What HIB is.

Washington law (RCW 28A.600.477 (opens in a new tab)) defines HIB as:

any intentional electronic, written, verbal, or physical act that (a) physically harms a student or damages their property; (b) substantially interferes with a student's education; (c) is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment; or (d) substantially disrupts the orderly operation of the school.

In plain language: HIB is mean behavior aimed at a student that hurts them, scares them, gets in the way of their learning, or messes up the school day.It can happen in person or online. It can be one bad incident or a pattern. The targeted student doesn't need to belong to a protected class for HIB rules to apply — though when they do, additional protections kick in.

How to report.

You can report HIB three ways. Use whichever feels easiest in the moment — they all reach Shawn Brown, our HIB Compliance Officer, within one business day.

  1. Fill out the HIB Reporting Form and turn it in to any school office or email it directly to Shawn. Open the HIB Reporting Form (opens in a new tab)
  2. Email or call Shawn directly — sbrown@monteschools.org or (360) 249-1233. Email is fine; you don't need a form to start a report.
  3. Tell any Monte staff member — teacher, paraeducator, office professional, custodian, bus driver, coach. Every staff member is trained to forward HIB reports to Shawn within one business day.

Anonymous reports are accepted.Note that anonymous reports can't result in disciplinary action against a specific student all on their own — but they can start an investigation, get a building administrator involved, and put a stop to the behavior. If you can include your name, please do — anti-retaliation protection covers you (see below).

What happens next.

Per WSSDA Procedure 3207P (the operational HIB procedure every WA district works from), here's the timeline you can expect:

  1. Day 0 — Report received. Shawn reviews the report and assigns an investigator. If immediate safety steps are needed (separating students, supervision changes), they happen now.
  2. Day 2 — Initial contact.Within two school days, you'll hear from Shawn or the investigator acknowledging the report.
  3. Within 5 school days — Investigation completed. The investigator interviews the targeted student, the accused student, witnesses, and reviews any relevant evidence (texts, social media, video, written work). The 5-day window can be extended if needed — you'll be told why and when in writing.
  4. Within 2 school days of completion — Written outcome. Both the family of the targeted student and the family of the accused student get a written outcome letter explaining what was found and what the district is doing about it.
  5. Within 5 school days of the outcome — Appeal window.If you disagree, you can appeal to the Superintendent, then to the School Board. If the incident also involved discrimination based on a protected class (race, religion, sex, disability, etc.), you can appeal further to OSPI's Equity & Civil Rights Office or file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Investigation outcomes are confidential. Discipline imposed on the accused student is not shared with the reporting family under FERPA — what we share is what was found and the steps the district is taking, not the specific consequence to another student.

Anti-retaliation — your protections.

Washington law (RCW 28A.600.480 (opens in a new tab)) prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports HIB in good faith:

No school employee, student, or volunteer may engage in reprisal, retaliation, or false accusation against a victim, witness, or one with reliable information about an act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

In plain language: filing a HIB report is protected. Nobody — staff, student, or volunteer — may punish you for making a good-faith report. If you think retaliation is happening, contact Shawn immediately; retaliation is itself a violation of HIB policy. Reporters also have legal immunity under RCW 28A.600.480 from liability for failure to remedy the reported act.

When HIB overlaps with other protections.

Sometimes HIB and another federal/state protection apply to the same incident. Per WA rules (WAC 392-190-059 (opens in a new tab)), when a HIB report involves discrimination based on a protected class, the district runs both the HIB process AND the corresponding nondiscrimination / Title IX process. Same incident, two parallel investigations with two coordinators talking to each other. Routing:

  • Sex-based (sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, sexual harassment) — adds Title IX. Title IX Coordinator: Dan Winter · dwinter@monteschools.org. See /title-ix.
  • Disability-based (physical or mental disability) — adds Section 504. 504 Coordinator: Shawn Brown · sbrown@monteschools.org. See /section-504.
  • Race, religion, national origin, or other protected-class basis — adds Civil Rights (Policy 3210, WAC 392-190). Civil Rights Coordinator: Shawn Brown · sbrown@monteschools.org. The civil rights process has a 30-day investigation window(longer than HIB's 5 days) — both run in parallel. See /nondiscrimination and /citizen-complaint.

You don't need to figure out which path applies before reporting. Shawn will route the report appropriately and loop in other coordinators as needed. Tell us what happened; we'll handle the categorization.

Related board policies.

External resources.

Outside-the-district resources for HIB and related concerns:

This page is published in compliance with RCW 28A.300.286 (opens in a new tab) (model handbook language posted to website) and OSPI's annual reporting requirements under RCW 28A.600.477. Montesano School District's HIB policy summary is submitted to OSPI annually by August 15.