Education Department asks schools to review harrassment policies

The State Board of Education has sent a letter to each public school district in Iowa asking them to review their harrassment policies. Education Department spokeswoman Kathi Slaughter says the letters were the result of a case the board heard involving a Hubbard-Radcliffe student.She says the board believed the harrassment had taken place and was so extraordinary that it warranted a letter to all the districts. The state board sent the letter and a resolution calling on the schools to review their policies. Slaughter says it’s intended to let the adults in the district know they have to pay attention to what the students are doing.She says it was designed to remind everyone in the educational system that they’re responsible for providing a safe environment for all students. Slaughter says these extreme cases of harrassment are rare, that’s why it’s getting so much attention.The letter says hazing, roughhousing, teasing or other forms of harrassment are violence against students, and not to be tolerated