SIRC

Sexual Incident Response Committee (SIRC) at Portland Public Schools

SIRC or Sexual Incident Response Committee is an assessment tool used by school districts across Oregon that examines sexualized behaviors in children to assist schools in determining appropriate interventions to ensure safety for all PK-12 students. SIRC’s purpose is to provide timely support to kids, and mitigate potential risk to others in the school community. 

SIRC assesses a broad range of sexualized behaviors to determine whether they are developmentally appropriate, and whether they may be indicative of other risk factors. Most importantly, SIRC informs a multidisciplinary team of educators (administrators, counselors, subject matter experts) at your child’s school in better understanding why your child may be exhibiting this behavior and how to respond and support your child during the school day. SIRC is an integral part of our comprehensive response to Title IX-related matters.

Why is a child referred to SIRC? 

SIRC is designed to connect students and families to support. A child may have been observed or reported to have engaged in sexualized behavior at school or in the community. This can vary from sexualized language or gestures to sexualized behavior that may harm another child (such as touching another’s body without consent, sexual harassment or sexual violence). Depending on a child’s age, these behaviors are categorized as normative or non-normative.

Is SIRC a Disciplinary Practice? 

No. SIRC is not a disciplinary or investigative tool. In some instances, there may be a disciplinary aspect to your child’s behavior while at school, however, information derived from SIRC cannot be used against a child or applied to discipline or other consequences. SIRC is not an investigation of what occurred. SIRC assists in uncovering the “why” of underlying behavior, not the “what.”

SIRC and Families

SIRC’s ultimate goal is to support children, families and schools in determining the most appropriate interventions or supports. The goal is to extinguish the behavior and prevent further harm to self or others. To be successful in extinguishing these behaviors and keeping all children safe at school, we rely on the cooperation and trust of the child’s parent or guardian to be effective. You are an essential and important member of your child’s team.

If you have questions about SIRC, please contact PPS’ SIRC Coordinator, Alex Kahl, at akahl@pps.net