News

Town adopts sexual harassment policy

REPORTER FILE PHOTO
Shelter Island Town Hall

With a new state policy on sexual harassment, the Town Board at a Wednesday special session unanimously endorsed it, while raising some questions about areas they found vague in interpretation.Town Attorney Bob DeStefano Jr. explained the new law requires businesses operating with 15 or more employees to conduct annual anti-sexual harassment training for all employees and to adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy that is to be posted in both English and Spanish.

A complaint form must be made available for employees to submit information on alleged incidents of sexual harassment.

An employee with a complaint can initially report it to a supervisor, but if the person believes the complaint has fallen on deaf ears or the supervisor is the focus of the complaint, several people were named to whom the complaint could be voiced.

But those named to report such incidents were men — Town Attorney Bob DeStefano Jr. and Supervisor Gary Gerth. The board amended the provision to add Deputy Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams if the person filing the complaint felt better speaking with a woman.

What concerned members about the policy was a provision providing that a complaint could be filed by a third party who thought he or she observed a case of sexual harassment involving others.

But Times Review consultant Jim Northrup said such a complaint would likely not go further unless anyone directly involved in the incident viewed it as sexual harassment.

The town policy provides that if corrective action is necessary in a case, an employee could be subject to suspension or termination or other actions. Should the incident involve someone doing business with the town, but not employed by the town, the town could request a replacement of that person or cancel its contract with that service provider.

If the incident involves physical touching, coerced physical confinement or coerced sexual acts, a report should be made to police to investigate whether it may be a felony and police could take action if deemed necessary.

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