[TechnoViking]

I just completed an hour long harassment prevention program for my employer so it's all still fresh.....

Let's see, harassment can happen any time, any place, even away from work.

But a single incident does not constitute the kind of harassment that one rank-and-file employee can commit against another. There has to be a pattern to establish harassment of that kind.

Does the recipient of the text have any grounds to claim harassment (race, creed age, color, sexual orientation, disability, etc.?)

Either way, you need to take action of some kind and document it. If there is a possible harassment claim possible in the future based on a "protected" status, extra attention might be warranted.

My opinion: I'd be surprised if there weren't another employee or two in your organization who may have found jokes, etc. by the sender inappropriate in the past but did not say anything. That's the pattern you need to watch out for.