Hazing activities of any type are inconsistent with and disruptive to the educational process, and prohibited at any time in school facilities, on school property, and/or off school property if the misconduct is connected to activities or incidents that have occurred on school property. No administrator, faculty member, or other Board of Education employee shall encourage, permit, authorize, condone, or tolerate any hazing activities. No student shall plan, encourage, or engage in any hazing.

Hazing is defined as doing any act or coercing another, including the victim, to do any act of initiation into any student or other organization that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing mental or physical harm to any person. Permission, consent, or assumption of risk by an individual subjected to hazing does not lessen the prohibition contained in this policy.

Administrators, faculty members, and all other employees of the Board shall be alerted to possible situations, circumstances or events that might include hazing. If hazing or planned hazing is discovered, involved students shall be informed by the discovering school employee of the prohibition contained in this policy and shall be required to end all hazing activities immediately. All hazing incidents shall be reported immediately to the Superintendent.

Administrators, faculty members, students, and all other employees who fail to abide by this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, and may be liable for civil and criminal penalties in accordance with Ohio law.

The contents of this policy shall be distributed in writing to all students and Board employees following its official adoption by the Board of Education. In addition, this policy shall be incorporated into building, staff, and student handbooks, and shall be the subject of discussion at employee staff meetings or in-service programs.

Administrators, staff members, and volunteers shall not intentionally remain ignorant of hazing or potential hazing activities.

R.C. 2307.44, 2903.31, 3313.661

Revised 12/14/00
Revised 1/10/06