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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">LGS Safeguarding Policy Against Harassment and Bullying</h2>
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<li>LGS is fully committed to establishing and maintaining a working and learning environment that is free from harassment and bullying of any kind and where<br>all persons are treated with courtesy, dignity and respect.</li>
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<li>Harassment and bullying are unlawful and will not be tolerated by LGS under any circumstances. Any member of the LGS community found to be engaging<br>in such behaviour will be subject to appropriate penalties.</li>
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<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>Harassment means written, verbal, sexual, virtual or physical conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile or 0ffensive environment and adversely affects a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from the school’s educational programs or activities, their employment, or causes an overall impairment of his/her morale.</td><td>Bullying is an unwarranted expression of aggression via verbal, electronic, written or physical communication, towards an individual and/or group, by an individual and/or group. Bullying puts the persons at a reasonable risk<br>of harm and causes emotional distress and may also lead to the person’s ability to benefit from his/her education/employment due to the creation of a hostile environment</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>
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<li>LGS recognises that anyone can be a victim of harassment and bullying, regardless of their sex and of the sex of the harasser/bully.</li>
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<li>LGS absolutely prohibits romantic or sexual relationships between members of the school community in a supervisory position with a student and strongly discourages such relationships between employees.</li>
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<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Who it applies to?</strong></td><td><strong>Where it applies?</strong></td><td><strong>Which incidents it applies to?</strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>The School Community:&nbsp;</strong>persons engaged with LGS in various capacities including, but not limited to students, faculty (visiting/permanent), parents, administrators, coaches, guests, staff members such as laboratory<br>staff, accounts and HR staff, janitorial staff, guards and others employed or enrolled by LGS on a permanent, contractual or voluntary basis.</td><td>All on-campus behaviour, which includes the use of electronic and social media on-campus as well as behaviour on school owned or rented property such<br>as buses or vans.Off-campus behaviour taking place during school-sanctioned activities.</td><td>It prohibits all incidents of harassment and bullying of the school community whether it takes place within school premises or at school sanctioned activities outside the school premises.</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><strong>Who can report?</strong><strong>Where to report?</strong>the complainant directly or,a friend or family member of the complainant or,a witness to the incident or,an employee of LGS.A 3-member Inquiry Committee set up by the school to specifically&nbsp; deal with complaints of harassment and bullying. A report can be made to the Committee in any of the following ways:<strong>in person</strong>&nbsp;(oral complaint) or<strong>in writing</strong>&nbsp;via the official email address or complaint box</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><strong>How to report?</strong>The complainant is encouraged to provide the following details when reporting:Who the complaint is against;Facts/description of the incident, to the best of complainant’s knowledge;Number of occurrences, with dates and places, to the best of complainant’s knowledge;Any documents or other materials which are related to the incident, if possible;Names and statements of the witnessesWhat action is requestedContact information</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><strong>Penalties If Found Guilty of Harassment or Bullying</strong>Dismissal/ExpulsionSuspensionReduction or deduction of salary (employee)Tendering a written and/or oral apology, to the Complainant privately or before the student body as a whole, as considered appropriate in the case and<br>also taking into account the request of the ComplainantLegal action/remedy<strong>Falsifying a complaint with an intention to malign, actively assisting the bully/harasser, lying or deliberately misleading during investigation and failure to report an offence under this Policy by the staff are also&nbsp;<u><strong>strictly prohibited and punishable under the school policy</strong></u></strong></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><strong>Who will Monitor the Implementation of the Policy?</strong>LGS will establish a permanent Review Panel to oversee the implementation of the Policy.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>
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