Ongoing relationships across all segments of the community are an invaluable asset for responding effectively to bias incidents. Decide which school official will handle the following responsibilities in creating and maintaining a support network:

• Develop a plan with police for handling hate crimes. The handbook Protecting Students from Harassment and Hate Crime: A Guide for Schools (see also Resources), released by the u.s. Department of Education in early 1999, offers guidelines for establishing relationships with police and involving them, when necessary, in ways that will not escalate tensions.

• Set up a resource database. Designate one person, such as a counselor, to maintain current and comprehensive information on local, state and national victim advocacy and support services. In addition to collecting print resources, bookmark appropriate Internet sites on an office computer. Consider reserving a bulletin board in the school office or main hall for news items and announcements relating to local equity issues and agencies.

• Enlist community members to help with tolerance efforts. Ask influential minority leaders, equity advocates and religious leaders if they are willing to assist as conflict mediators should the need arise. Invite the group to assist in developing a "response plan" to have in place for emergency use. Keep in touch with them about tolerance efforts as well as problems throughout the year.

Be aware that, although religious leaders and interfaith councils can be especially helpful in addressing racial and ethnic issues, their inclusion in some circumstances may raise special concerns. Students who are gay or lesbian, for example, or atheist, or members of unrepresented religious minorities may fear a judgmental attitude from the religious leaders. If careful attention is not paid to this point, the victimized students may feel attacked a second time.

• Ask local businesses to finance tolerance projects. They may be willing to fund student ideas for promoting harmony in the school or wider community. After a series of bias incidents in the area, a rural Indiana superintendent joined with business leaders to create a diversity training fund. The money is used to bring in professional consultants to conduct community sessions each year.

• Broaden your school's cultural horizons. Take advantage of multicultural resources in the community by inviting area residents of diverse backgrounds to share their home cultures with school groups through traditional foods, songs, stories and other activities.