Lockport plans rule on school hazing ; Board due to address issue in student code

Responding to a recent incident in the Wilson School District,the Lockport School Board is expected to add an anti-hazing measureto its student code of conduct Wednesday.

Assistant School Superintendent Michelle T. Bradley said theboard had administrators draw up the anti-hazing measure for thecode because the issue is not addressed in district rules.

"We're doing it because hazing seems to be occurring toofrequently in our society," Bradley said. "So we want to send amessage that it's not going to be tolerated in this school district.Period! And if it occurs, there will be consequences."

It was not just the Wilson case -- involving baseball players ona team bus -- that prompted the action, she said, but many similardenigrating incidents that have been recorded in schools across thecountry in recent years.

"When we saw that [happen in Wilson], we asked if there wasanything in our documents that addresses something like that, andthere wasn't. Now there will be," Bradley said.

She said the new section on hazing defines that activity as"something expected of a student to join a group or to maintain fullstatus in a group that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional orphysical harm, regardless of the person's willingness toparticipate."

The new code rates hazing according to three levels ofseriousness: subtle, harassing or violent.

The consequences for violating the rule can range from a lesserin-school punishment to expulsion to an arrest.

A student or group of students who commit violent hazing -- themost serious form -- would do so by "forced or coerced alcohol ordrug consumption; beating, paddling or other forms of assault;branding; forced or coerced ingestion of vile substances orconcoctions; burning; water intoxication; expecting abuse or mistreatment of animals; public nudity; illegal activity; bondage;exposure to cold weather or extreme heat without appropriateprotection."

Any of these activities could call for a student or group ofstudents to not only be suspended or possibly expelled, but alsocould result in an arrest on felony charges depending on theseriousness of an act, according to school officials.

Acts of subtle hazing would include "deception, silence periods,deprivation of privileges, socially isolating and name calling."Harassment hazing includes acts of "verbal abuse, threats orimplied threats, wearing embarrassing or humiliating attire,performing personal services and to be expected to harass others."

Bradley said new additions to the code also will include themisuse of technology.

The item on that issue states, "The use of technology to record,document, and/or disseminate information about an individual withouttheir consent is prohibited. The Lockport City School District will,however, continue to use technology to investigate inappropriate useof technology and shall report cyber-crime and cooperate withauthorities to support investigations related to the improper use ofpersonal and district technology."

Bradley said, "We don't want our students to use technology tobully anyone on the Internet or use cell phones to take pictures ofothers -- embarrassing or otherwise -- and put them on somethinglike MySpace. We won't tolerate any improper use of technology."

So far, the Lockport district has had no apparent problem in thatregard.

e-mail: pwestmoore@buffnews.com