The Vermont Human Rights Commission, either alone or in conjunction with the Vermont Department of Education and other organizations, offers a variety of training opportunities for school personnel on the issues of bullying, harassment, cyberbullying, and investigating harassment complaints.  Attached below are the handouts used in these workshops.  While these handouts provide helpful information for parents/guardians and school staff, we strongly recommend that school staff attend the HRC workshops when at all possible since in-person discussion of these materials, legal issues, and real-life situations with colleagues provides an irreplaceable and crucial educational opportunity.

• Analyzing information gathered during an investigation  (21 KB)   (Guidelines on how to analyze information gathered during an investigation of a harassment complaint)

• Bullying and harassment scenarios  (23 KB)   (Scenarios, most based on real life situations, for discussion to help clarify the distinctions between bullying and harassment)

• Bullying statistics  (23 KB)   (Some statistics and information about bullying/harassment from Barbara Coloroso, Dan Olweus, and other sources)

• Continuum of Behaviors (30 KB)  (A tool for explaining the basic legal differences between rude behaviors, bullying, harassment, and criminal behaviors) UPDATED

• Creating an investigative plan  (24 KB)   (A checklist for conducting investigations of harassment complaints)

• Cyberbullying scenarios  (16 KB)    (Scenarios, most based on real life situations, to discuss responses to cyberbullying)

• Factors to consider when engaging in informal resolution  (26 KB)  (Issues to consider before attempting an informal resolution of a harassment complaint)

• Gender identity/sex/sexual orientation definitions  (25 KB)   (Legal and other definitions of gender identity, sex, sexual orientation and other related terms)

• Hostile environment analysis factors (27 KB) (A brief guide for assessing whether a hostile environment exists) NEW

• Information to include in notification letters to parents/guardians  (24 KB)    (Information to include in notification letters to parents/guardians when a harassment complaint has been filed)

• Interviewing tips and techniques  (23 KB)   (Helpful tips about conducting interviews during an investigation of a harassment complaint)

• Legal definitions of bullying and harassment  (20 KB)  UPDATED

• Quick guide: investigation flow chart  (27 KB)  (A quick guide to procedures following the filing of a complaint of harassment)

• Race/color/national origin definitions  (18 KB)  (Non-legal guidelines for understanding race, color, and national origin)

• Safety plan guidelines (27 KB) (A quick quide for creating safety plans for students) NEW

• Sample complaint intake form  (22 KB)   (A sample harassment complaint intake form) NEW

• School staff roles and responsibilities matrix  (45 KB)   (Roles and responsibilities for designated employees, investigators, and disciplinarians; it is ideal to have separate staff for each of these different roles but this may not be possible, especially in small schools)

• Recommendations from Dan Olweus and Barbara Coloroso  (22 KB)   (Recommendations for immediate and long-term responses to bullying and harassment)

• Resource sheet  (28 KB)   (Print and Internet resources about bullying, harassment, and cyberbullying) UPDATED

• Teasing v. taunting  (16 KB)   (A tool for explaining the differences between teasing and taunting)

• Proactive strategies  (22 KB)   (Additional, school-wide strategies for addressing bullying and harassment and school climate issues)

If you are interested in hosting a workshop in your school district/supervisory union, education association, or parent-teacher association, or would like information about upcoming workshops, please contact Tracey Tsugawa at 800-416-2010, ext. 2493, or tracey.tsugawa@state.vt.us.