PERRY SCHOOLS STEP AHEAD ON HARASSMENT POLICY

PERRYVILLE -- Last spring, after a fifth-grader in the Perry County School District said a male student teacher inappropriately touched her, the board of education took a tough look at its sexual harassment policy.

The result is a 14-page document to be reviewed at a board meeting tonight and likely passed in February.

Police investigated the girl's claims and found the student teacher had lifted students to reach a chin-up bar in a physical education class. The matter was dropped when no one could find evidence of wrongdoing.

Dr. Ron Fitch, district superintendent, said the incident was important because it made administrators work harder on the policy, defining what sexual harassment is and how it should be handled.

They actually began looking at the policy three years ago with the help of the Missouri School Boards Association. MSBA provides semi-annual updates for its members based on legislative action or lawsuits involving school districts.

"We had some guidelines put together, but when that incident occurred last spring we felt we should do a better job of educating our staff and students about what sexual harassment is," Fitch said. "If we do a good job of educating them, it will eliminate some problems in the future."

The board worked with Tom Mickes, a St. Louis lawyer specializing in education law. Other ideas for the new sexual harassment policy came from MSBA updates and Perryville school administrators, parents and teachers.

The document covers harassment of both students and teachers, partially defining it as "unwelcomed sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature...." The definition continues for three paragraphs.

What differs in Perry County School District's policy is that voluntary submission to sexual advancement is irrelevant, implying that such activity doesn't belong in school.

"One of its strong points is that the `she-asked-for-it' line of reasoning has no bearing on it," Orville Schaefer, school board president, said. "Even if a student or employee would seem to want that kind of attention, it is no excuse."

While the policy isn't official yet, already teachers are educated about sexual harassment through in-service workshops, and students learn about it in their home-base classrooms, Fitch said. That way, everyone knows what sexual harassment is and who to tell about it.

Other area schools, including Sikeston and Cape Girardeau, base their policies strictly on MSBA's recommendations. Dr. Timothy Niggle, director of human resources for Cape Girardeau public schools, said he applauded Perry County School District's efforts, but Cape Girardeau's policy has held up nicely so far.

"Our staff harassment policy has been in place for awhile, but the student policy was just passed in November," he said. "Just like everyone else in the nation, we wanted to be sure we were covered."

Jackson School District recently began the process of implementing a sexual harassment policy. There is none right now, but Wayne Maupin, superintendent, said he is reviewing some samples from MSBA.

"In the 26 years I've been in the district, I haven't dealt with a complaint from a student, parent or staff member who thought he or she was being harassed in a school setting," he said. "But sexual harassment is becoming a very visible area of litigation, and we should have a policy about it."

Jackson's school board probably will enact one by the beginning of the 1995-96 school year, Maupin said.