Port Washington committee reviews student harassment policy; asks for clearer appeals, reporting and data provisions

Port Washington Union Free School District policy committee members spent most of their meeting reviewing proposed revisions to policy 0115 (previously numbered 5025), the district’s student harassment, bullying and discrimination policy.

Committee members and district counsel discussed several substantive edits they said are needed before the policy returns to the committee, including (1) changing language that currently describes a “board hearing” on appeals to make clear the board will generally review appeals on paper; (2) aligning the list of protected characteristics with the district’s Code of Character, Culture and Conduct; (3) clarifying how anonymous web reporting is routed to elementary schools; and (4) specifying what district-level data the board will use to evaluate the policy’s effectiveness.

The committee emphasized that a district‑level review should be available to parties unhappy with a building investigation, but members and counsel agreed the board’s role should be a “review” rather than an…