The Kidlit Hive Code of Conduct and Anti-Harassment Policy

Introduction

The Kidlit Hive is dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment and experience for everyone. Accordingly, we have adopted a zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination, disparagement, and all forms of harassment, including sexual harassment. This means no discriminatory, disparaging, or harassing conduct towards any employee, client, contractor, or others will be tolerated in our workplace or at any associated events.

We reserve the right to deny entrance to or remove any person from any Kidlit Hive-hosted event at any time. If a participant engages in harassing, uncomfortable, or disruptive behavior, the event organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning or expelling the offender from the event with no refund. This policy extends to talks, forums, webinars, workshops, classes, social media, and correspondence.

Community Guidelines and Policy

*This policy applies to everyone, including employees, non-employees, and contractors. By participating in Kidlit Hive events, you agree to the following:

Expected Behavior

• Be respectful and considerate at all times. Understand that everyone is welcome and has the right to participate without fear of harassment, discrimination, or condescension. Jokes shouldn’t demean others. Consider what you are saying and how it would feel if it were said to or about you.
• Respect personal boundaries—physical, emotional, time, workplace, and otherwise. What is comfortable for you may not be for someone else. Assume nothing except that others’ boundaries may be more conservative than your own.
• Speak up if you see or hear something of concern. Harassment is not tolerated, and you are empowered to politely engage when you or others are disrespected. The person making you uncomfortable may not be aware of what they are doing, and politely bringing their behavior to their attention is encouraged. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.
• If you are being harassed or feel uncomfortable, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the event staff immediately.

Prohibited Behavior

• Harassment (words or actions directed at a person that annoy, alarm, or cause emotional distress)
• Discrimination (mistreating someone because of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity, physical appearance, pregnancy, body size, ethnicity, nationality, race, age, religion, or other protected categories)
• Defamation
• Discussing, displaying, or sharing inappropriate material (e.g., offensive words, images, media, suggestive comments, or jokes of a sexual nature)
• Sexual harassment (unwelcome, uninvited conduct that is offensive from the view of the person harassed, regardless of intent, unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, or any other conduct of a sexual nature)
• Do not become a distraction for others. Allow every other student to maximize their potential. Encourage your fellow students—never tear them down.
• Do not capture video, audio, or photography of slides, exhibitor/sponsor interactions, presentations, attendees, or any other content hosted by The Kidlit Hive (in-person, online, or virtual) without the presenter’s, author’s, or attendee’s permission.
• Do not market or sell any products or services unless you have permission from The Kidlit Hive.

The Kidlit Hive Community Guidelines, Anti-Harassment, and Code of Conduct Policy applies to all Kidlit Hive Events. This policy also applies to SCBWI online interactions, including Zooms, webinars, meetings, communications, and content posted on The Kidlit Hive’s social media accounts or sent through any of the communication tools available on its website, including the official SCBWI accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Hive, and Post.

Definitions

Bullying is verbal or physical conduct that seeks to harm, intimidate, or coerce another person. Bullying is not necessarily based on a person’s membership in a protected category like race, sex, age, disability, etc.

Harassment is persistent and unwelcome conduct because of any characteristic protected by law (race, sex, age, disability, etc.). Harassment under this policy includes: verbal or written language or images that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disabilities, neurodiversity, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, nationality, race, age, religion, or other protected categories and behaviors such as intimidation, stalking, body policing, unwelcome photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, unwelcome sexual attention or advances, bullying, and coercion.

Sexual harassment is one type of harassment and includes unwelcome sexual advances, physical contact of a sexual nature, and verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. This includes the repeated making of unsolicited, inappropriate gestures or comments and displaying sexual materials not necessary for our work.

Recognizing Harassment

It is impossible to list every type of behavior that can be considered bullying or harassment. In general, any conduct that could interfere with an individual’s work or educational experience or creates a hostile work environment is forbidden. This is the case even if the offending employee did not mean to be offensive—employees must be sensitive to the feelings of others. Even mild offensive conduct can be considered bullying or harassment if someone has made it clear that it is unwelcome. Some examples include:

Verbal harassment: Jokes, insults, innuendoes, threats, degrading sexual remarks, whistling, catcalls, comments on a person’s body or sex life, pressures for sexual favors, or participating in derogatory or insulting gossip.

Non-verbal harassment: Intimidating or confrontational body language, gestures, staring, touching, blocking a person’s movement, displaying sexually suggestive or degrading pictures, racist or derogatory cartoons or drawings.

Complaint and Investigation of Harassment

The Kidlit Hive takes all reports of harassment seriously and will promptly and thoroughly investigate any complaint or incident.

If you experience something that makes you uncomfortable at The Kidlit Hive, please bring it to the host’s attention or email [email protected] with the subject line “Reporting Incident.” We will immediately contact you to resolve the situation. We take all concerns seriously and will use our discretion to determine how to follow up on reported incidents. We may decline to take further action and direct the participant to other resources for resolution.

Any investigation will be as confidential as possible. Everyone involved, including complainants, witnesses, and alleged perpetrators, may be required to cooperate, will receive fair and impartial treatment, and will not be subject to retaliation for any information disclosed.

The Kidlit Hive will notify the complainant of the outcome of the investigation, although it may decline to reveal specific disciplinary actions taken where there are confidentiality issues with such disclosures.

No one will ever be penalized for reporting harassment; however, the same disciplinary actions may be taken toward anyone who knowingly makes a false allegation of harassment or retaliates against someone who reports harassment.