The Southeast Polk Community School District is committed to providing an atmosphere in which students feel safe from harassment and violence. While conflicts between students will arise from time to time, our faculty and administrators are highly trained to recognize and investigate allegations of harassment or bullying of students.
Administrators in each Southeast Polk School Building also are trained in the Easton Bullying Investigation Safety Plan that helps administrators determine whether peer conflict has escalated to harassment or bullying and conduct a prompt and thorough investigation.
All children in grades K through 8 participate in weekly OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Sessions. During these weekly sessions, teachers meet with their students to discuss bullying, harassment or other issues of concern to students.
Mentors in Violence Prevention is another initiative serving students at grades 9-12 at Southeast Polk High School, a team of junior and senior leaders are trained to serve as leaders to lead lessons that teach students about violence and sexual assault prevention.
MVP is a widely acclaimed leadership program that motivates both men and women to play a central role in solving problems that historically have been considered “women’s issues:” rape, relationship abuse, sexual assault, and harassment. Founded in 1993, MVP is the original “bystander” program in the field of gender violence prevention education.
The MVP approach views all individuals not as potential perpetrators or victims, but as empowered bystanders who can recognize and confront harassment and abuse before, during and after the fact. The MVP Program inspires leadership by empowering individuals with tools to lead and with concrete options to effect change in their peer cultures, as well as with younger students and others.
In Iowa, MVP training is available through the UNI Center for Violence Prevention and is delivered by certified teams under the guidance of Alan Heisterkamp, Ed.D., Director, Center for Violence Prevention at the University of Northern Iowa.
Parents concerned that their child may at risk from bullying or harassment need to contact their school’s principal.
Mentors in Violence Prevention Program Iowa Department of Education: Anti-Bullying/Anti-Harassment Iowa Code section 280.28 Stopbullying.gov
