ROCK SPRINGS — A resident came forward with sexual harassment issues at this month’s Sweetwater County School District No. 1 board meeting.
During the meeting on May 8, Rock Springs resident, Cherell O’Driscoll, revealed that she has received “an ungodly amount of emails and messages” from teachers who don’t want to come forward because of retaliation.
“That is disgusting!” O’Driscoll expressed. “They should be able to come forth with their issues.”
She pointed out that punishment for the same type of unacceptable behavior is not the same for every student.
She revealed that educators have complained to her about students verbally harassing them, using sexually explicit content; some as young as fifth grade.
“Sexual harassment towards the teachers is appalling,” O’Driscoll said.
According to Nicole Bolton, human resources director, immediately after they heard the concern O’Driscoll had brought forward during public comment, they began a thorough investigation, following school policies and procedures.
“To date, we have found no substantiation to the claim that was made, or any record that this issue was ever reported.” said Bolton.
Bolton explained that the top priority for SCSD1 leaders at every level is the safety of their students and staff.
“We take all allegations of this nature seriously. All school employees are mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect, which can include sexual harassment and sexual violence, and must immediately report suspected abuse to school administrators and our Title IX coordinator or to the appropriate local law enforcement agencies.”
She added,“We are committed to having the resources and processes in place to respond to allegations of Title IX violations promptly, thoroughly and equitably. Our district conducts intensive, ongoing training for administration, staff and coaches in that regard.”
Bolton expressed that the administration urges “any student or staff member who has been the victim of sexual harassment or sexual assault, or any individual who has knowledge of sexual harassment or sexual assault occurring, to promptly report that information to the district’s Title IX coordinators, or to another trusted member of our staff.”
“Our commitment is steadfast in responding promptly, effectively and equitably to all reports of sexual misconduct and we are determined to make our schools the safe, welcoming facility our children, parents and community want and deserve,” Bolton said.
Under Policy File JFCB, Student Harassment and Violence Policy, harassment is defined in various ways including, “communication of a sexual nature which is offensive or objectionable to the recipient...”
It also listed consequences for the action such as, “warning, suspension, exclusion, expulsion, transfer and/or remediation.”
Bolton also highlighted the district’s commitment to supporting a welcoming, safe, and respectful work environment.
“In an effort to learn more about its own culture and how to best support all employees, the district has partnered with an independent analytics consulting firm to conduct a school climate survey. The data collected in this survey (which was open April 28 and ended May 12) will be used in many ways: as a baseline for understanding the present climate, to establish a benchmark against which to measure change over time to help inform current and future priorities and to establish action plans to enhance and improve the climate in individual schools and in the district as a whole.”
Bolton mentioned that the survey will be conducted again mid-year next year to measure growth and again at the end of the year.
Additionally, the board of education will be conducting a separate climate survey in fall, available to all stakeholders.The feedback from this climate survey will be used to form the board’s strategic plan.
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