Anti-Hazing Policy

Section I: Policy Statement

  • AIM Academy does not tolerate hazing. Any student, student group, student organization, team, or other persons associated with a student organization found responsible of Hazing, Aggravated Hazing, or Organizational Hazing under this Policy, whether occurring on or off campus, may face disciplinary action from the school, and may also face criminal charges under state law, including The Timothy J. Piazza Anti-hazing Law, 18 Pa. C.S. s 2801, et seq.

Section II: Purpose

  • The purpose of this document is to state AIM Academy’s Anti-Hazing Policy, identify how the school will enforce this Policy, and identify resources for reporting violations of this Policy.

Section III: Application

  • This Policy applies to the following:

    • Individual students, including those in attendance, those who are applying to attend, and those who have been admitted to attend AIM.

    • Organizations including: clubs, groups, teams and unofficial or unrecognized organizations.

    • Other persons associated with an organization such as: representatives, sponsors, advisors, alumni, teachers, or coaches.

Section IV: Jurisdiction

  • This policy applies to any acts of Hazing, Aggravated Hazing, or Organizational Hazing occurring on or off campus.

Section V:

  1. AIM Academy adheres to the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-hazing Law. The Timothy J. Piazza Law defines hazing to include: Hazing, Aggravated Hazing, and Organizational Hazing. Hazing, Aggravated Hazing, and Organizational Hazing are each prohibited by AIM’s policy. It shall not be a defense that the consent of the minor or student was sought or obtained. It is also not a defense that the conduct was sanctioned or approved by the organization.
     

    1. Hazing: A person commits the offense of hazing if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly, for the purpose of initiating, admitting or affiliating a minor or student into or with an organization, or for the purpose of continuing or enhancing a minor or student’s membership of status in an organization, causes, coerces or forces a minor or student to do any of the items listed below in (i) - (vi). Hazing shall NOT include reasonable and customary athletic, law enforcement or military training, context, competitions or events

      1. Violate Federal or State criminal law;

      2. Consume any food, liquid, alcoholic liquid, drug or other substance which subjects the minor or student to a risk of emotional or physical harm;

      3. Endure brutality of a physical nature, such as whipping, beating, branding, calisthenics or exposure to the elements;

      4. Endure brutality of a mental nature, including activity adversely affecting the mental health or dignity of the individual, sleep deprivation, exclusion from social contact or conduct that could result in extreme embarrassment;

      5. Endure brutality of a sexual nature;

      6. Endure any other activity that creates a reasonable likelihood of bodily injury to the minor or student.

    2. Aggravated Hazing: A person commits the offense of aggravated hazing if the person commits a violation of Hazing that results in serious bodily injury or death to the minor or student; and

      1. The person acts with reckless indifference to the health and safety of the minor or student; or

      2. The person causes, coerces, or forces the consumption of an alcoholic liquid or drug by the minor or student

    3. Organizational Hazing: An organization commits the offense of Organization Hazing if the organization intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly promotes or facilitates a violation of Hazing or Aggravated Hazing.

Section VI: Reporting Violations of this Policy

  • AIM Academy encourages all members of the school community who believe that they have witnessed, experiences, or are aware of conduct that constitutes Hazing, Aggravated Hazing, or Organizational Hazing in violation of this Policy to report the violation to Michael Brooks, Director of Campus and Community Life.

Section VII: Enforcement of this Policy

  • As in all cases deemed to potentially compromise the safety or the community of any individual, Allegations of Hazing, Aggravated Hazing or Organizational Hazing will handled in accordance with the school’s disciplinary guidelines, as listed in the AIM Community Handbook.

Section VIII: Sanctions

  • Anyone found responsible for violating this Policy may face disciplinary action including any of the following:

    • The withholding of diplomas or transcripts pending compliance with the rules;

    • Revocation of extracurricular involvements;

    • The imposition of probation, suspension, dismissal or expulsion.

Section IX: Institutional Bi-Annual Report

  • AIM Academy will maintain a report of all violations of this Policy or of Federal or State laws related to hazing that are reported to the school. AIM will update the report biennially on January 1 and August 1 and will post the updated report on its publicly accessible website.


 

Safe 2 Say Something

In April, AIM Academy shared the below information about the implementation of school's Safe2Say Something program per Pennsylvania's mandate to activate the program in schools throughout the state. More information on Safe2Say Something can be found in this brochure.

 

April 12, 2019

Dear AIM Parents,

On Tuesday, April 16, Middle and Upper School students will hear from their division leaders about Safe2Say Something (S2SS), the new, state-mandated, anonymous tip line. AIM teachers, staff and administrators were trained in the new program in March.

S2SS, developed in partnership with Sandy Hook Promise, a nationwide nonprofit founded by several families whose children were killed in the 2012 school shooting, is designed to help prevent gun violence, suicide, bullying and other threats to students and school safety. This winter, Pennsylvania became the first state to mandate that all schools, public and independent, activate the S2SS program.

S2SS educates students, teachers and staff to recognize an individual who may be at risk of hurting themselves or others and to "say something" to a trusted adult or to report anonymously through S2SS to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

Specifically, S2SS educates participants to:

  • Recognize the signs and signals of at-risk behaviors – especially on social media. S2SS teaches students what to look for in social media text, video and photos.
  • Take every sign and signal seriously, and act quickly to get help by talking to a trusted adult, or report anonymously to the S2SS Office of the Attorney General's Crisis Center.
  • Report tips to the 24/7 Crisis Center by phone at 1-844-SAF2SAY, the website at www.safe2saypa.org, or by downloading the Safe2SaySomething mobile app.

Although students do not need the following level of detail, parents may want to know the Crisis Center follows up on tips. Here is the process:

  1. Crisis Center analysts vet and triage the tip, then engage the tipster in anonymous two-way chat in order to provide detailed and immediately actionable information to schools and, as needed, local law enforcement.
  2. Crisis Center analysts deliver the tip to the school and, as needed, local law enforcement via 911 county dispatch.
  3. The school and, as needed, local law enforcement, assess and intervene with the at-risk individual.
  4. The school reports the outcome to S2SS and closes out the tip.

AIM Academy is committed to creating and sustaining a comprehensive, coordinated effort to protect the safety and well-being of our students. We look forward to the ways in which the new S2SS program can contribute to our efforts. Attached is a full brochure outlining the S2SS program.

If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call or email me directly.

Sincerely,


Mike Brooks

Director of Athletics, Student Life & Leadership

AIM Safe 2 Say Something Lead

mbrooks@aimpa.org