Park City School District administrators are considering a policy update that would make school employees and students mandated reporters of bullying and harassment, and subject them to possible disciplinary action if they fail to speak up.

The school board voted last week to publicly post the policy at its first meeting since The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights released a report last month highlighting over 180 instances of prejudice-based harassment among students in recent years.

“I was born on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so that’s always a special day for me and my family,” Superintendent Jill Gildea said at the session. “I’ve especially loved having that day off. … But one of his quotes that resonates is, ‘Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.'”

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She also emphasized the importance of education in the district’s future efforts against harassment.

“Education is the answer. Education is pivotal in addressing the issues highlighted in the report, specifically around discrimination and harassment,” Gildea said. “We do encourage all families to discuss these issues with their children fostering a culture of kindness and understanding.”

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She held up her wrist.

“I have my little bracelet that says kindness is magic, but I don’t believe kindness should have to be magic,” she said.

Since the civil rights report, the district’s leaders have found themselves facing students, parents and community members seeking accountability, solutions and explanations as to what exactly happened.

“When I think about schools, I think about love. I think about light, joy, happiness, friendships and all of the great things that come with school. So in light of our recent OCR report, I do want to affirm and reaffirm that our school district is committed to more than just meeting the requirements of the resolution agreement,” Gildea said. “As superintendent, I apologize for any instance where our district fell short of providing a nurturing and safe environment.”

Later in the meeting, the board voted to publicly post several policies it is considering, including possible board policy updates to ensure the district complies with its agreement with the Office of Civil Rights.

Along with possibly penalizing students and school personnel who see harassment and stay quiet, the amendments would mean principals or vice principals would not only be obligated to inform parents if their child threatened to commit suicide or was involved in harassment, hazing, bullying or retaliation within a day of the incident, but also inform them of the district’s plan to address what happened.

The plans are to be tailored responses to address the specific needs of both the harassed and the students who did the harassing.

The policy updates would specifically name types of harassment and specify employees or students who observe harassment or bullying “and fail to intervene or report the activity to school officials may face disciplinary action for conspiring to engage in such conduct.”

Since the report was released, the district has added a page to its website where viewers can see updates on the administration’s efforts to meet the requirements outlined in the district’s resolution agreement with the Office of Civil Rights. According to the web page, the district is in the process of reviewing harassment incidents from the 2022-23 school year, ensuring equitable resolutions, and reviewing and updating policies.

Four other policies were posted as well, one of which targets discrimination within the school district.

Board members said they hope to hear from community members before they move forward.

“I encourage people to review these and please submit comments,” board member Wendy Crossland said.