[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6062427,"mediaKeyId","3278434-2ff346d98db1b259d74c92331eecbe43","parentId",3278434,"title","Concord School Board reviews major rewrite of Policy 4-15 on sexual and gender-based harassment","audioSeconds",3154,"startMs",1530000,"endMs",4684000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3278434-2ff346d98db1b259d74c92331eecbe43&start=1530&end=4684","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3278434-2ff346d98db1b259d74c92331eecbe43/thumbnail_1530000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6062427/New-Hampshire/Concord-School-Board-reviews-major-rewrite-of-Policy-4-15-on-sexual-and-gender-based-harassment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6062427-9b8487532660ca2023785520e651e001/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142761&Signature=dwRTEoDPmiF73I7Xavi6lN27m4C-Qi3N~2xW-viCMMuhjx3J4BLicJVIBOOU1SikkzsPhLrUAFYAODLHRQTewCEXyIM3K1v-~zX9qt9p5-61~IVtOmYQ9JG8eObWXPWiLANiqLs0hkO8V8mD0VfdPZ2Kb10FH-XmAg77~bu4KOtZLDFftF7mqhPUaeMVO3HMgIsgQQgUPKQdts-PvKjTfOih4cFhd-1Ytcjx3B5wTRKl0eK2QRYLexXFzgAN9K65GPT5tkn-NrDK7LQHLPfZGQ9cwf-WvRnPRDirA37qLA2DXuuOyeFyXjZ9dTM0den~puV1ZlRVSJaHxCdPkS~4Mw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Concord School District NH","date","2025-05-13T11:44:08Z","article","Concord School Board members and district staff spent a working session reviewing a new draft of Policy 4-15, the district's policy addressing sexual- and gender-based harassment, and agreed to several substantive changes and follow-up steps.

The board's discussion focused on whether to keep or remove the 2020 language requiring harassment to be “severe, pervasive and objectively offensive,” how to treat Title IX versus non-Title IX harassment, and clarifying consent when an employee and a student are involved. Kara (School board member) described the redlined draft as “language that is inserted from the go by from the New Hampshire School Board Association” and said she had added color-coded comments to make proposed changes visible.

Board members said the policy must be clear about process and definitions and must protect both complainants and respondents while avoiding overly strict thresholds that would discourage reporting. “I would eliminate it entirely, I think, because I think when you deal with examples like that in cases like this, then it leaves people out that may be…,” Pam (School board member) said, arguing against retaining the 2020 test that required all three elements of severe, pervasive and objectively offensive conduct.

Staff and board members discussed and reached direction on a set of specific edits: remove the board’s illustrative definitions of “severe, pervasive and objectively offensive” from the policy text rather than leaving a high legal bar in the policy; replace informal terms such as “harasser” and “victim” with the policy terms “respondent” and “complainant”; add explicit language that no student can consent to sexual conduct with a district employee; and make the district’s reporting expectation a 24-hour requirement for employees rather than “by the end of the next school day.”

Karen (Staff member) and others noted cross-references throughout the draft to existing board policies (for example, 161.1, 4-14 and 5-39) and to outside authorities such as the New Hampshire Department of Education and federal Office for Civil Rights guidance; the group asked staff to correct citations and to standardize wording (for example, always writing “board policy” rather than “school board policy”).

The committee also discussed operational points: identifying and defining the Initial Decision Maker (IDM) and Appeal Decision Maker (ADM) consistently, keeping training materials and other records, documenting the basis for any conclusion that the district's response was not “deliberately indifferent,” and ensuring that supportive measures and confidentiality provisions follow state and federal requirements.

No formal vote was taken; the board instructed staff to prepare a revised draft that implements the changes discussed and to return it at a future meeting for further review. The board also asked staff to (1) replace the terms “harasser” and “victim” with “respondent” and “complainant” throughout the draft, (2) explicitly note in the consent definition that students cannot consent to sexual conduct with staff, (3) remove the 2020 examples of severe/pervasive/objectively offensive conduct, and (4) standardize capitalization and citations across the document.

Board members said they expect staff to circulate the revised draft with the suggested edits and with corrected statutory and board-policy citations, and to consult with district counsel and affected committees (for example, wellness and legal counsel) before the next presentation.

The board’s next procedural steps include: staff revision of Policy 4-15; circulation to board members and key committees; and return to the board for formal consideration and potential adoption at a future posted meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Concord School Board Communication and Policy Committee 5-12-25","oneSentenceSummary","Concord School Board members and district staff spent a working session reviewing a new draft of Policy 4-15, the district's policy addressing sexual- and gender-based harassment, and agreed to several substantive changes and follow-up steps.","taxTitle","Concord School District, School Districts, New Hampshire","taxId",60242,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6062422,"Concord school officials propose crowdfunding policy to guide online fundraising by staff and school-affiliated groups",2208,4952000,7160000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3278434-2ff346d98db1b259d74c92331eecbe43&start=4952&end=7160","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3278434-2ff346d98db1b259d74c92331eecbe43/thumbnail_4952000.jpg","/articles/6062422/New-Hampshire/Concord-school-officials-propose-crowdfunding-policy-to-guide-online-fundraising-by-staff-and-school-affiliated-groups","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6062422-22ef87484ab0d10b01ab6a7d7b5250d6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142761&Signature=Xkc1VuYVH3pohxe7GKNHuGohXolNlU0ZxogixDGcHXvDktaY6KIHAKx3JDMZAaUp1A7iPerhjf0tBUKl0674TUU4s9gvRzuc8OxNrS-kfn3U2-I94l1kYqmceOSA~LZHKdzXeQY87StxNmGh6zyBucNkDnmZqb-T~eN-rIGxrQX39D~fSYDywyv9oIHzC5xX8AOoSqrZ~tt~aRauC1KsYWXOEr~TlnmjLfk3rZV9vt48RKpsEMNtiE1FBscGWGdADb1rbtiD-JOu82KUhHNS1zCEI~nMj8DwdGHNlbzdWbxtsM4UGYSfpudtbGRQX6heFwrLZlt7fxAA5uohFPDFhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District staff introduced a proposed crowdfunding policy (Policy 304) during the meeting and told the board the draft is intended to give the Concord School District guardrails for online fundraising by staff, parent organizations and other school-affiliated groups.

“I'm gonna jump in. This has really been an impact on us, and it's really trying to give us some guardrails around all of the funding sources that our staff can use to help fund special projects,” a district staff member said, describing classroom campaigns, wish lists and third-party sites that solicit donations for school projects.

Board members and staff discussed the policy’s scope and key operational questions: which fundraising efforts would be controlled by the district (crowdfunding campaigns run by district staff or using district branding), how donations would be deposited and recorded by the business office, thresholds for principal or superintendent approval, and whether approved sites should be published. The draft proposes a simple approval process and monetary thresholds so principals can approve small campaigns (for example, donations under a local threshold) while larger campaigns would go to higher-level review.

Committee members raised practical concerns about equity, local purchasing and administrative burden. “We don't wanna add another barrier to teachers potentially just going out and getting what they need,” said a board member (Kara). Board members suggested staff test thresholds used in existing practice: the district already routes district-managed donations through the SAU business office and has a practice where principals approve some expenditures and larger gifts require superintendent or board action.

The board asked staff to gather input from principals, PTOs and booster clubs and to bring additional details back to the committee, including a recommended list of approved crowdfunding platforms, clear rules about use of Concord School District branding, and a plan for deposit and accounting of donations. Staff said they will also check whether booster clubs or other groups are already registered as independent 501(c)(3) organizations; those groups typically operate under a different fiscal and reporting regime and may not need the district's procedural approval.

No final policy action was taken. District staff were directed to consult with building principals, PTO leadership and the business office, to return with suggested language on approved platforms, dollar thresholds (staff noted current internal practices that route amounts above $500 to higher review and require board review for very large donations), and implementation procedures for tracking in-district property purchased with donations.

Board members said the policy should make clear what the policy covers and what it does not (for example, independent PTO or 501(c)(3) booster groups), protect student privacy and FERPA, avoid using district logos on unaffiliated campaigns, and support local vendors where practicable. Staff committed to workshop the draft with principals and PTO representatives before returning it to the board.","District staff presented a draft Policy 304 to set rules and approval steps for crowdfunding and online fundraising by staff, PTOs and school groups. Board members asked staff to seek feedback from principals, PTOs and booster clubs, to define approved platforms and to clarify who must deposit and track donations.","actionData","errors"]

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Concord School Board reviews major rewrite of Policy 4-15 on sexual and gender-based harassment

Concord school officials propose crowdfunding policy to guide online fundraising by staff and school-affiliated groups