Peninsula School District releases outside HIB review; staff task force recommends clearer procedures, training and student voice work

The Peninsula School District on April 22 presented the findings of an external Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) review by Puget Sound Educational Service District and a parallel Bullying Action and Prevention (BAP) task force. The review found policy and procedural gaps, inconsistent reporting and racialized and homophobic slurs as an emergent concern, and recommended immediate and midterm changes to reporting, training and prevention.

The review team and district staff framed the work as tied to the district strategic plan’s learning-environment goals. “We will ensure an inclusive community and culture where everyone is safe, valued, respected, and finds a sense of belonging,” Chief of Schools Michael Farmer told the board during the presentation.

Why it matters: The district’s analysis found verbal incidents have risen while physical incidents declined, and noted racial disproportionality in disciplinary results for some groups. The reviewers urged clearer procedures, consistent use of a single case-management system, more frequent and focused climate assessment and stepped-up training for staff on identity, nonviolent conflict resolution and culturally responsive practice.

Key findings and recommended actions

- Policy and procedures: The ESD reviewers found district policy aligned with state models but identified gaps in procedure language and clarity (for example, responsibilities, definitions and prevention timelines). Reviewers suggested revising procedure 03/2007 P to add clearer timelines, training expectations, and prevention language used by nearby districts.

- Reporting systems and data: The district has adopted Hear Me WA (anonymous tip line) and is using Navigate360 for case management, but reviewers noted inconsistent coding and multiple behavior codes that make mining HIB-specific cases difficult. The district plans to standardize reporting forms and to continue using Navigate360 as its primary incident database.

- Racial and identity disparities: Reviewers flagged disproportionality in discipline for some student groups and rising use of slurs; they recommended proactive education, identity and empathy work, and exploration of OSPI’s multifaceted HIB prevention resources.

- Prevention and student voice: The report credited existing preventive programs (Second Step, Character Strong, Unified Sports) but urged consistent implementation and recommended increased peer-to-peer and cross-school relationship-building. Students told the district they want more visible staff support and stronger relationship-building opportunities.

- Cyberbullying and social media: Reviewers emphasized that many incidents begin or escalate online and urged clearer reporting steps for cyber incidents, cooperation with law enforcement when criminal thresholds are crossed, and engagement with national efforts to improve social-platform takedown processes.

District response and next steps

Deputy Chief of Schools Julie — who led the BAP task force of community members, principals, counselors and other staff — said the group met several times across months to produce guiding principles and five concrete actions (including clearer communication for families and training for staff). Julie said the task force separated discriminatory harassment (racial, homophobic, identity-based) from other bullying because it requires immediate, restorative and prevention work focused on empathy and community action.

Paralegal and HIB compliance officer Shelby described procedural updates already underway (revised verbiage to avoid ambiguous legal terms, clarified investigative steps, and merging Hear Me WA tips into Navigate360 records). Shelby said one immediate operational goal is improved, consistent documentation across buildings so cases can be tracked, trended and addressed with targeted supports.

The district listed several near-term steps: revise and publish updated procedures and handbooks for 2025–26; continue assistant-principal and deputy-principal calibration work on incident coding; expand training on restorative practices and on addressing hateful language; and continue superintendent–student advisory sessions and school-based focus groups to capture student voice.

Ending: The district said the full Puget Sound ESD review and the BAP materials would be published on the HIB web pages by Friday. Board members and staff stressed the work is ongoing; they asked for measurable outcomes to track change and for continued collaboration with families and community groups.