived to be gay.

a student white-pride group disrupts an all-school photograph.

a pep rally involves students portraying illegal immigrants, while other students cos-tumed as border guards round them up with billy clubs.

a teen girl kills herself after unrelenting bullying targeted her as a “slut.”

Hate crimes and bias incidents happen across the country with aggravating frequency. They vary onmanylevels,andyourresponsemusttakethatintoaccount.

Sowhathashappened?Isitahatecrime?Forthattobethecase,twothingsarenecessary.First,acrimehastohaveoccurred—

vandalism,physicalassault,arsonandsoon.Second,thecrimemustbemotivated,inwholeorinpart,bybias,andthetargetedindividualorgroupmustbelistedinthestatutesasaprotectedclass.Federallyprotectedclassesarerace,religion,ethnicity,nationality,gender,sexualorientation,genderidentityanddisability.Stateandlocallyprotectedclassesvary.

Ifnocrimehasoccurred—andagain,thatmaybedifficulttodetermineattheoutset—itlikelycanbecalledabiasincident.(Itmaymoreaptlybelabeledharassmentorintimidation,andschoolpolicymight


comeintoplay.)Abiasincidentisbiasedconduct,speechorexpressionthathasanimpactbutdoesnotinvolvecriminalaction.

Reread the opening list of school incidents—drawn from recent headlines—as an exercise to makethesedistinctions.Withlimitedinformation,answersmayvary,butitwillhelptodiscernwhereonedefi-nitionendsandtheotherbegins.TheUniversityofChicagoalsooffersanonlineguide(civility.uchicago.edu/crimes.shtml)tohelpdiscernbetweenhatecrimesandbiasincidents.TeachingToleranceisalsoapartnerwithStoptheHate(stophate.org),whichofferstrainingprogramstiedtotheseissues.

Whydoesthisdistinctionmatter?Ahatecrimelikelywillinvolvelawenforcement.Abiasincidentlikelywillnot.

Theinvestigativeforcebehindahatecrimemaybefocusedonmotivationandpunishment—whodidthis,whydidtheydoit,andhowwilltheybebroughttojustice?Thatmaynotbeyourmainobjectiveasanadministrator—andinmostcasesshould notbeyourmainobjective.Yourfocusshouldremainonaddressingtheimpactoftheincident,notitsmotivation.Howhastheschoolclimatebeendamaged?Whatmustwedotorepairandimprovethatclimate?

Youlikelywillhavelesscontrolinmanagingtheincidentifpoliceareinvolved,butyoumayhavemoreresourcesavailable—patrollinginandaroundtheschool,communityresourceofficers,increasedinves-tigatorycapabilitiesandsoon.

Already,inthefirstmoment,framingaresponseisnoteasy.That’swhythisguideexists.Init,weout-lineninekeyconsiderationsasyouchartyourcourseduringabiascrisis:

• Putsafetyfirst

• Denouncetheact

• Investigate

• Involveothers

• Workwiththemedia

• Provideaccurateinformation—anddispelmisinformation

• Supporttargetedstudents

• Seekjustice,avoidblame

• Promotehealing


Before you move to these steps—which are muchmore simultaneous than linear—ask yourself anotherquestion:Whatresourcesdowehaveinplacetoman-ageourresponses?

Does the district have legal or security personnelwhowillbecalledtohelpwiththeinvestigation?Whowill serve as the media spokesperson? Does anyonehaveexperienceinthatrole(talkingtomediaaboutsen-sitiveissues,trainingincrisismanagement)?Whoelseneedstobeinvolvedintheschool,atthedistrictlevel,inthecommunity?

Startcreatingalistofresourcesyouhave(awrittenschoollockdownpolicythatmaycomeintoplay,adesig-natedphonelinethatcanbeusedtoshareupdateswithparents,neighboringBoys&GirlsClubsofAmericathatmightprovidemeetingspacesandsoon),makingcon-nectionsthatwillhelpyoumoveforward.Yourresourcelistshouldincludepeopleaswell—influentialcommu-nitymemberswhomayserveasalliesinacrisis.

Nowalso is the timetoactivate the incidentresponse team.Youcanstart small—drawinahandfulofkeypeople—butknowthatastheresponseunfolds,theteammaygrowsothatitisbothrepresentativeofandresponsivetotheschoolcommunity.

(Nowalsoisthetimetobethankfulforanyoftheprecrisisworkyouhaveputintoplay.Youcan’ttrulyplanforthespecificityofthismoment,butyoucanbebetterprepared.)

Andastheschooladministrator,steelyourselfforthefollowing:bad news Travels fasT—and far—These days. Gossipandrumor,aidedbycellphonesandtheInternet,spreadsthroughoutyourschool,tootherschools,othercities,otherstatesandothernationswithinhours, ifnotmoments.Thingsmayescalate farmorequicklythanyouexpectviasocialmediaoutlets,mainstreammediaand,insomecases,onhategroups’websites,whichmaytwistthefactsandcreatenewissuestoaddress.

you are The hub. Inacrisismoment,youhavelesstimetothinkandplanthanyouwouldlike,andstudents,teachers,staffandotherswillbecomingtoyouforimmediateguidance.Italsomeansyoumaybegettingcallsfromthesuperintendent,themayor’soffice,communitygroupsandthemediabeforeyouhavehadachancetogatherafullreportaboutwhathasactuallyhap-penedonyourcampus.

judgmenTs will be rushed. Thewidercommunitymayalreadyhavetakensidesandformedopinionsbeforeanyonefullyunderstandsthesituation.Itisimperativeforyoutohavestruc-turesandplansinplaceforcrisismanagement,specificallyaroundinformationmanagementandthedispellingofrumors.

balanCe The desire for speed wiTh The need for Thoroughness. Don’tletthechaosofacrisissituationderailyourwork.Focusonwhatneedstobedone,andmakesureyoudon’tallowsomeoneelse’sdeadlinetodistractyoufromtheworkneededtomanagethiscrisis.Bereadytosay,“Wedon’thaveenoughinformationyettomakethatdetermination,”whilealsounderstanding that the longer it takes to gather that information, the more misinformationmaygrowandspread.

use or CreaTe Tools To spread aCCuraTe informaTion. You may add a special pagetotheschoolwebsitewhereupdatesareplaced.Emailalsocanbeauseful tool forsendingupdates,thoughrememberthateveryonemightnothaveaccesstoemail.Acampusnewslet-terornewspaperalsocanbeatoolforspreadingaccurateinformationabouttheincidentandtheongoinginvestigation.

gossip and rumor, aided by cell phones and the internet, spreads throughout your school, to other schools, other cities, other states and other nations within hours, if not moments.


administrators’ crisis checklist

puT safeTy firsTTheparamountconcerninanycrisis issafety.Followyourschool’spoliciesfor lockingdownthesiteor site evacuation, if needed; call school security officers or outside law enforcement, if appropriate;alertparentsandcaregivers,ifwarranted;andmakesureeveryoneoncampusissafeandaccountedfor.Attendtoanyinjuries.Followyourschool’semergencyprotocols.That,always,isanadministrator’sfirstorderofbusiness.

Ifyouhavenotalreadyformedanincidentresponseteam,dosonow.Ideally,membersofanincidentresponseteamneedtoprojectasenseofcalmaswellasearnestconcern.

Restoringorderisakeysteptoreestablishinganysenseofsafety.Isolateallegedoffendersasquicklyaspossible.Directuninvolvedstudentsbacktoclassrooms,andhave

teacherskeepthemthereuntilfurthernotice.Ifnecessaryforsafety,holdbellsandprovideinstructionstoteachersbyintercom,phoneorwrittenmessages.Students,facultyandstaffshouldbeassuredthatthematterisbeingdealtwithandthatmoreinformationabouttheincidentwillbeprovidedassoonaspossible.

Rumorsalreadywillbeflying.Takethemseriously.AccordingtoboththeU.S.SecretServiceandtheU.S.DepartmentofEducation,inmostcasesofschoolviolencesomeoneotherthantheattackerknewofthethreatbutfailedtoreportit.Emphasizethatanysuchinformationshouldbecommunicatedimme-diately,andidentifythepersonorpersonstowhominformationshouldbereported.Publicizeaccesstoananonymoustipline,anonlinereportformoranin-schooltipbox.Provideavenuesforpeopletoshareinformation,andassignpeopletoreviewandreportonthatinformationasitcomesin.

Also,especiallywithmoreseriousincidents,beonhighalertregardingthepotentialforcopycatsorretaliatoryactions.Withmanyincidents—bias-drivenfightsorattacks,vandalismandgraffiti—thereisarealriskofrepeatedincidentsbyvengefulclassmatesorcopycats.Facultyandstaffshouldbemoreawarethanusual,watchingforsignsoftension,veiledorimpliedthreatsandunusualactivity.Letallstudentsknowthatthecampusisonheightenedalert.

denounCe The aCTWhenahatecrimeorbiasincidenthasaffectedtheschool,itisimportanttodenouncethehatefulactinclear,unambiguousterms.Silenceoralackofresponseallowsfear,confusion,misinformationanddis-trusttogrow.

Ifsomeonespraypaintsswastikasontheschool’smainentrance,forexample,orhangsanooseout-sideanAfrican-Americanteacher’sclassroomwindow,itisnotthetimetosay,“Weregretifanyonetookoffense.”Theswastikasandthenooseare offensive,andschoolleadersneedtosayso.

Yourdenunciationoftheincidentshouldbedeliveredtostudentsandstaff,parentsandcaregivers,andthewidercommunity.Postitontheschoolwebsite,andpublishitintheschoolnewspaperornews-letter.Senditouttothemedia.Deliveritovertheschool’sPAsystem,closed-circuitTVorintercom.

Keepitsimple.Focusonthreemainpoints:• Anunacceptableincidenthasoccurred(bespecificinyourdescriptionofit,otherwisegossipand

rumorwillallowmistakeninformationtotakeroot).

• Afullinvestigationisunderway.

• Ourschoolstandsforrespectandinclusion,aplacewhereallarewelcomeandappreciated.

Anexample:“someone or some group has painted swastikas, a long-standing symbol of the worst kind of hate, on the front entrance of our school. it is deplorable, and we denounce it. a full investigation is under way. we are working quickly to cover and remove this vicious symbol of oppression and genocide. hate has no place at this school. we, as a school community, stand for respect and inclusion, a place where all are free to learn in a safe and welcoming environment.”


Incraftingaresponse,however,someissuesneedtobeconsidered.Isthisanactthatappearstobeperpetratedbyanoutsider?Ifso,thewholeschoolhasbeenattacked,

andyourwordsmustreflectthat,asintheexampleabove.Butwhatifitisanactcarriedoutbymem-bersoftheschoolcommunity,somethingthatmayhaveoralreadyhasdividedstudents?Ifso,youmustapproachthestatementwiththatinmind.

“hateful graffiti has been found in three of our school’s bathrooms. we believe the person or group responsible may be part of our own school community. the images used are deplorable, and we denounce them. an inves-tigation is under way, and we are working quickly to remove these swastikas, vicious symbols of oppression and genocide. hate has no place in this school. we will use this as an opportunity to remind our-selves why we are here. this is an opportunity for education, a time to remind ourselves that we, as a school community, stand for respect and inclusion. we must be a place where all are free to learn in a safe and welcoming environment. that is the work that lies before us.”

Rememberthatyourprimaryaimshouldbetorestoretheschooltohealth,not topunishperpetrators.Your focusshouldbeonwhat the school stands for, that hate has no place here. Focusonthepositivestepstheschoolcommunitywilltaketorestoreorderandrenewitscommitmenttoprovideasafeandwelcom-ingenvironmentwhereallstudentscanlearn.Alsomentiontheneedforhealingwithintheschoolcommunity,aswellassup-portforanyidentitygroupsspecificallytargetedbytheincident.

Andthemessageneedstocomefromyou,thetopadminis-trator,asasignaltostudentsandothersthatthematterisundercontrolandbeingdealtwithat thehighest level.This isnotatimetodelegate.

invesTigaTeAsanadministrator,itisyourresponsibilitytoremaincalm,firmanddeliberateasyougatherthefactssurroundingapotentialbias-basedincident.Don’tletothers’passionsdistractyoufromthistask,anddon’t let therushed feelingofacrisis forceyou intomakinghasty judgments.Empower the incidentresponseteamtocarryoutathoroughinvestigation,andprovideresourcestosupportit.

Takenote:Whileitisnecessarytobealerttobiasorbigotryinanystudentconflict,itisalsoimportantnottojumptoconclusionsbeforefactsaregathered.Noteveryconflictinvolvingstudentsofdifferentracesismotivatedbyracialbias,forexample.Aprematureconclusioncouldfuelracialtensionratherthaneaseit.

Also,maintainperspective.Particularlyamongyoungerstudents,someonemaymakebigotedcommentsorcarryoutotherapparentactsofbiaswithoutunderstandingthefullsignificanceofhisorheractions.Approacheachincidentwithanopenmind,andaskquestionstodeterminewhetherastudentwasactingoutofignoranceratherthanmalice.Thatunderstandingwillhelpyouframeyourresponsetotheincident.

Understandthathoaxessometimeshappen.Individualsmayfabricatereportsofbiasincidents.Thiskindofdeceptioncanreflectavarietyofmotivations,includingmaliciousmischief,adesiretocallatten-tiontooneselfor,ironically,awishtobringattentiontoanissuesuchastheneedforastrongerschoolpolicyonharassment.Whengenuinebiasincidentsgounaddressed,astudentmayexaggerateormakeupfalseincidents—writinghatenotestooneself,forexample—topromptaresponsefromschooloffi-cials.Theseoffensesneedtobetakenseriously,andappropriateconsequencesshouldbeenforced,butafabricatedincidentmayalsoindicatethatrelatedissueshavenotbeenfullyexaminedwithintheschool.

Hereareadditionalconsiderations:• Beup-to-dateondistrictpoliciesandlegalprotocolsanddiscussthemwithdistrictlegalcounseland

lawenforcementofficials,ifthelatterareinvolved.

issue The sTaTemenT as soon as possible. after immediate safety and investigative needs have been addressed, prepare a simple response statement denouncing the hateful act and reiterating the school’s commitment to a respectful, safe learning environment for all students.

inClude voiCes of allies in The sTaTemenT. these allies should come from the list of influential community members that school leaders can call upon. these community leaders or organizations can present a powerful, united front. and involving them will also show that school leaders are reaching out beyond the school grounds as they manage the response.

promise (and deliver) updaTes. make it clear that more complete information will be shared as facts and details become known.


• Letthecampusknowthatyou(orthepolice,ifthatisthecase)areinafact-gatheringmode.Ifyouaresilentatthispoint,somemayassumeyouaredoingnothingtoaddresstheincident.

• Giveasenseofexpecteddurationofthefact-gatheringphase.“Forthenexttwodays,wewillbegatheringfactsaboutthisincident.Iwillsharespecificnewsasitbecomesavailable.Inthemean-time,pleasecometome,ortoanymemberofthestaff,withinformationorconcernsyoumayhave.”

• Conductindividualinterviewswitheyewitnessesassoonaspossibletocollectfreshrecollections,emphasizingthatthemaingoalistheprotectionoftheschoolcommunity.Holdtheseinterviewsinasecureplacethatdoesn’tputeyewitnessesatadditionalrisk.Askwitnessestohelpidentifyotherswhomayhaveinformation.

• Understandthateyewitnessaccountswillvary,andnotallwitnesseswill feelsafe incomingfor-ward.Talktoasmanypeopleaspossibleinordertobetterunderstandwhathappened.

• Iftheincidentwascaughtonschoolsecuritycameras,reviewthevideotoseeifithelpstoclarifywhathappenedorassistsinidentifyingpotentialwitnesses.

• Investigatetheincidentwithaneyetowardwhetheritispartofalargerpattern.Doesahostileenvi-ronmentexistforsomestudents?Askmembersoftargetedgroupsiftheyaresurprisedbythisinci-dentandwhethersimilarincidentshavehappened.Askwhethertheschoolleaders’responseissat-isfactory,andlistenwithanopenmindifpeoplesayitisn’tsatisfactory.

• Createawayforwitnessestoremainanonymous.Peoplemayfeeltoofrightenedtoidentifythem-selvesbutmayhavevitalinformation.

Whenpoliceare involved,theremaybeadditionalconcernsregardingtheinvestigation.If individualsafetyisafactor,forexample,thenhavingavisibleshowofpolicesupportmightbeacalminginfluence.If,ontheotherhand,thereisalargepoliceresponsetowhatisperceivedasarelativelyminorincident,itcouldexacerbatetensionratherthaneaseit.

Anddonotexpectpolicetomanagethecampusclimate.Policeinvestigatorsarelookingtosolveacrime.Asacampusadministrator,oneofyourkeyobjectivesistorepairandimproveschoolclimateinthewakeofabias-basedcrisis;donotneglectthatroleasyouawaitcompletionofapoliceinvestigation.

involve oThersThisshouldnotbeastarting-from-scratchmoment;youshouldhaveexistingrelationshipswithparentsandcaregivers,communityorganizationsandcivicleaderstowhomyoucanreachoutduringacrisis.Itis,however,amomenttoexpandthoseconnectionsandrelationships.Maybeyoudon’thaveastrongconnectiontoaneighborhoodadjoiningtheschoolcampus,forexample.Nowisthetimetostrengthenit.

Smallincidentsthathavenotdrawnwidespreadattentionmaybesolvedthroughmuchsimplerpro-cesses.(Don’t,however,neglectconsideringwhetherasmallincidentispartofalargerpatternofhostil-ityatyourschool.)Formid-levelandlargerincidents,takeintoaccountthefollowing:

Therearetwooverarchinggroupstoconsider:

direct ties to the school

• Facultyandstaff

• Students

• Parentsandcaregivers

• Schooldistrictofficials

• Alumni

• Whoelse?

indirect ties to the school

• Governmententities(apowerfuloneistheU.S.DepartmentofJustice’sCommunityRelationsServiceatjustice.gov/crs)

• Humanrightsgroups

• Nonprofitsandcivicgroups

• Faithgroups

• Mentalhealthcounselors

• Electedofficials

• Whoelse?


Askyourself:Atwhatleveldoweneedtokeeptheminformed,andhowwillweaccomplishthat?Thosewithdirecttiestotheschoollikelyneeddaily(ormorefrequentintheearlydays)updates;use

existingchannelsofcommunicationtoaccomplishthis,andconsider(basedonthelevelofimpacttheincidenthashad)emergencymeetings,includinganall-staffmeetingbeforethestartofthefollowingschoolday.

Tothosewithindirectties,youmayreachoutinotherways,askingforspecifichelp,ameetingspace,vocalsupportandsoon.Ifit’saparticularlyhigh-profilemoment,itmaybethatyouarecoordinatingwiththemayortojoinyouattheinitialpressconference,forexample.Andifyoudon’thaveastronglistofcommunityresources,startdevelopingitnow.Aretherehumanrightsgroupsatthelocal,stateornationallevelwhomighthavereadyresourcesandguidance?

Acrucialcomponentintheaftermathofabiascrisisiscounselingforstudents,facultyandstaff.Somemembersoftheschoolcommunitymayneedmoretimeandhelptoprocesswhathashappened.Othersmaywanttotalkaboutfearsrelatedtoacuteorchronicbiasissues.Considerofferingfacilitatedsessionswherestudentsandschoolemployeescantalkabouttheirexperiencesandfeelings.Askschoolcounsel-orstoupdatealistordatabaseofcurrentresourcesandreferralinformation.Seekdistrictandcommu-nityresourcestosupporttheseefforts.

Alsoask:Howcanweseekinput?It’svitalforyoutokeeppeopleinformed,andit’salsoimportantforyoutosetupchannelsforlisten-

ing.Peopleneedtobeheardincrisismoments,andifyoudon’tgivethemaplatformforthat,frustrationanddistrustwillrise.

Set up avenues for written and verbal feedback—perhaps a special email (crisisteam@domain) orphoneline,aswellasmeetingswherepeopleareallowedtospeak,askquestions,andofferthoughtsandguidance.Publicizemeetingswellsoallwhoareinterestedmightattend.WorkwiththePTA,whichmayhaveadditionalresourcesforengagingparents.

Forhigh-profileincidents,acommunitymeetingafewnightsaftertheincident—sayonthethirdorfourthnight—oftencanbeaneffectivetool.

Offerawrittensummaryofthegathering,andmakeitavailabletothosewhoareunabletoattend,viaemail,theschoolwebsiteandlocalmedia.Reiteratehowthisincidenthasviolatedschoolvalues,outlinestepsbeingtakeninresponse,andprovideavenuesforcommunityinvolvement.(Thiswrittencommuni-cationcanbesharedfirstatthestaffandfacultyemergencymeeting,whereyoucansolicitfeedbackforeditingandimprovement.)

work wiTh The mediaMinorincidentsmayflyunderthemediaradar.Anyincidentthatspillsoffschoolgroundsordrawsmorewidespreadattentionalsolikelywilldrawmediaattention.Soatanymomentinacrisis,thenextcallmaybefromareporterwantinginformationandacomment.

Cooperatewiththemedia,asmuchaspossible.Clearly,ifamediaoutletismishandlingthestoryorbreakingschoolpolicyorrulesaboutaccesstothecampus,correctiveactionshouldbetaken.Ingeneral,though,itisbesttoworkwiththemedia,andpresentfactsasyouseethemratherthanbeingatoddswiththem.

Yourschoolordistrictmayhaveapublicinformationofficerormediarelationsspecialist.Ifso,thatpersonshouldbeinvolvedfromtheveryoutset,tobepreparedforearlymediacalls.

That person—or someone else with previous experience working with media or public relations—shouldbedesignatedtohandleallmediainquiries.It’simperativethatthispersonbekeptuptodateonallaspectsofthesituation,throughregularmeetingsandcommunications.

Giveeveryoneonstaffthisperson’scontactinformation,andinstructeveryonetodeliveraclearmes-sage:“Allmediainquiriesarebeinghandledby[X].Hereisthatcontactinformation…”

Asinglehubisvitaltoavoidmiscommunicationandthespreadofconflictingmessagesormisinfor-mation.Iffourpeopleareansweringmediaquestionsinfourdifferentways,youwillendupsendingmixedandmisleadingmessages.

Resisttheurgetodeliveraflat“nocomment.”Thelackofinformationmakesthemediamoreapttolooktootherstoanswertheirquestionsandalsomaybeseenbysomeasalackofactiononyourpart—thatyou


areignoringtheincident,tryingtosweepitundertherug,nottakingitseriously,hopingitjustmightgoaway.Becauseofthat,a“nocomment”responsemaydamageyoureffortstorebuildcommunity.What’sagoodalternative,whenyouhavelittleornothingtosay?Frametheresponseasavaluesstatement:“We’reveryconcerned.Wedon’tyethaveallthefacts.We’llbereadytomakeacommentwhenwedo.”

Sobepreparedtoworkwiththemedia,andseeitasanopportunityforyoutowidenthedenunciationoftheincidentandtoframethemes-sageyouwanttobeoutthere.

Smallerincidentsmayinvolveonlyafewcallsfromthelocalmedia.For larger incidents, it likely will involve the organization of a pressconferenceforlocal,regionalandsometimesnationalmedia.Thispressconferenceshouldhappenwithinafewdaysoftheincident—probablynotonthesameday,butperhapsontheafternoonofthenextdayoronthemorningofthethirdday.Thetopschooladministratorshouldbethemainspeaker;again,thisisnotatimetodelegate.

Inmostcases,itisabadideatostiff-armthemediaatthiseventwith“no comments” and hostile attitudes. Efforts to do so almost alwaysbackfire.Youwanttoworkwithreportersandreadilyshareasmuchinformationasissafelypossible.Thiscanhelpeasethecrisis.Ontheotherhand,itisnotnecessarytoanswerevery—orevenmost—reporters’questions,especiallyintheearlystagesofacrisiswhenyouarestillfiguringoutwhathappenedandhowtodealwithit.Yournumber-onepriorityisthesafetyofstu-dents,parentsandstaff.

Sowhattosayatthepressconference?Firstofall,keepitsimple.Useshort,directsentences.Provideenough details to explain what happened, but don’t slip into conjecture or guesswork about motivesorotheraspectsoftheincident.Repeatyourmainpointsoften.Haveasimple,nondefensiveresponsereadyforquestionsyoudonotwishtoanswer.“That’snotsomethingIcancommenton.”Or,“Wehaven’tdeterminedthatyet.”

you want to work with reporters and readily share as much information as is safely possible. This can help ease the crisis.


Here’saroadmapforyourpressconferencemessage.Thissameroadmapcanbehelpfulindevelopingtalkingpointsforteacherswhowillbespeakingtostudentsandtheirfamiliesandcaregivers:• Statewhathashappened.

• Denouncethehatefulincident.

• Indicatewhereyouareintheinvestigation(early,partwaythrough,nearlydone).

• Statewhatstepstheschoolistakinginitsresponsetotheincident(settingupcounselingteamsforstudentsandstaff,creatinganincidentresponseteamtoinvestigatetheincident).

• Describesupportsthatalreadyexistintheschool(anantiharassmentpolicy,corevalues,pledgesoftolerancesignedbystaffandstudents,etc.).

• Indicatethatclearlythereisneedformoreworktobedone.

• Remind people that you are an educational institution, well-positioned to raise awareness andincreaseunderstandingaroundtheissuesraisedbythehatefulincident.

• Statethatdisciplinewillbehandledinamannerappropriatetotheoffense,basedonschoolpolicyandlocallaws.

• Focusonpositivestepsyouplantotakeratherthanonpunitivemeasuresagainstperpetrators.

Andherearesometipsonholdingapressconference:• Choosearoomontheperimeteroftheschool,preferablywithitsownentrance.Otherwise,you’llbe

allowingpeoplewithcamerasandrecordingdevicestowalkdownyourhallways,potentiallycaptur-ingunapprovedimages.(Youalsocanpartnerwithanearbycommunityorganizationandholdthepressconferenceoffcampus.)

• Holdthepressconferenceinaroomfromwhichyoucanexiteasilywhentheconferenceends,andhaveacoupleofpeopleremainbehindtoescortmediafromtheroom.Youshouldbeinapositiontocalmlycallanendtothepressconferenceandleave.

• Setthepressconferenceafterschoolhasbeendismissedandstudentshaveleftthebuildingorbeforetheschooldaystartspriortostudents’arrival.Thiswillminimizemediaseekingstudentandparentcommentsastheyleaveschool.

• Givereporterscopiesofallstatementsyoumake,includinganymessagesdenouncingtheincidentthathavebeenpostedonwebsites,giventostudentsorsenthometofamiliesandcaregivers.

• Don’tannounceanythingdramatictothemediaiffaculty,students,familiesandcaregivershavenotbeeninformedfirst.Itraisestensionanddistrustwhendirectconstituentshearorreadsurprisingnewsinthemedia.

• Speak in short, direct sentences when answering questions. Longer sentences can end up beingeditedbadlyforTV,radioandprintmedia.

• Answerthequestionbeingasked.Don’twanderontounrelatedtopics.

• Bepreparedtoanswerthesamequestionmultipletimeswithoutbecomingirritatedordefensive.Reportersoftenaskthesamequestionindifferentwaystoelicitdeeperresponses.Simplyrepeatyourmainmessageasoftenasnecessary,inacalm,professionaltone.Don’tsoundexasperatedathavingtorepeatsomething;that’snotthetoneorimageyouwanttoseeontheeveningnews.

• Haveareadyresponsetoquestionsyoudonotwishtoanswer,suchas“That’snotsomethingIcanaddress.”Thenask,“Nextquestion?”

• Whenthequestioninghasrunoutofsteam,oryouneedtoreturntodealdirectlywiththecrisis,offerapolite,“Thankyou,”andexit.

Unless there is a dramatic turn of events following the initial incident, one press conference may beenough. After that, send out press statements as key actions occur. If community healing events—a


candlelightvigilorarallyforinclusion—areplanned,alertthepressinadvance.Coverageofthepositiveaftermathofabiasincidentillustratesthestepsbeingtakentoimproveschoolclimate.

provide aCCuraTe informaTion— and dispel misinformaTionThisislessaboutastepinthecrisis-recoveryprocessandmoreaboutyouroverallmanagementoftheresponsetoanincident.

Misinformationoftenrunsrampantintheaftermathofabias-basedincidentatschool.Afightinvolv-ingtwopeoplebecomesameleeinvolvingadozenormore.Storiesofpossibleretaliationarewhisperedinhallways.Talesof“whatreallyhappened”allowforexaggeration,ratchetingupfears.Inacrisis,youaretaskednotjustwithmanaginginformation,butalsowithmanagingmisinformation.

Youcannotmonitoreverything,butyoucandesignateapersonorasmallgrouptokeepeyesandearsonvariousinformationsources,bringingmisinformationtotheattentionoftheincidentresponseteaminacoordinated,ongoingway.

Read comments on news websites. Browse Facebook and other social media sites. Follow Twitter.Spendtimeinthecafeteriaandthehallways,listeningtowhatisbeingsaid.

Createafactsheetabouttheincident,andkeepitupdated—specificallycorrectingmisinformation.Don’t let misinformation take root in the school or community; once that happens, it becomes muchmoredifficulttocorrect.

Use each new communication—statements, emails, public address announcements, comments atmeetingsandschoolgatherings—tocorrectmisinformationandreiteratefacts,alwayscomingbacktothevaluesmessagethatthereisnoplaceforhateinthisschool.

Andbecarefulasyougatheryourowninformation.Don’tjumptoconclusions.Ifyouarehasty,youmayspreadmisinformationyourselfandthenappeartobebacktrackingorsidesteppingsomethingwhenyoutrytocorrectyourownmisinformation.It’sOKtosay,“Wedon’tknowthatyet.”

Andwhatiftheincidentturnsouttobeahoaxorfabrication?Ithappens,anditcallsforaconstruc-tiveresponseaswell.Inthecaseofahoax,addressthenegativeimpactoftheactanyway,evenasyoudenouncethedeception.Clearupanyrumorsandpointoutthedamagingeffectsthesedeceptionshaveonconfidenceandtrust.“Cryingwolf”—lyingaboutathreat—damagesthepeaceandsafetyoftheentireschoolcommunity.Andremember,justbecausesomeonehascriedwolfdoesnotmeanaproblemdoesnotexist;continuetolookintotheissuetoseeifapatternofhostilityexists.

supporT TargeTed sTudenTsItisvitaltosupportspecificvictimsofabiasincidentorhatecrimeatschool,aswellasshowsupportforthetargetedcommunity.Tocreatethissupport,youmustprovideforphysicalsafety,denouncetheactinunequivocaltermsandfollowthroughonappropriateconsequencesforperpetrators.

Victimsofhatefulactsoftenfeelvulnerable,aloneandangry.Evenwhentheattackisimpersonal—graffitionawall,forexample—victimsoftenfeelpersonallyviolatedandindividuallytargeted.

Avictim’swishesregardingprivacyshouldberespected.Ifthevictimisateacher,thenaclosecol-leagueordepartmentheadshouldcheckinwiththatindividualtodiscussprivacyissues.Inthecaseofastudent,haveadesignatedsafecontactpersonaskthestudentaboutherwishesregardingprivacy.Ifavic-timvoicesadesiretogopublic,initiateaconversationabouttherisksofdoingso(mediascrutiny,nastycommentsinonlinesettings,aninabilitytogobacktoanonymity)tomakesuresheismakinganinformeddecision.Balancetheriskofgoingpublicagainstthereasonsfordoingso.Formanyvictims,thereisarealsenseofpowerinspeakingupandout.Forothers,goingpublicwouldmakeaterriblesituationevenworse.

Herearefiveotherconsiderations:don’T puT viCTims on The spoT. Don’taskvictimstospeakinclassorissuestatementstothemediaoranswerfortheirentireidentitygroupinresponsetotheincident.Thismayreinjurevictimsand


makethemfeellikeatargetalloveragain.Alsobesen-sitive to the position of minority faculty and staff. Aswithstudentsintheclassroom,neversingleoutmem-bersofaparticularidentitygroupfortheirresponsetobiasincidentsorothermattersofdiversity.(“Joe,you’reAfrican-American.Whatdoyouthinkofthis?”)Atthesametime,welcometheirinputwhenitisoffered.

don’T Take offense. Victims, parents and caregiv-ersmaylashoutattheschoolcommunityfornotdoingenoughtoprotectthemortheirchildren;thisisaverynatural reaction. Acknowledge their feelings and dis-cusswaysthattheschoolplanstopreventfutureinci-dents. Also inform victims and parents about victimadvocacyandservices,counselingandothersupport-iveresourcesattheschoolandinthecommunity.

denounCe efforTs ThaT may reinjure The viCTim. Avoidanysuggestionthat thevictimsome-how“broughton”theattackbyhisorherappearanceorbehavior.Forexample,everyyear,shame-fulreportssurfaceaboutadministratorstellingLGBTvictimstheywouldnotbeharassedorattackedif they just refrained from being “out.” Also, if a victim of harassment retaliates against a bully orharasser,donotallowtheoriginalprovocationtogounaddressedwhenconsideringconsequencesinthewakeofthesecondincident.

apologize on behalf of The sChool CommuniTy. Inprivateorduringanincident-relatedconfer-ence,expresshowsorryyouandtheschoolareforwhathappened.Socialandpsychologicalresearchhasshownthatsincereapologieshavegreatpowerinhealingrupturesintrustandsecuritywithinorganizations,communitiesandprofessionalrelationships.Explainthattheschoolwilldoeverythingpossibletoidentifyoffendersandseethattheyfaceappropriateconsequences.

be sensiTive To privaCy ConCerns in anTi-lgbT inCidenTs. IfabiasincidenttargetsaLGBTstu-dentorteacher,orperceivedLGBTstudentorteacher,avoidmakinganissueofthevictim’ssexualorientationorgender identity.Focusonthe incident,safetyandpreventionof future incidents.Beverycarefulnotto“out”studentsorteacherswhohavenotsharedtheirsexualorientationpublicly.

seek jusTiCe, avoid blame Whenanoffenderorgroupofoffendersisidentified,thereisadesireamongsomepeopletofocussolelyondisciplineandpunishment.Appropriateactionshouldbetakenagainstanyoffender.Ifacrimehasoccurred,thatlikelywillbeinthehandsoflawenforcementandcourts.Ifacrimehasnotoccurred,letschoolpolicybeyourguide.

Violentoffenses,ofcourse,requirestern,nonnegotiableconsequences, includingseparationfromtheschoolthroughsuspensionorexpulsion.Informtheoffenderandhisorheradultfamilymembersaboutcom-munitycounselingservicesthatmaybehelpful.Ifastudent’sbullyingorabusivebehaviorischronic,pushforapsychologicalevaluationthatmayrevealmental,emotionalorbehavioralissuesthatneedattention.

Whethertheincidentwasviolentornonviolent,oneofyourmostimportanttasksasanadministratoristofocusonrestorationandnotmerelypunishment.Bias-basedincidentsareripeoccasionsforedu-cation.Fearandignoranceoftenareatleastpartiallytoblameforthistypeofincident.Thiscrisisisanopportunitytoteachaboutcultureandrace,tohelpguidestudentstoadeeperunderstandingthatourdiversityisapowerfulforceforgood,bindingusbyourcommonhumanity.

Herearethreekeyissuestoconsider:The power of poliCy. Understandably,victimsandtheirfamiliesmayjudgesomedisciplinarymea-surestobeineffectiveortoolenient.Thisislesslikelytohappenifschoolshaveaddressedharassment

it is vital to support specific victims of a bias incident or hate crime at school, as well as showsupport for the targeted community.


andbias-motivatedincidentsintheirpolicies,particularlypoliciesthathavebeenwell-publicizedandreviewedbytheschoolandthecommunityatlarge.Beopentotheneedforchange;usethisincidentasanopportunitytoreviewandimprovepolicy.

fair enforCemenT. Whenincidentsdooccur,itiscrucialthatschoolsenforcetheconsequencesfairlyandwithoutregardtotheoffender’sstatus.Ifsomeoffendersseemtobetreatedmorelenientlythanothers,thevictimsandtheschoolcommunitywillhavelittlesenseofjusticeandclosure.Offendersalsowillbelesslikelytochangetheirbehaviorandvictimsmayfeelmorevulnerableandbelesslikelytoreportfutureabuses.Thisdynamiccancontributetoadivisiveandunsafeschoolenvironment.

a CommuniTy approaCh. Allianceswithparentsandcaregivers,communityorserviceorganizationsandadvocacygroupscanhelpschoolofficialsdevelopmorecreativeconsequencesthatwillrequireoffenderstofacethedestructivenatureofwhattheydidandperhapsevenhelpthemtakestepstorepairthedamagetheyhavedone.Dialoguegroupsandpeermediationprogramsareparticularlyhelpfulforincidentsinvolvinglargegroupsofstudents.Somecommunitiesalsohaverestorative-justiceprogramsinplace,whichcanhelp.LosAngelesCounty,forexample,createdJOLT(JuvenileOffendersLearningTolerance),aprogramaimedtoprovideeducationandawarenesstofirst-timehatecrimeoffenders.

promoTe healingAhatefulacthasrockedtheschool,andthecrisis-responseeffortcontinuestomoveforward.It’seasytogetsofocusedonspecifictasks—investigatingtheincident,handlingthepressconference,addressingthevictims’needs—thatthebiggerpictureislost.

Yourcommunityhasbeenwounded.Thatwoundmighthavecomefromasourceoutsidetheschool,suchasvandalssprayinghatefulgraffitionschoolwalls.Oritmayhavecomefrominsidetheschool,identifyingadeepdivisionamongstudents.Eitherway,opportunitiesforhealingneedtobepartofyourcrisisresponse.

Asthecrisiswindsdown—soonerratherthanlater—itishelpfultofindawaytogathertogetherandshare messages of healing and unity. This becomes an initial step into the postcrisis phase, a bridgebetweencrisismanagementandlongertermstrategicplanningaroundimprovingschoolclimate.

Oneoptionistoplanaschoolwideorcommunity-wideshowofunity.Orchestratingademonstrationofschoolunityafterahatecrimeorhigh-profilebiasincidentcanbeawaytobeginrepairingthesenseofcommunitywithinaschool.Distributingrib-bonsorwearingcertaincolorscanbecomesym-bolsofdeterminationtorecoverfromtheinci-dentandshowunityinopposinghateandprej-udiceatschool.Involvetheneighborhoodandwidercommunity,asappropriate.Thistypeofgathering can have a galvanizing effect, espe-ciallyifitincludesapledgetoworktogethertoaddressissuesraisedbytheincident.

Consider creating posters or buttons, pro-moting school values. “Our school stands for…”Paintthatsloganonabanneralongthehall-way,andinvitestudentstoaddtheirthoughts.inclusion. fairness. kindness.

A march around the school. A candlelightvigil.Amuralpaintedonthewallthathadheldthehatefulgraffiti.

Donotframethisastheendofyourefforts,but rather as a beginning of further worktowardimprovingschoolclimateandculture.

a tool foR youR toolBoxteaching tolerance has created a nation-wide program that can help kick-start this kind of change. Mix It Up at Lunch promotes inclusion and bridge building within schools. (tolerance.org/mix-it-up/what-is-mix)


Section three


WHat comes next?

Thecrisishasfaded.Mediahavemovedontoothernewsstories.Schooldayshavereturnedtoarela-tivelynormalroutine.You’vehadtimetocatchyourbreath.

Andnowtherealworkbegins.Changeisnoteasy,particularlylong-termchangeinvolvingaschool’sclimateorculture.RolandS.Barth,educatorandfounderofthePrincipals’CenteratHarvardUniversity,putsitthisway:

“Allschoolculturesareincrediblyresistanttochange,whichmakesschoolimprovement—fromwithinorwithout—usuallysofutile.Unlessteachersandadministratorsacttochangethecultureofaschool,allinno-vations…willbedestinedtoremainsuperficialwindowdressing,incapableofmakingmuchofadifference.”

Thisiswhereyou,asanadministrator,canmakearealdifference,byputtingtime,energyandresourcestowardimprovementplans.

EducatorSoniaGalaviz,anIdahoelementaryschoolteacher,urgesadministratorstoholdthemselvesandotherstohighstandards.“Themessageis,‘I’mwillingtopushmyself,andyouguysarecomingwithme,’”shesaid.

Thepushisworthit.Increasingly,educationalleadersatalllevelsacknowledgetheroleofclimateinthesuccessesandfail-

ingsofschools.Asteadystreamofresearch—includingstudiesbytheNationalSchoolClimateCenterandtheHighSchoolSurveyofStudentEngagement—indicatesthatapositiveschoolclimatereducesconflicts, harassment, bullying and violence, making schools safer and more inclusive. It also fosterssocialandcivicdevelopmentwhilegraduallybolsteringstudentacademicperformanceaschangesgaintraction.Amorepositiveschoolclimatealsocanimprovestaffmorale,boostingemployeesatisfactionandretentionrates.

Enterthispostcrisisphasewithanopenmind.Theworktochangetheclimateandcultureofaschoolcanturnlong-heldbeliefsupsidedown.

Whenyoucloselyexaminepatterns—inclassassignments,indisciplinereferrals,inaccesstoprivi-legesandopportunities—youmaydiscoverthattheschoolhasbeensendingunintentionalmessagesthatresultinstratificationoftheschoolcommunity,withdeepdivisionsbetweenthe“haves”andthe“have-nots.”AgoodstartforprofessionaldevelopmentisaTeachingTolerancepresentation,“SocialJusticeEquityAudits,”at(tolerance.org/activity/social-justice-equity-audits).

Takeadeepbreathandkeeptheobjectiveinmind—thedesiretocreateaschoolwhereallarewel-comeandallcanthrive.


administrators’ postcrisis checklist

lessons learnedDebriefing isanessentialstep in thepostcrisisprocess.Bringtogether the incidentresponseteamtoreviewlessonslearned.

Butdon’tstopthere.“Always make sure there’s an opportunity for exchange with multiple perspectives,” advised Enid

Pickett,aCaliforniaelementaryschoolteacher.Expandthediscussiontoincludestudents,parentsandguardians,andcommunitymembers.Thoughts

andguidancefromtheseconstituentsshouldbegathered,reviewedandprioritizedaspartoftheeffortforaddressingshortcomingswithintheschoolcommunity.

It’sbesttocarryoutafacilitatedmeeting,withstrongnotetaking.Theobjectiveistodevelopawork-inglistofspecificimprovements,whichcanbecomearoadmapforchange.Thislistmayindicatetheneedforpolicychanges,roleassignmentsandskillbuilding.

Herearesomequestionstogetyoustarted:• Whatworkedwell?

• Wherearethereopportunitiesforimprovement?

• Whatresourcesdidwehave,andhowdidweusethem?

• Whatresourcesdidwelack,andhowmightweintroduceandusenewresourcesinthefuture?

Steeranswersawayfromsimplefinger-pointingorblaming.Dr.JamesComer,achildpsychiatristandeducationalresearcheratYaleUniversity,saysthataschool’s

climate-improvementprocessworksbestwitha“no-fault”framework.Inthismanagementstyle,whenpeopleorgroupsmakemiscalculationsormistakes inefforts to improveschoolclimate, theyarenotblamedbutreceivereassurance,support,guidanceandencouragementtotryagain.Ano-faultframe-workdevelopstrust,encouragesinitiativeandpromotesaculturethatconstructssuccessfromsetbacks.

“Ifyoublamepeopleyoubecomedefensive[and]fightmore,”Comersaid.“Butifyoufocusonsolv-ingtheproblemthenpeoplestartworkingtogethertofocusonwhat’sreallyimportantandwhat’sgoodforthechildren.”

Sosteerclearofblame,butdonotsteerawayfromdiscomfort.“Iwantustobeuncomfortable,towakeupinthemiddleofthenightthinkingaboutthesethings,”

Pickettsaid.“Iwantustobedrivinghomeandbebuggedbythis.Iwantustochallengeourown-isms,ourownbiases.”


planning for The long TermYou’vedebriefed,discussingthelessonslearned.Nowisthetimetoputthoselessonstowork.

Pull together a committee of effective, collaborative-minded people from among students, faculty,staff,parentsandcaregivers,andmembersofthelargercommunitytocreateaschoolclimatetaskforce.Taskforcemembersshouldincludenotjusttraditionalstudentleadersbutrepresentativesofmultipleidentitygroupswithintheschool.

Aschoolclimatecoordinatorcanhandleday-to-dayplanningandmanagementofthetaskforce,butcommittedleadershipfromtheschool’stopadministratorisessentialforsuccess.Thetopadministratorshouldpromotethegroupstrongly,reassuretheschoolcommunitythatthisisnotjustafeel-goodexer-cise,andthenbackupthewordswithconcreteactions.

Resourcesalsomustbeprovided,otherwiseitwillappeartobeanemptyeffort.Supportfortheseeffortsisgrowing;increasingly,statesarelookingatschoolclimateasavitalelementinstudents’abilitytolearnaswellasteachers’abilitytoteach.

“Whenschoolsimproveschoolclimate,theyaresafer,”saidDr.JonathanCohen,executivedirectoroftheNationalSchoolClimateCenter(schoolclimate.org/index.php),aweb-basedresourcefoundedin1996astheCenterforSocialandEmotionalEducation.“Theyhavemorepositiveoutcomes,lowerdrop-outratesandviolencegoesdown.”

Ofcourse,therearepitfalls.Herearesomeissuestoanticipate:CyniCs and naysayers. Someone, likely more than one someone, will grumble and ask, “What’sanothertaskforcegoingtodo?”Steerconversationstomoreconstructivetopics.Askthosewhospeaknegativelyabouttheefforttoidentifyforyouwhattheywanttochangeintheschoolclimate.Engagethemintheeffortinwhateverwayyoucan.

finger-poinTing and blaming. Shiftnegativeorpessimisticcommentstowardamoreconstructivepath,identifyingopportunitiesforimprovementandconstructivechangesintheschoolcommunity.

Too muCh informaTion. Youriskgettingboggeddownbyalengthylist,withindividualschampi-oningpetprojects.Createaprocessforprioritizationthatinvolvesgroupinput.Aimforashortlistofhigh-prioritychanges.

one sTep aT a Time. Attemptingtochangeawholesystemcanbeparalyzing.Aimtoidentifyindivid-ualchangesthathavethemostpotentialimpact.Takeonestep,thenseewhatcomesnext.

perCepTion gaps. Teacherssaytheschoolissafe,butstudentssayitisn’t.Orparentsseebias-basedbullyingasabiggerproblemthanyoudo.Theseareareaswheremorediscussionandmoreunder-standingareneeded.Don’tdismisstheviewsyoudisagreewith;taketimetoexplorethem,andbeopentoadjustingyouroutlook.

Worktonavigatethesepitfalls,butdon’tallowthemtoderailtheprocess.Givethisefforttime.“Schoolleadersdon’tspendenoughtimeintheactionplanningstage;theywanttomeasureitand

move right away to implementing,” said Dr. Jonathan Cohen of the National School Climate Center.“That’sunderstandable,butitgivesshortshrifttoessentialplanning.”

CapaCiTy buildingThisisaschool,aplacewherestudentslearn.Therearehistoryandart,mathandscience.There’salsoanelementofsocialemotionallearning(SEL)thattakesplaceatschool.Schoolisthemostcommonplacewhereyoungpeopleinteractwithabroadspectrumofothersfromdifferentculturesandabilities,back-groundsandraces.

Thisiswherewecanchangetheworld.Manyeducatorsaremissiondriven.Theycametothisprofessionwiththatworld-changingnotionin

mind,knowingthattherelationshipbetweeneducatorandstudentcanbepowerfulandlife-changing.Therearepeoplethroughoutyourschoolwhohaveheartsandapassionforthiswork.Somemayhavebecomejaded.Othersmayfeeltired,overwhelmedbypartsofthejobthatdrainthemofthatoriginalpassion.


Nowisthetimeforaplansteepedinhope—thehopethatsensitivityandleadershiptrainingcangenu-inelyimproveschoolclimate;thehopethatwecandevelopcompassioninstudentswhowillbecomecul-turallyaware,community-buildingstewardsofourfuture;thehopethatwecanmakeadifference.

Teaching Tolerance has had the opportunity to be present in the aftermath of several bias-relatedschoolcrises.Certainlydiscussionsdealtwithaspectsoftheninestepsoutlinedinthecrisissectionofthisguide.Buttherealpower,therealhope,arrivedinleadershipandsensitivitytrainingthatinvolvedstudents,staffandcommunitymembersattheseschools.

Social emotional learning (SEL) revolves around self-awareness and self-management, with anemphasisonsocialawareness,relationshipskillsandresponsibledecisionmaking.HowdoImanagemyfeelings?WhatsympathyandempathydoIhaveforothers?HowcanImaintainpositiverelationships?AndhowcanIdealwithsituationsinaconstructiveandethicalmanner?

Keytoincidentsofbiasandhatethatmayoccuratschool,SELpromotesunderstandingoftheselfandothers.Respectingdifferences.Managingstrongemotions.Resistingnegativepeerpressure.Workingcooperatively.Learningtomanageandnegotiateconflictnonviolently.Seekingandofferinghelp.

SELcanbepartofprofessionaldevelopment.Itcanbeusedbyteachersinclassroommanagement,orbycounselorsintheirworkinschools.Therecanbespecialtrainings.Parentsandcaregiversandthewidercommunitycanbeinvolved.

Thegoal is tobuildcapacity—inyourschoolcommunityandinthe individualswhocomprisethatcommunity.Thiswillnotonlyenrichyourschool,italsowillmakeitlesslikelythatahatecrimeorbiasincidentwillarisewithintheschool.Andiftheincidentcomesfromsomeoneoutsidetheschool,youareallthemorepreparedtodealwithitinaconstructive,forward-lookingmanner.

What does a school community withoutthiscapacitylooklike?

“It’sacultureoffear,”saidEnidPickett,a California elementary schoolteacher.“People are afraid of engaging with eachother.Itclosespeopledown.”

That’s why Sonia Galaviz, an Idaho ele-mentaryschoolteacher,callsonthiskindofcapacitybuildingasawayofcreating“acul-turethatexposesanddealswithfears.”

“It’stime,”Galavizsaid,“toseethingsinadifferentlight.”

tools for your toolbox that encourage selPositiveBehavioralInterventionsandSupportstolerance.org/sites/default/files/documents/

pBis_factsheet_flier_web.pdf

NoName-CallingWeeknonamecallingweek.org

DayofSilencedayofsilence.org

CollaborativeforAcademic,SocialandEmotionalLearning(CASEL)

casel.org

RootsofEmpathyrootsofempathy.org

StrongKidsstrongkids.uoregon.edu

Edutopiaedutopia.org/social-emotional-learning

a tool foR youR toolBoxteaching tolerance offers a presentation on social Justice equity audits (with guide-lines for taking a school survey). the profes-sional development presentation is designed to help educators move beyond simple accountability models to those that include an equity framework for school reform. (tolerance.org/activity/social-justice-equity-audits)


1 Before a crisis occurs

forms for section one

Worksheet 1—our school climate team

Worksheet 2—our policies

Worksheet 3—What is the climate of our school?

Worksheet 4—preparation checklist

When there’s a crisis2 forms for section two

Worksheet 1—incident Report

Worksheet 2—meeting Record

Worksheet 3—incident Response plan

3 after the Worst is over

forms for section tHree

Worksheet 1—incident Resolution evaluation

appendix


oUr school climate team

Who will manage incident response on campus?

Name: Position:

Phone: Email:

Who will manage incident response for the district?

Name: Position:

Phone: Email:

Who will communicate about incidents?

Name: Position:

Phone: Email:

other incident Response team members

Name: Position:

Phone: Email:

Name: Position:

Phone: Email:

Name: Position:

Phone: Email:

Name: Position:

Phone: Email:

worksheeT 1 // our school climate team // page one


responding to Hate and Bias at scHool


commUnity resoUrces

pta/ptsa

Name: Phone:

sRo/law enforcement

Name: Phone:

lea or county ed agency

Name: Phone:

faith community

Name: Phone:

municipal agency or commission

Name: Phone:

doJ/cRs/other fed agency

Name: Phone:

other local service providers

Name: Phone:

Name: Phone:

Name: Phone:

worksheeT 1 // our school climate team // page two


oUr policies

Thedistrictpolicyonaddressinghateandbiasincidentswaslastrevisedon .

campus code of conduct

attach the following

• Districtpolicyonaddressinghateandbiasincidents

• Relevantadministrativeregulationsorotherprevailingpolicies

worksheeT 2 // our policies // page one




What is the climate of oUr school?

Schoolclimatesurveyused(attachresults):

Datedeployed:

Participationrate:

Whereareour“hotspots”oncampus?

What is the capacity of our staff to handle bias and hate incidents?

Professionaldevelopmentprovidedondiversity-relatedtopics:

Date: Provider:

Staffpresent:

Contentoverview:

worksheeT 3 // What is the climate of our school? // page one




(Contentoverviewcontinued)

Professionaldevelopmentondistrictpoliciesandexpectationsonrespondingtohateandbias:

Date: Provider:

Staffpresent:

Contentoverview:

Othertypesofrelevanttraining:

Date: Provider:

Staffpresent:

Contentoverview:

worksheeT 3 // What is the climate of our school? // page two


preparation checklist

develop incident response plan.

create media plan.

have plans reviewed by risk management personnel at district.

share plans with responsible parties.

train both certificated and classified staff on plans.

schedule review and revision dates for periodic review of plans.

worksheeT 4 // preparation checklist




incident report

Date: Time: Location:

PersonsDirectlyInvolvedintheIncident

Name: Position(e.g.,student,staff,parent):





Witnesses






Criticalincidentdescription:

Wastheincidentviolent? Waspropertydamaged?

worksheeT 1 // incident report // page one

2 When there’s a crisis



Whenandtowhomwasthiseventinitiallyreported?

Wereanystepstakentoaddresstheincident?Ifso,whenwerethesestepstaken?Whatwastheoutcome?

Wasanythingaboutthisincidentcommunicatedtootherstudentsorparents?Ifso,whatandbywhom?

Doesthisincidentfallunderthesuspensionorexpulsioncodes?

Hasthisincidentreachedthethreatlevel?

Isthereevidencethatthisincidentispartofalargerpatternofbullyingorbias?

Havetherebeensubsequentincidents?Ifso,pleasedescribeindetail.

worksheeT 1 // incident report // page two


meeting record

Date: Time: Location:

Participants

Schoolstaff:

Parent(s):

Student(s):

Others:

Descriptionofmeeting:

worksheeT 2 // meeting record




incident response plan

Plannedactionstosupportthosemostaffectedbytheincident:

Schoolsupportandcommunityresourcesneededtoimplementthisplan:

Plannedremediationfortheperpetratorsoftheincident:


worksheeT 3 // incident response plan // page one




Plannedactionstoaddresstheneedsofwitnessesandbystanders:


Whoisresponsibleforensuringfollowthroughontheseactions?

Name: Position:

Phone: Email:

Isthereatimetableforcompletingtheseactions?Ifso,describe.

Whowillcommunicatewithparentsandupdateotherstakeholdersasnecessary?

Name: Position:

Phone: Email:

worksheeT 3 // incident response plan // page two


incident resolUtion evalUation

Didweimplementourplaneffectively?

@ @ @ @ @no mostly no neither yes or no mostly yes yes

Didourincidentresponseteamhavetherightpersonnelandresourcestoeffectivelymanagetheincident?


Wastheentireschoolstaffappropriatelypreparedtorespondtotheincident?


Wasourcommunicationplansufficient?


Wereourcampuscommunitiespreparedtorespondtothecriticalincident?


Didwemakeeffectiveuseofourparentandcommunityallies?


Wasourcodeofconducteffectiveinaddressingstudentbehaviorrelatedtotheincident?


worksheeT 1 //incident resolution evaluation

3 after the Worst is over



aCknowledgmenTs

abouT The auThor BrianWilloughbywasaprintjournalistfor20yearsandisaformermanagingedi-torof teaching tolerance. HestudiedracerelationsandthehistoryofracismasaJohnS.KnightfellowatStanfordUniversity.HeandhisfamilyliveinthePacificNorthwest.

ReVieWeRsHeidiBeirich,intelligence project directorLeciaBrooks,director of outreach for the southern poverty law centerMarionSteinfels,communications director for the southern poverty law centerFredGomeztrejo,teacher and coach, godinez high schoolJenniferGomeztrejo,consultant ii, los angeles county office of educationVicenteBravo,consultant ii, los angeles county office of education

staffwriTer

BrianWilloughby

projeCT manager

MaureenCostello

projeCT advisor

MichelleGarcia

ediTor

SeanPrice

Copy ediTors

PatriciaBrennan

design direCTor

RussellEstes

designer

SunnyPaulk

A project of the southern poverty lAw centertolerAnce.org

400 wAshington Avenue MontgoMery, AlAbAMA 36104

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a guide for administrators, counselors and teachers

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