Safety at Fairfield Prep

Fairfield College Preparatory School is committed to ensuring respect for the human dignity of all members of the Fairfield Prep community. No Christian community of learning is possible without that respect. It is essential to Fairfield Prep’s core mission, which is to create an environment that encourages each student, by the time he graduates, to be open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving and committed to doing justice.

In accordance with that mission, this Safe School Climate Promotion Plan is Fairfield Prep’s response to the recent increase in harassment cases in schools throughout the nation and the world. The Plan is consistent with Fairfield Prep’s standards of conduct regarding sexual harassment, acts of intolerance, abuse or neglect of minors, which appear in Fairfield Prep’s Student/Parent Handbook.

It is important that this Plan be well understood by all members of the Fairfield Prep community. Accordingly, Fairfield Prep’s administrators, coaches and extra-curricular advisors are required in each school year to review the policies contained within the Plan with all faculty and students under their supervision.

The Dean of Guidance & College Advising (“Dean of Guidance,” currently Mr. John Hanrahan) are responsible for the implementation and administration of the Plan. Any questions or concerns related to this Plan may be referred to them. They will work with other Prep administrators as needed in the full implementation of this Plan.

*All references to abuse and harassment in any form apply to all members of the Fairfield Prep community, i.e. students, faculty, parents, staff members, etc.

Abuse – Offensive verbal, written, or physical conduct directed at a person or a group of different individuals, usually on separate occasions.

Acts of Intolerance - An act of intolerance is conduct that adversely targets an individual or group on the basis of sex, race, color, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and/or national/ethnic origin.

Cyber-Harassment­ – Verbal, written, or physical abuse directed at a person or a group of different individuals, usually on separate occasions, through use of the internet or any other form of communication technology.

Harassment - Verbal, written, or physical abuse directed at a person or a group of different individuals, usually on separate occasions.

Hostile Environment – A hostile environment is a situation in which harassment, acts of intolerance, or retaliation has the effect of causing intimidation, ridicule, or insult in the school environment that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to adversely impact the conditions of a person’s education or employment.

Intimidation – Any conduct that a person should have known would instill—and did instill—humiliation or fear in another person.

Retaliation – Any form of intimidation, reprisal, or harassment directed against a person who reports harassment, cyber-harassment, intimidation or acts of intolerance, or who otherwise provides or has information about such conduct during an investigation.

Target – A target is a person against whom acts of harassment, cyber-harassment, intimidation or retaliation have been perpetrated.

The right to work, to study and to participate in extra-curricular activities without harassment or intimidation is fundamental to the human dignity of each member of the Fairfield Prep community. As a result, Fairfield Prep will not tolerate any form of harassment, cyber-harassment or intimidation.

That prohibition does not only include harassment and intimidation on school grounds and at school-sponsored events, activities, functions, and programs. It also includes harassment and intimidation at school bus stops and train stops, on school buses, trains, or other vehicles owned, leased, or used by the school, and through use of technology or an electronic device owned, leased, or used by the school.

This prohibition can also extend beyond school-related activities and facilities. It includes harassment and intimidation at a location, activity, function, or program that is not school-related, or through the use of technology or an electronic device that is not owned, leased, or used by the school, if those acts create a hostile environment at school for a targeted student, or infringe on his rights at school, or otherwise materially disrupt Fairfield Prep’s execution of its core mission.

Fairfield Prep’s policy against harassment, cyber-harassment and intimidation may, in some cases, extend beyond Connecticut’s state statute against harassment. Connecticut’s prohibition against harassment includes the following: (1) Using the telephone to address another person in indecent or obscene language; (2) Communicating with another person by email, fax, letter, etc., in a manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm and with intent to harass, annoy, or alarm, or (3) Contacting another by phone with the intent to harass, annoy, or alarm, whether or not a conversation occurs.

Fairfield Prep may, in some cases, prevent inappropriate verbal and physical conduct before a student has been subject to acts of intolerance or harassment as it is defined under the law. For example, although the law elsewhere defines harassment as “repeated, persistent or continual” abuse, Fairfield Prep reserves the right to apply disciplinary measures and other corrective action in a case of a single expression, act or gesture, if Fairfield Prep determines that it is of sufficient severity to warrant such action or that the repetition of that conduct might reasonably result in harassment as defined under the law.

Implementation of this Plan’s policy against harassment, cyber-harassment and intimidation will, in many cases, require the voluntary assistance of persons who have been the target of such conduct or who have knowledge about such conduct. Consequently, Fairfield Prep will not tolerate any form of retaliation, or threat of retaliation, against any person who provides information about such conduct in an investigation or who has knowledge of such conduct. Any such retaliation or threat of retaliation will be deemed an aggravating factor in the underlying harassment, cyber-harassment or intimidation.

Any student who has information about an incident of harassment, cyber-harassment, intimidation or retaliation prohibited by this policy is responsible to promptly report the matter to the Dean of Guidance, or to any guidance counselor or school administrator. This includes incidents involving the student himself as well as those involving any other person.

Likewise, the parent (or guardian) of any student who has direct or indirect information about harassment, cyber-harassment, intimidation or retaliation prohibited by this policy should promptly report the matter to the Dean of Guidance or to any guidance counselor or school administrator. This includes incidents involving the parent’s own son as well as those involving any other person.

Any member of the faculty or staff of Fairfield Prep who has direct or indirect information about harassment, cyber-harassment, intimidation or retaliation prohibited by this policy is required to report the matter promptly to the Dean of Guidance, or to any guidance counselor or school administrator.

Please note that the Dean of Guidance, guidance counselors and school administrators will not accept anonymous reports under this Plan. However, they will accept every report on a strictly confidential basis. There are times when the disclosure of the identity of a person who has made a report will be necessary in order to continue with an investigation based on that report. Nevertheless, even in those cases, the identity of a person who has made a report will not be disclosed—unless required by law—without that person’s express consent.

A. Preliminary Considerations

When a complaint of harassment, cyber-harassment, intimidation or retaliation is brought to the attention of the Dean of Guidance or any guidance counselor or school administrator, an assessment will be made as to whether any initial steps need to be taken to protect the well-being of students and to prevent disruption of their learning environment while the investigation is being conducted.

B. Investigation Process

The following is an outline of the procedure that will be pursued once a report has been brought to the attention of the Dean of Guidance, or any guidance counselor or school administrator:

An impartial investigation of the report will be conducted by the Dean of Guidance and the Dean of Students. That investigation may include (but will not necessarily be limited to) interviews with the person who made the report, with the student who was the target of the alleged conduct, with the person or persons against whom the report was made, and with any students, faculty, staff or other persons who may have information about the alleged incident.

In some cases, the Dean of Guidance may also choose to consult with other teachers and/or additional health or educational professionals in a manner consistent with the confidentiality commitment discussed in Section (V) of this Plan.

C. Resolution, Notification and Follow-up

All reported cases of harassment, cyber-harassment, intimidation or retaliation will be treated seriously and investigated with care as outlined herein. Respect will be shown to any person who has made a report as well as to any person against whom a report has been made.

Following interviews and any other investigation deemed appropriate, the Dean of Guidance will determine whether and to what extent the allegation of harassment, cyber-harassment, intimidation or retaliation has been substantiated. If they determine that the policy under this Plan has been violated, they will consult with other appropriate administrators—in a manner consistent with the confidentiality commitment discussed in Section (V) of this Plan—for the application of disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from Fairfield Prep.

In some cases, such as when a crime may have been committed or when it is otherwise required by law, law-enforcement or other appropriate government authorities may be notified.

Upon the completion of an investigation, the Dean of Guidance will follow up on any final decision by meeting with the student or, individually, the students who were the target of the alleged incident as well as with the student or, individually, the students against whom the report was made, and their parents. The Dean of Guidance will inform them of the results of the investigation and of the punitive and/or corrective steps, if any, that will be taken to resolve the situation. The amount of information provided in these meetings may be limited by confidentiality laws protecting student records.

Further follow-up contacts will be made with any student found to have been targeted in violation of this policy, and his parents, to inquire as to whether there have been any further incidents.