A positive school climate fosters healthy interactions and promotes the equitable well-being of students, staff, families, and the school community. Equitable school climates are central to education equity and require awareness of race, ethnicity, gender, language, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, family background, and geographic differences. Educational Equity is the degree of achievement, fairness and opportunity in education as measured by a standard of success. Refer to the AOE’s Educational Equity webpage for more resources.  

VTPBIS provides information and resources to address five foundational elements of equity in a PBIS system which are: 

1. Collect, Use, and Report Disaggregated Discipline Data 
2. Implement a Behavior Framework that is Preventive, Multi-Tiered, and Culturally Responsive 
3. Use Engaging Instruction to Reduce the Opportunity Gap 
4. Develop Policies with Accountability for Disciplinary Equity 
5. Teach Strategies for Neutralizing Implicit Bias in Discipline Decisions 

In addition, the National Association of State Boards of Education published this resource for (Creating Equitable School Climates, 2020). 

Hazing, Harassment, and Bullying (HHB) Prevention is embedded in systemic school climate initiatives and efforts. There are many factors to consider in ensuring safe, healthy, supportive, and equitable learning environments for each Vermont student who may be impacted by hazing, harassment, or bullying behaviors and incidents (public, independent and Career Technical Center locations): 

• Positive, strengths-based approaches are evidence-based opportunities to address and respond to student behaviors in developmentally appropriate and educationally focused strategies (including bullying, harassment, and hazing behaviors and incidents). This could include Responsive Classroom, PBIS, Restorative Practices, and Collaborative Problem Solving, as well as robust multi-tiered systems of support using Early MTSS and VTmtss systemic frameworks.
   
• School safety, protocols, and policies include not only physical safety, but social, emotional and verbal safety as well. Behaviors categorized in hazing, harassment, and bullying spheres challenges a sense of safety, which impacts developmental and academic growth.
   
• Dynamic school systems ensure that families feel like valued contributors to their student’s academic achievement and healthy development, including involvement and discussion of HHB impact on students (respondent and affected).
   
• Students (and families) experiencing hazing, harassment, and/or bullying behaviors should be holistically connected with mental health resources and community support. There are opportunities to bridge relationships among schools and community health/wellbeing organizations to support all those impacted by harassment, hazing, and bullying behaviors.
   
• Students (either as respondent or affected by hazing, harassment, and bullying behaviors and incidents) who have or suspected to be experiencing a disability may have additional protections and intervention mechanisms. They are not exempt from these policies and procedures; they are afforded rights that allow them to best learn from and be supported by what has occurred as well as for any disciplinary actions that may be considered. For this reason, the student’s case manager and/or special education director should be involved when implementing these policies and procedures. 

HHB Model Policy and Procedures

Model policies provide guidance, direction and recommended standards to help school administrators develop general school policy statements. Policies are developed based on requirements of state or federal laws or at the request of the State Board of Education or the Vermont Legislature. 

These model policy and procedures supports the commitment to providing students with a safe and supportive school environment.  

All Vermont school communities are expected to be committed to providing all of its students with a safe and supportive school environment in which all members of the school community are treated with respect.  

The HHB Model Policy prohibits the unlawful hazing, harassment, and bullying of students, and schools/districts shall address all complaints of harassment, hazing and bullying according to the procedures accompanying this policy, and shall take appropriate action against any person - subject to the jurisdiction of the board - who violates this policy.  

• Model Policy on the Prevention of Harassment, Hazing and Bullying of Students 

• Model Procedures on the Prevention of Harassment, Hazing and Bullying of Students 

• Memo from Former Secretary Holcombe on Model HHB Policy and Procedures  

Designated School Staff Who Receive Reports of the Harassment, Hazing or Bullying of Students 

Annually, each and every K-12 school campus (all public, all independent, and all career technical centers) must designate two (2) or more staff members to receive reports of the harassment, hazing, and bullying of students.  

• The following document provides a list of the School Designated Employees SY24-25 

Independent Review of Determination of a Harassment Investigation 

A complainant may request an independent review within thirty (30) days of a final determination of a harassment investigation if they are either:    

• dissatisfied with the final determination of the school officials as to whether harassment occurred, or    

• believe that, although a final determination was made that harassment occurred, the school’s response was inadequate to correct the problem shall make such request in writing to the headmaster or superintendent of schools.    

Upon such request, the headmaster or superintendent shall initiate an independent review by a neutral person selected from a list developed jointly by the commissioner of education and the human rights commission and maintained by the Secretary of Education. Individuals shall be placed on the list based on their objectivity, knowledge of harassment issues, and relevant experience. (Note: The District may also request an independent review at any stage of the process.)  

• Independent Review of Harassment Complaints 

• Independent Reviewers of Harassment Determinations List 

AOE Support for HHB Concerns

Harassment, Hazing and Bullying Prevention Online Help Request

Audience: Superintendents, Headmasters, Principals, Families
The Harassment, Hazing and Bullying Prevention Help Request Form should be used to help direct your request to the appropriate staff member at the AOE, to help us provide a more efficient response. As is our protocol, your request for help will be logged, the appropriate superintendent, headmaster or school administrator will be contacted to inform them of this request for help, and someone from the AOE will follow up with you if needed. Note: we ask that anyone needing support on a Harassment, Hazing, or Bullying concern complete this form as their initial communication to the AOE (in lieu of a phone call), if possible. If any party is having trouble accessing or completing the form, they should contact Meghan "MJ" Jaird.
Harassment, Hazing, and Bullying Prevention Contact: Meghan "MJ" Jaird at Meghan.Jaird@vermont.gov

Harassment, Hazing and Bullying Prevention Advisory Council

Per Act No. 129 of 2012, the Secretary of Education established the Harassment, Hazing, and Bullying Prevention Advisory Council (HHB) to provide advice and recommendations on harassment, hazing, and bullying prevention strategies and resources, and to coordinate statewide activities related to the prevention of and response to harassment, hazing, and bullying.

HHB Preventative Strategies and Resources

Family Guide coming soon

School Safety Cyberbullying resources and tips: Bullying and Cyberbullying

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments: Lessons from the Field – Preventing and Intervening in Identity-Based Bullying

Stop Bullying: How to Prevent Bullying

It is important for schools to develop effective strategies to respond to challenging student behaviors. The AOE and its partners provide training and technical assistance to increase a school's capacity for implementing layered behavioral supports that benefit entire school communities. 

Vermont Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (VTPBIS) 

Vermont Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (VTPBIS) is a state-wide effort designed to help school teams form a proactive, school-wide, systems approach to improving social and academic competence for all students. Many schools in Vermont are engaged in using a formal system of positive behavioral supports in their schools. Students in these schools often enjoy greater levels of support and inclusion than those in comparative schools who do not use a system of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. 

To help schools develop more effective strategies and interventions, the BEST Team facilitates a variety of workshops, in-service training, university coursework, webinars, and an annual Summer Institute. Additional information is available on the AOE’s The BEST Project webpage. 

Early Education - Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) 

In connection with Early PBIS, our Early Education team recommends the Pyramid Model resources. Refer to the Vermont’s Early Multi-Tiered System of Supports Preliminary Pyramid Assessment (PPA) tool and these additional Early Education Multi-tiered Systems of Supports resources. 

Using a Trauma-informed Approach 

The Vermont Agency of Human Services Department of Mental Health provides several resources about trauma-informed approaches across these webpages: 

• The Trauma Prevention and Resilience Development webpage defines trauma and its effects with links to additional resources. 

• Child Trauma Resources with content and resources for families and educators. 

Dr. Ross Greene’s work, Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS), provides resources for educators and schools. The CPS model focuses on solving the problems at the root cause of the behavior, not merely on modifying the behavior, and CPS advocates for explicit teaching of lagging skills. 

A school community that exhibits a sustainable, positive school climate in which all members of the school community feel safe, supported, and challenged in non-threatening and social learning environments, is more likely to foster student development and strong family relationships. Safe and supportive Vermont schools teach students skills and strategies for lagging skills rather than respond to unwanted behaviors with disciplinary action.