The Hate/Bias Response Team is a dedicated group of staff members who are trained to support those impacted by hate, bias, or identity-based harm. Our team’s approach is grounded in restorative practices, meaning they focus on repair, understanding, and restoration rather than discipline. The team aims to provide a compassionate, supportive environment where all individuals can heal and grow.

2024-2025 Team Members: 

 Jennifer Gimmer (she/her) Email Phone: 608.526.6610 x1361

 Amanda Florence Garcia Goodenough (she/her)

 Meg Loomis (she/her) Email Phone: 608.526.3372 ext 6207

 Martha Hauser Hage (she/her) Email Phone: 608.526.3372 ext 6601

 Mark Lee (he/him) Email Phone: 608.526.337 ext 6506

 Susi Holm (she/her) Email Phone: 608.526.1390 ext 1811

To support the district’s overall mission, vision, and core values, the three primary functions of the Hate & Bias Response Team are:

• Support: Support impacted parties through facilitation of healing and/or navigation of potential response options. 
• Monitor: Collect, track, and share patterns and trends related to identity-based harm to build trust, transparency, and education.  
• Advocate: Utilize information collected to inform learning opportunities, policy, and practice changes. 

The Hate & Bias Response Team does not replace any of the existing procedures currently in place for addressing alleged violates involving student or employee conduct, sexual harassment, discrimination, or violations of criminal law. Instead, the team seeks to prioritize healing and support for the individual and collective impacted by hate and bias.

 What we do:

• Listen
• Provide care and support to those negatively impacted by bias
• Provide information and resources
• Assist impacted parties in connecting with additional support services 
• Serve as an advocate in meetings/conversations, when desired
• Facilitate restorative processes to address harm
• Facilitate education and dialogue
• Utilize bias response data to inform policy, professional development, education, and make recommendations to mitigate the impact of bias

What we don't do:

• Conduct formal investigations
• Propose discipline of students/employees
• Determine guilt/innocence
• Provide legal advice
• Infringe on first amendment rights 
• Replace existing accountability processes

When filling out a Hate/Bias Incident Report, please provide as much information as possible. Anonymous reports are accepted, but may limit the team’s ability to offer support. 

All complaints will be received by Hate & Bias Response Team members, and if a response is requested, follow-up will occur within 3 school days. 

This online form is just one of several ways that you may share a concern. Concerns can also be shared by contacting a Hate/Bias Response Team member by email phone, or scheduling an in-person meeting.

• Any physically, environmentally, or verbally harmful act that is or appears to be (consciously or unconsciously) motivated by bias against any of the following identities: race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender, class, language, age, pregnancy or family/marital status, disability, military status, body size, or another identity status protected federally or by district policy.
• Examples could range from derogatory slurs, biased jokes, microaggressions, graffiti or social media posts containing discriminatory messages, exclusionary behavior and more. 

• This form is for students, employees, and community members affiliated with the School District of Holmen who have experienced, witnessed, or learned about hate, bias or identity-based harm. 
• You can report as someone who directly experienced a hate/bias incident, as someone who witnessed an incident, or as someone who learned about an incident.

Submitting a hate/bias incident report is an important step in creating a safer, more inclusive community. By reporting incidents, you:

• Access support: If you desire, submitting a report connects you to a team of resources and trained advocates to ensure you are supported through the healing process. 
• Help address harmful behaviors: Reporting allows you an opportunity to have your perspective and needs centered in how the district responds to acts of hate/bias.
• Raise awareness: Sharing your experience and observations helps the district understand the scope of hate/bias issues and to notice patterns and trends that may otherwise go unnoticed. 
• Contribute to positive change: Your reports could play a role in informing education, training, and policy changes aimed at creating a more equitable school environment. 

• If contact information is left and follow-up is requested, reporters will receive outreach by a team member within 3 school days. If the reporter agrees, they will have an opportunity to meet with members of the Hate/Bias Response Team to gain support. 
• The hate/bias incident response process is intended to be educational, responsive, and supportive for all involved; it is not an adjudicative process and does not determine whether a district policy has been violated. This process is intended to seek a meaningful resolution that addresses the current impact of hate/bias and mitigates future harm, to the best extent possible.
• The outcome of a report will depend on the incident. Every incident is different and not every outcome is appropriate, depending on circumstances. Possible outcomes include a trusted and validating sounding board, informal mediation, advocacy for navigating a district process, community response, further education, or resource referrals. 

Individual care and education may involve offering resources and consultation for individuals who wish to talk through an experience, assisting the reporter in considering their options for more formal reporting processes, personally addressing or advising others on addressing bias. Every situation is different, and therefore, support will look different for everyone.  

All incident reports are collected in a regularly updated database, where minimal,  non-identifying information is accessible to the public. (Hyperlink here?) This ensures privacy while allowing the community to see the types of incidents reported and how they are being addressed.

The team also plans to produce an annual report and give quarterly updates on patterns and trends to the school community to foster ongoing transparency and accountability.

No, there is no specific timeframe for reporting hate/bias incidents. While we encourage reporting incidents as soon as possible to allow for timely response and support, we understand that individuals may need time before they feel ready to report. All reports, regardless of when they are submitted, will be reviewed and handled with care.

Yes, you can submit a report on behalf of someone else. This includes:

• Third-party reporting: If you are aware of a hate/bias incident but were not directly involved or did not witness it yourself, you can still report it to ensure it is documented and addressed.
• Helping others: If you are assisting someone (like a student or a peer) in completing a report, you can submit it on their behalf.

We encourage you to indicate on the form whether the individual you are reporting for is aware of and consents to the submission. This helps us provide appropriate follow-up and support while respecting everyone’s agency and privacy.

Reporting a hate/bias incident is not the same as filing a formal complaint through a district grievance process (though, for some incidents, a formal complaint may function both as a hate/bias incident and a formal complaint).

Reporting to the Hate/Bias Response Team does not constitute a report to law enforcement, although the team can assist the reporter in reporting the law enforcement system, if requested. If necessary, law enforcement could be contacted if doing so would protect the safety of the community.