Bullying, Civil Rights & Sexual Harassment

All incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying should be promptly reported to your child's school principal. The name and contact information for each school's administrator is posted on the school website.

Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying, Incident Report form (español). Please submit the completed form to your school.   

Our district ombudsman, Isuzu Niizuma, works with families and schools to help resolve concerns, explain district policies and procedures, and ensure that families and schools are successfully partnering for student success. If you are a parent or family member with a concern, question or comment about district or school procedures, please contact Isuzu Niizuma in the Central Office Family Center at 206-631-3104. She is also the district compliance officer under RCW 28A.300.285.

See School Board Policy 3207 Prohibition of Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying, Incident Report form, and procedures. The Incident Report form is also available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Somali.

Here is a family-friendly resource with more information and tips on how to prevent bullying.

Sexual harassment does not refer to casual conversations or compliments of a socially accepted nature. It refers to behavior that is unwelcome, offensive, interfering with effectiveness, or creating uneasiness in the educational and work environment. For the purpose of this definition, sexual harassment may include conduct or communication that involves students to adult, student to student, male to female, female to male, male to male, and female to female. Sexual harassment consists of unwelcome and/or inappropriate sexual advances; and/or requests for sexual favors; and/or sexually motivated physical contact; and/or verbal or physical conduct or communication of a sexual nature if:

• Submission to such conduct or communication is made a term or condition, either explicitly or implicitly, of obtaining an education; and/or
• Submission to or rejection of such conduct or communication by an individual is used as a factor in decisions affecting that individual’s education; and/or
• Such conduct or communication has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s educational or work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational or work environment.

Such conduct, whether committed in the educational environment or district workplace by students, is specifically prohibited. This may include, but is not limited to:

• Making sexually suggestive remarks, gestures, jokes, or teasing;
• Disparaging remarks about one’s gender or sexually demeaning terms for females and males;
• Hazing, pranks, or other intimidating behavior toward others because of gender; deliberate and/or unwelcome touching such as impeding or blocking movement, cornering, pinching, pulling on clothing, kissing, or fondling;
• Displaying or distributing printed, pictorial, derogatory, and/or offensive sexual materials such as posters, cards, pictures, cartoons, graffiti, drawings, or clothing;
• Using the media for unwanted communications such as letters, phone calls, email, fax, or other technology;
• Spreading rumors about a person’s private sex life;
• Unwanted communications about personal sexual experiences; or
• Requests for sexual favors in exchange for rewards such as grades, promotion, money, and/or personal gain.

For complaint process, disciplinary actions, false accusations, remedies, non-retaliation, dissemination, interpretation, and internal review, please refer to Policy 5011.

You can report sexual harassment to any school staff member or to the Title IX coordinator at 206-631-3104 or title.IX@highlineschools.org. The Title IX coordinator can help you decide if any action needs to be taken and how best to address your situation.

Highline Public Schools has designated staff responsible for responding to, investigating and resolving complaints.

If you believe that you or an HPS student or staff member has been sexually harassed, you can report the incident(s) to any school staff member or the district's Title IX coordinator.

Filing a complaint: 

All formal complaints will be in writing and will set forth the specific acts, conditions or circumstances alleged to have occurred and to constitute sexual harassment.  You may submit your written complaint or fill out Form 3205 (optional). 

If you have any questions regarding the complaint process and/or complaint form, please contact the Title IX Coordinator.

Phone: 206.631.3104
Email: title.ix@highlineschools.org

Mailing Address:
Highline Public Schools
Attention: Title IX Coordinator
15675 Ambaum Boulevard SW
Burien, WA 98166

For more information, please refer to board policies: 

For Students:

3205 and 3205P

Schools

School Compliance Official: Your principal or principal's designee

DISTRICT

Title IX Compliance Officer

Isuzu Niizuma
Phone: 206-631-3104
Fax: 206-631-3383
Email: title.ix@highlineschools.org

Sexual Harassment Compliance Officer (students)

Isuzu Niizuma
Phone: 206-631-3104
Fax: 206-631-3383
Email: isuzu.niizumaarambula@highlineschools.org

By Mail

Highline Public Schools
Attention: Title XI Coordinator
15675 Ambaum Boulevard SW
Burien, WA 98166

STATE

State OSPI Equity and Civil Rights Office

Phone: 360-725-6162
Email: equity@k12.wa.us

NATIONAL

U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights

Phone: 206-607-1600
Email: OCR.Seattle@ed.gov

Highline Public Schools has designated staff responsible for responding to, investigating and resolving complaints.

If you believe that you or an HPS student has been discriminated against, or treated unfairly or unlawfully because of their race, religion, gender or other protected class, you can report the incident(s) to any school staff member or the district's civil rights compliance officer.

Your School Compliance Official: The principal (or designee) of your school 

Highline Public Schools Civil Rights Coordinator: 
Phone: 206-631-3104
Email: civilrightscoordinator@highlineschools.org

Washington State OSPI Equity Civil Rights Office:
Phone: 360-725-6162
Email: equity@k12.wa.us

U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights:
Phone: 206-607-1600
Email: OCR.Seattle@ed.gov

INSTRUCTIONS

• An informal complaint can be submitted to the school’s principal or compliance officer. A formal complaint should be submitted in writing to the district’s civil rights coordinator by email or mail.
• Be as specific as possible when discussing the incidents. You are encouraged to attach additional materials, which may assist in the investigation process.
• Please be sure to include the:
  • the date(s),
  • the incident(s) that occurred,
  • the name(s) of the person(s) involved, and
  • the name(s) of those who may have witnessed the incident(s).

If you have any questions regarding the complaint process and/or complaint form, please contact the civil rights coordinator.

Phone: 206-631-3102
Email: civilrightscoordinator@highlineschools.org

Student Civil Rights Compliance Officer

Isuzu Niizuma 
Phone: 206.631.3104
Fax:206.631.3383
Email: civilrightscoordinator@highlineschools.org

Mail: Highline Public Schools
Attention: Civil Rights Coordinator
15675 Ambaum Boulevard SW
Burien, WA 98166​

3210 - English

3210P - English

3210 - Spanish

3210P - Spanish