Unlawful harassment of any kind will not be tolerated by GRACE Christian School. Harassment is a form of employment discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, (ADA).
It is the intent of GRACE Chrisitan School to provide employees with a positive working environment based on trust and mutual respect. Sexual harassment or any other conduct of an intimidating or personally offensive nature is strictly forbidden and will not be tolerated. Any employee who engages in such an act may be subject to disciplinary action up to, and including, termination.
Harassment is unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. Harassment can include “sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.
Harassment becomes unlawful where:
- enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment, or
- the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive.
Anti-discrimination laws also prohibit harassment against individuals in retaliation for filing a discrimination charge, testifying, or participating in any way in an investigation, proceeding, or lawsuit under these laws; or opposing employment practices that they reasonably believe discriminate against individuals, in violation of these laws.
Offensive conduct may include, but is not limited to, offensive jokes, slurs, epithets or name-calling, physical assaults or threats, intimidation, ridicule or mockery, insults or put-downs, offensive objects or pictures, and interference with work performance. Harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including, but not limited to, the following:
- The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, a supervisor in another area, an agent of the employer, a co-worker, or a non-employee.
- The victim does not have to be the person harassed, but can be anyone affected by the offensive conduct.
- Unlawful harassment may occur without economic injury to, or discharge of, the victim.
If an employee feels that he or she has been subjected to conduct which violates this policy, he or she should immediately report the matter to the Head of School. Evidence, witnesses, and documentation may be presented at the time of the complaint. A written response to the complaint will be made within five business days from the receipt of the complaint. If the employee is unable for any reason to contact this person, or if the employee has not received a satisfactory response within five business days after reporting any incident of what the employee perceives to be harassment, the employee should contact any member of the Leadership Team. If the person toward whom the complaint is directed is one of the individuals indicated above, the employee should contact any higher-level manager in his or her reporting hierarchy.
Every report of perceived harassment will be fully investigated and corrective action will be taken where appropriate. All complaints will be kept confidential to the extent possible, but confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. In addition, the school will not allow any form of retaliation against individuals who report unwelcome conduct to management or who cooperate in the investigations of such reports in accordance with this policy.
