The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 01041994 - 1.74 TO; BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator Costa of r'S =A�--�=--•-4-= ;a� County DATE: December 22/ 1993 ' ?srA-cbiiK`�c4 suBJECT: LETTER SUPPORTING THE NEED FOR A HANDBOOK ON HOW TO PREVENT AND HANDLE INCIDENTS OF HATE-MOTIVATED BEHAVIOR IN THE SCHOOLS SPECIFIC REOUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: APPROVE and AUTHORIZE all Board members to sign a letter to be included in the County Office of Education's "Dealing with Hate- Motivated Behavior and Crime Handbook" , concurring with the need for the Handbook and urging all school personnel to make use of it. BACKGROUND: One of the issues the Board's Education Committee has been addressing this past year is the need for closer cooperation between the schools and the County in the area of hate-motivated crimes . The County' s Affirmative Action Officer has been working with a Committee from the County Office of Education and several school districts to modify a handbook originally prepared by the Alameda County Office of Education for use in the Alameda County schools so that it could be used in the schools in Contra Costa County. Attached is a copy of the current draft of the Handbook. It has been suggested that the Board of Supervisors sign a letter to be included in the Handbook noting the cooperative effort between the schools and the County, the need for education and prevention efforts to forestall hate-motivated incidents, the need for plans to respond to and report such incidents, and the need to make available educational materials which reflect appreciation for diversity and pluralism. In addition, the letter should congratulate the County Office of Education for developing this handbook and making it available to each school district and school site in the County. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON january 4 , 1994 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED �_ OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT --� ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. 9 ATTESTED Contact: PHI BATCHELOR,CL RK OF THE BOARD OF CC: County Administrator SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Affirmative Action Officer County Office of Education (Via CAO) /Q p BYy ' ' /�'�� DEPUTY -2- We have, therefore, prepared the attached letter which, if it is acceptable to the Board, could be signed by all Board members . This letter will then be included in the Handbook when it is printed next month, along with a similar letter from Dr. Ronald Stewart, County Superintendent of Schools . Batchelor The 'Board of Supervisors Contra ClePhilrk of the Board and County Administration BuildingCounty Administrator 651 Pine St., Room 106 Costa (510)646-2371 Martinez, California 94553 County Tom Powers,1st District Jeff Smith,2nd District Esi Gayle Bishop,3rd District Sunne Wright McPeak 4th District Tom Tortakson,5th District sTA COU January 1994 To our Friends in the Education Community: Preventing hate-motivated behavior in our community and learning to respond appropriately when it occurs have got to be among our primary objectives . Incidents of hate-motivated behavior have increased throughout our community in recent months . Schools are not immune to this problem. The Board of Supervisors has worked closely with the education community in Contra Costa County in an effort to address this problem. This effort must be built upon community and school awareness of the uniquely destructive and victimizing nature of hate-motivated behavior and crime. Students have a right to be able to attend schools that provide a safe and secure environment where learning and socialization can take place free of intolerance, bigotry, harassment, vandalism and violence. That right extends to staff members, parents and others who make up the school community. We have an interest in working with school boards, districts and individual schools to develop and implement policies, guidelines and plans for recognizing, responding to, and preventing hate- motivated behavior and crime in schools and the community. We believe that parents and the school community should be engaged as partners in prevention efforts by being informed about the existence and nature of hate-motivated behavior and crime and what role each can play in its prevention. This handbook, which has been modified from one produced for the Alameda County schools, should assist schools in dealing with hate- motivated behavior and crime by. providing guidelines in the areas of prevention, intervention and support for students, families and staff. The outcomes we hope to see are to encourage school boards, districts and schools to include within their comprehensive school safety and discipline policies and plans, the following, to assure safe, secure schools: -2- • recognize the destructive nature of hate-motivated behavior and crime • assure quick and adequate responses to hate incidents and crimes • provide thoughtful support to victims and rehabilitation of perpetrators • create supportive environments for diverse student bodies • provide appropriate multicultural curriculum • provide positive models of behavior To reverse the trend of increasing hate-motivated behavior and crime, each member of the community, including members of the education community, must personally and collaboratively commit to recognizing that this is a serious problem, that it affects everyone, and that only by implementing a proactive plan can we mend this tear in the fabric of our society. We commend this handbook to you as one tool to assist in achieving these outcomes. TOM TORLAKSON, Chair Board of Supervisors TCM POWERS GAYLE BISHOP Supervisor, District 1 Supervisor, District 3 JE F SMITH SUNNE WRIGHT McPEAK pervisor, District 2 Supervisor, District 4 rAFV Ronald L. Stewart, Ed.D., Superintendent --�� CONTRA COSTA • 77 Santa Barbara Road • Pleasant Hill, California 94523 OFFICEEDUCATION (510) 942-3388 December 15, 1993 CONTRA COSTA COUNTY RECEIVED Claude Van Marter DRC 1 61993 Office of County Administrator 651 Pine, 11th Floor OFFICE OF Martinez, CA 94553 COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Dear Claude, Attached is a draft of the Hate-Motivated Behavior Handbook to be printed in January. It would be worthwhile to receive a letter of support from the Board of Supervisors to be included in the handbook. I have enclosed a copy of the letter that was in the Alameda county handbook. Dr. Ronald Stewart, our County Superintendent of Schools will also write a letter of support. Thank you for your help. We are enthusiastic about the handbook. Sincerely, Juc1y Van zcklin, .D. Ed �GGrriculum Coordinator Q c« Ronald L.Stewart,Ed.D. Superintendent Contra Costa County Office of Education Task.Force on Anti-Hate Crime adapted from the Alameda County Office of Education Handbook Deal *ingwi*th HatemMot*ivated Behav*ior arime A Handbook for Boards of Education, District and School Site Staff Dealing with Hate-Motivated Behavior and Crime: A Call to Action A Handbook for Boards of Education, District and School Site Staff Contra Costa County Office of Education Task Force on Anti-Hate Crime December, 1993 Additional copies of this report are available for a charge of$4.95 per copy to cover printing and postage costs. Checks should be made payable and mailed to: Contra Costa County Office of Education Curriculum and Instruction Department 77 Santa Barbara Road • Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 Phone (510) 942-3365 • FAX(510) 942-3480 Acknowledgements Hate Crime:A Sourcebook for Schools Confronting Bigotry,Harassment,Vandalism and Violence,sample Hate crime school survey,by Cristina Bodinger-deUriarte and Anthony R.Sancho,published by Southwest Regional Laboratory,Los Alamitos,CA Freedom from Fear—Ending California's Hate Violence Epidemic,Final Report of the Lt.Governor's Commission on the Prevention of Hate Violence,May 1992 Hate behavior and crime definitions from San Leandro Police Department Training Bulletin,May 1990 Sample Board Policy on Hate Motivated Incidents-San Leandro Unified School District Sample Hate Violence Incident Report,San Francisco USD,January 1992 "Achieving Harmony,"New Haven USD 1992-93 The following task force members are to be acknowledged for their contributions to this handbook: Brenda Blasingame Tobacco Prevention Project Linda Chandler Center for Human Development Sharon Houdashelt Antioch Unified School District Charles Humbert Byeon Union School District Sgt.Enos Johnson Richmond Police Department Emma Ruevor County Affirmative Action Office Jinx McCombe Contra Costa County Probation Department Trevor Norman Supervisor McPeak's Office Gary Rutkin Youth Interagency Assessment and Cousultation Team Jamie Schwartz Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council Dan Sweeny Antioch Police Department Judith Van Brocklin Contra Costa County Office of Education A special thanks is extended to Bob Burgess and the Alameda County Office of Education for sharing their model and resources. December, 1993 r�� Contra Costa County Office of Education 77 Santa Barbara Road Pleasant Hill,CA 94523 (510)942-3365 1 Table of Contents When is Hate Motivated Behavior a Crime?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Who Plays a Role in Dealing with Hate-motivated Behavior and Crime? . . . . . . . 2 How Do We Respond to Hate-motivated Incidents that Occur on the School Site? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 How Do We Prevent Hate-motivated Behavior?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 What Should the Victim of a Hate-motivated Incident Do?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 How Do You Deal with the Media After a Hate-motivated Incident? . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Appendix A- Sample Board Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Appendix B - District Guideline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Appendix C - School Site Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Appendix D - Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Appendix E - Hate Crime School Survey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Appendix F- Sample Hate Violence Incident Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 How do we prevent hate-motivated behavior? • Create and support programs de- Specify in any documents, speech,or signed to promote understanding and orientation session detailing the rules to prevent and resolve conflicts among ofconduct:(a)the board/district/school members of a diverse student body. policy concerning bigotry; (b) the ac- • Have educational materials reflect ap- tivities considered to violate the pol- preciation for diversity and plural- icy and constitute unacceptable hate ism. behavior and hate crime; (c) conse- • Adopt a curriculum or supplement quences for those who commit hate the current curriculum through course crime; and (d) the procedures for re- content that builds in multicultural porting and responding to hate crime. components. Appoint a committee to assess school • Develop student activity programs climate, review incident reports, and that promote appreciation and respect identify potential problems when ac- of the diversity of the student body tion can still be taken to prevent fur- and provide events which teach stu- ther incidents. dents to work together and learn from Utilize governmental, law enforce- one another. ment, the community and other • Demonstrate to students that each schools as resources for developing person is valued and to respect the comprehensive hate-motivated be- culture and knowledge brought from havior and crime prevention pro- home to school by all students.Adults grams. should model desired behavior for • Establish contingency plans to re- students. spond quickly to incidents and prevent • Establish standards of behavior for escalation into broader school con- school and home which include dem- flicts. onstrating respect for all people and • Train school staffin victim assistance respect for oneself. (Namecalling in and/or victim referral to outside as- elementary school escalates into hate- sistance. motivated incidents in middle and • Train staff to prevent, respond and high school if the behavior is un- report hate-motivated behaviors and checked.) crime. • Encourage parent participation in ac- • Support programs at all school levels tivity programs that promote self-re- which build students' selfesteem so spect and esteem, appreciation of di- that they are less likely to participate versity and non-vioplent resolution of in hate crimes. conflict. Schools should encourage in- volvement by other agencies and par- ents in the development of these com- munity activities. 1 When is hate-motivated behavior a crime? Definition An incident of hate-motivated behavior is any act or attempted act to cause physical Unusually violent assault by groups injury, emotional suffering or property or individuals which appear random damage through intimidation, harass- ' Certain kinds of vandalism ment, bigoted slurs or epithets, vandal- • Unlawful use of the telephone (for ism,force,or threat of force,motivated in harassment) part or in whole by hostility toward the Other acts of hate-motivated behav- victim's real or perceived ethnicity, na- for may not be independent crimes, or tional origin,immigrant status,religious might not be prosecuted. In fact, such belief, gender, sexual orientation, age, incidents may actually outnumber hate disability,political affiliation,or any oth- crimes on campuses. These acts of hate- er physical or cultural characteristics. motivated behavior should be considered An incident of hate-motivated be- as seriously as hate crimes, and must be havior may also be a crime,as defined by addressed. Such non-criminal acts of the California Penal Code,or other state hate-motivated behavior include: or local law. These incidents must be • Posting or circulating demeaning reported to the appropriate police or law jokes,leaflets or caricatures enforcement agency, and may be prose- . Defacing,removingor destroying post- cuted by the District Attorney's office. ed materials,or announcements. Some criminal acts may be hate motivat- ed and when they are, they are hate ' Distributing or posting hate-group ht- crimes.Some crimes are more likely than erature and/or posters others to be hate motivated and may • Using bigoted insults,taunts or slurs. include: Schools and local law enforcement • Burning crosses or other religious agencies should develop a hate-motivat- symbols ed behavior and crime reporting system • Explosives or bomb threats which not only assures that corrective • Destruction or defacing of property disciplinary action is taken, but that in- formation is shared and victim support is possible. 2 Whoplays a role in dealing with hate-motivated behavior and crime? Everyone who has an impact on the students and the school community plays a role-- the board of education,district and school staffs,parents,students,law enforcement and other agencies.Success in promoting harmony will rely on Interdependent action. Board of Education Parents A board policy addressing hate-motivated Parents and guardians should teach and behavior and crime in the schools is critical model for their children, appropriate atti- to the successful implementation of dis- tudes andbehaviors ofrespect and appreci- trictwide prevention strategies.An official ation for diversity and cooperate with school policy helps to ensure that each school site staff members in implementing a plan knows that the prevention of hate crime to combat hate-motivated behaviors.They and assistance for the victim is a mandate. should participate in in-service training (See Appendix A) and school activities designed to promote a safe and harmonious school environment. School District The district plays a leadership and support Law Enforcement & Other Agencies role,and is a resource for schools in devel- Law enforcement and other agencies gen- oping strategies to deal with hate-motivat- erally have specific policies and protocols ed behavior and crime.The district should for dealing with hate-motivated behaviors develop specific guidelines which schools and crime which include special support for can customize into action plans for imple- victims. Law enforcement agencies also mentation for their own campuses, and provide,when appropriate,Resource Offic- provide the necessary resources. (See Ap- ers, training and materials for staff and pendix B) parents in recognizing and dealing with hate-motivated behaviors and crime and School Site Staff the special needs of victims. All members of the school site staff,as well Students as parent and community representatives, Students must have an active voice and be should be involved in developing a plan for involved in planning and implementing dealing with hate-motivated behavior and any guidelines. They should participate in cringe based on board policy and district in-service training and school activities de- guidelines. Each should be committed to signed to promote a safe and harmonious developing a harmonious atmosphere on school environment.Studentshave the right campus and should receive appropriate in- to be safe and secure in school and in their service training and materials necessary community. However, they also have to for the success ofthe plan.(See Appendix C) take responsibility for their own behavior and meet the standards of conduct estab- lished by their school site and society in general. 3 How do we respond to hate-motivated incidents that occur on the school site? • Require appropriate and timely staff ers may proceed with a concurrent response to all reports of hate-moti- investigation based upon Penal Code vated incidents.Notify the school ad- violations. ministrator and/or law enforcement Inform parents of both the victim(s) officer of the incident and request and perpetrator(s) of the school's assistance,if necessary. concerns and ask if they are aware of • Report all hate-motivated behaviors any indicators of hate-motivated be- in writing to the school administra- havior at home and if their observa- tor. The report should include the tions may be recorded and shared. description of the behavior and the Reassure the victim and the victim's names of the students involved. In- family that the incident will be treated form the district office of follow-up seriously.Provide victims of hate-mo- activities to be initiated. tivated behavior or crime with support • A designated district/school spokes- and assistance, including referral to person should be prepared to handle victim support agencies if appropri- any media inquiry and take command ate. of information release. Meet with staff, according to school • Law enforcement officers should take plan, to develop necessary follow-up photographs of all graffiti. Graffiti activities. should be painted out before students Involve students who are in formal arrive at school so that the message is leadership roles orrecognized by their not seen by other students. peers as leaders in planning activities • Proceed with disciplinary action con- to restore harmony at school.Students sistent with district policy and Cali- are encouraged to discuss the issues fornia Education Code, if there is and recommend positive behaviors to sufficient evidence. It is anticipated help students help each other. that legislation will add hate crime to Involve parents who are in leadership the Ed Code as a suspendable act and roles on the school site in planning subsequently, it will be added to the outreach activities to other parents to annual school crime report as required bring the community into the school by Penal Code 628.2 and Education to help students develop prevention Code 14044. Law enforcement offic- strategies. 4 What should the victim of a hate-motivated incident do? Schools should provide information to students to ensure that they recognize and know what to do if they are victims of a hate-motivated incident.These efforts should help students and staff appreciate and anticipate the shame and fear-based desire for secrecy which often accompanies hate crime victimization. Victims should: • Report the incident immediately to • Accept additional assistance from adults at school and at home. De- parents, school administrators, and - scribe what happened and relate if counselors to recover fully from the something similar has happened be- incident. fore. • When appropriate,talk to other stu- • Provide any writing or drawings which dents about the incident to help them were involved in the incident. realize that hate-motivated behav- e Identify the people involved if known. iors are unacceptable,hurtful and a violation of anyone's right to a safe • Provide a means to report anonymous- and secure school environment. ly - phone recording. • Notify law enforcement. 5 How do you deal with the media after a hate-motivated incident? t • Confer with district media spokesper- Members of the media have a quali- son or superintendent and develop a fied right to be on campus. Their strategy. presence should be handled in a man- • Designate a capable and accessible ner consistent with other visitors.All individual as a spokesperson and public school entrances should have backup in your school site plan and signs indicating that visitors to the provide media training. campus are required to register at the • Develop a good working relationship main office (Penal Code 627.2 ). Vis- with members of the media before an nishing their name, address,itors will be asked to register by fur- incident occurs. Be sensitive to the medias reporting deadlines and bal- occupation,age(if under 21)and pur- ance them against the need to gather pose for entering school grounds.The accurate information. Be clear and schools chief administrator (or an take charge of the time and means of employee designated in writing) has sharing information of media and the right and obligation to preclude community interest. activites which are likely to interfere with the conduct of the activities of • Have a statement and a news release the campus(Penal Code 626.6)or di- prepared ahead of time, if possible. rect a vistor to leave if their presence Take some time to consider responses would be disruptive regardless of the to likely questions before interviews. visitor's intent.(Penal Code 627.5,Ed • Have list of media addresses and fax Code 32211c). numbers in an accessible place in or- Set up a press conference,if warrant- der to send out a news release,if that ed,to answer the media's questions at is appropriate for rumor control, to one time. calm the community,inform parents, etc. • Spokespersons-specifically principals and assistant principals should have media training. s