Sexual harassment is physical, psychological, or any behavior that offends, shames, taunts, hurts, threatens, intimidates, dismisses, and ultimately violates the gender, sexual identity, or sexual orientation of another person. This form of harassment includes, but is not limited to, unwanted sexual advances, sexual gestures, sexual jokes, sexual comments, sexual symbols, inappropriate questioning, unwanted and unwelcome touching, inappropriate remarks about one’s clothing, body type, gender, orientation, or sexual activity, displaying pornography, and/or promoting rumors of a sexual nature.

• Gender Harassment: a form of sexual harassment that consists primarily of repeated comments, jokes, actions, and innuendos directed at a person or group because of their gender or sexual orientation.  
• Orientation Harassment: a form of sexual harassment that consists primarily of repeated comments, jokes, actions, and innuendos directed at a person or group because of their sexual orientation. 

• Sexual Abuse: physical, psychological, and other behavior that abuses the gender, sexual identity, or sexual orientation of another, especially a child or vulnerable adult, by any person responsible for their care (cf. Minnesota Criminal Sexual Conduct Code).  
• Sexual Exploitation: sexual, physical and/or emotional contact between an adult member and a student, regardless of who initiated the contact (the employee or the student) (cf. Minnesota State Laws and Statutes).  

 

Mutually respectful, non-coercive interactions that are acceptable to both parties are not considered sexual harassment.  

In the case of perceived adult to student sexual harassment, students should report the incident to a teacher, school counselor, division director, or the Head of School. This information will be handled in accordance with MPA’s Sexual Harassment Policy.  

While sexual harassment most often takes place in a situation of power differential between persons, it also may occur between persons of the same status such as student to student.  

When this occurs, the following procedures will be adhered to: 

• Any student who believes he/she is the victim of sexual harassment by a student should report the incident to a teacher, the school counselor, and/or the Director of the Lower, Middle or Upper School.  
• When a teacher or another student hears that another student has been the victim of sexual harassment, he/she should report to the Director of the Lower, Middle, or Upper School.  
• When a report is received that a student has been the victim of sexual harassment by another student, the incident will be promptly investigated. Recommendations for education, counseling, and/or disciplinary action will be determined according to the findings. Knowledge of a sexual harassment report will be kept confidential and confided only to those persons with a direct need to know.  

MPA’s procedures are not intended to deny the right of any individual to pursue legal action under state and federal criminal codes. (Please be reminded that MPA has a Sexual Harassment Policy that is for the protection of all members of the community).

Last Updated: August 26, 2019