East Lansing board adopts revisions to nondiscrimination and harassment policies

The East Lansing School District Board of Education on Aug. 12 adopted a set of policy revisions intended to clarify the district’s approach to nondiscrimination, harassment and retaliation complaints.

The board voted unanimously to adopt revisions to policy 3115 and 3118, to add new policies labeled 3115a through 3115h, and to archive the existing 3118 for reference. The motion was presented by the policy committee and carried without recorded opposition.

Policy committee leadership told trustees the update was substantial and time-sensitive. A trustee speaking as policy committee chair said the revisions provide "clarification over who is involved at what point" in complaint and appeal processes and praised the work as "very positive" in articulating procedures consistent with the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act. The chair said additional policy updates remain under review and will come to the board in future meetings.

Why it matters: Trustees said the changes aim to clarify procedures for handling Title IX and civil-rights–related complaints, who participates in reviews, and the appeal process. The revisions were described as intended to give clearer guidance to staff, families and the public about complaint handling.

Next steps: The board noted more policy revisions are forthcoming; the policy committee scheduled follow-up meetings to review remaining changes. The board’s next regular meeting is Aug. 26, 2024.

(Reporting based only on statements and votes recorded at the Aug. 12 meeting.)