Any person who believes they have been subjected to a violation of Discrimination/504 rights/Disability/Sexual Harassment/Title IX may file a complaint under this procedure.

1. A complainant who believes that they have been harmed or adversely affected by a discriminatory practice or act prohibited by law and/or policy shall first discuss the matter with the direct supervisor in an attempt to resolve the matter informally.

2. If the matter is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant within thirty working days, the complainant may submit a written complaint to the District Coordinator. A complaint may be filed using the district Discrimination/504 rights/Disability/Sexual Harassment/Title IX Online Complaint Form.

3. The complaint will include:

• a. The complainant’s name and address;
• b. The specific act or practice of which the complainant complains;
• c. The employee, if any, responsible for the allegedly discriminatory act;
• d. Results of discussions conducted in accordance with paragraph 1 above;
• e. Reasons why those results are not satisfactory.

4. The District Coordinator will investigate the matter informally and will respond to the complainant in writing no later than seven working days after receipt of the written complaint. A copy of the complaint and the response will be forwarded to the Superintendent.

5. The response of the District Coordinator may be appealed to the Superintendent in writing within three working days after it has been received by the complainant. The appeal will include the original complaint, the response to the complaint, and the complainant’s reason for rejecting the response. A copy of the appeal must be given to the staff member alleged to have acted discriminatorily.

6. On their timely request (that is, submitted before the expiration of the time within which the Superintendent must render a decision), the complainant will be given an informal hearing before the Superintendent, at a time and place convenient to the parties, but no later than seven working days after the request for a hearing has been submitted. The Superintendent may also require at the hearing the presence of the staff member charged with a discriminatory act and any other person with knowledge of the complained act.

7. The Superintendent will render a written decision in the matter no later than seven working days after the appeal was filed or the hearing was held, whichever occurred later. Copies of the decision will be given to all parties.

8. The complainant may appeal the Superintendent’s decision to the Board by filing a written appeal with the School Business Administrator/Board Secretary no later than three working days after receipt of the Superintendent’s decision. The appeal shall include:

• a. The original complaint;
• b. The response to the complaint;
• c. The Superintendent’s decision;
• d. A transcript of the hearing, if one has been made, or a summary of the hearing to which all parties have consented;
• e. The complainant’s reason for believing the Superintendent’s decision should be changed.

9. If a staff member is charged with a discriminatory act, the Board will provide a copy of the appeal to that staff member.

10. The Board will review all papers submitted and may render a decision on the basis of the proceedings below. If the complainant so requests, the Board may convene a hearing, at which all parties may be represented by counsel and may present and examine witnesses, who will testify under oath.

11. The Board will render a written decision no later than forty-five calendar days after the appeal was filed or the hearing held, whichever occurred later. Copies of the decision will be given to all parties.

12. All time periods identified herein may be reasonably extended as needed due to extenuating circumstances or as otherwise agreed to by the parties.

13. The complainant will be informed of their right to appeal the Board’s decision to the:

U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW Civil Rights Division Disability Rights Section
425 NYAV Washington, D.C. 20530

14. An individual who believes they or a specific class of individuals has been subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability by the district may, themself, or an authorized representative, at any time, file a complaint directly with OCR.

15. Record:

• a. The record of any complaint processed in accordance with this procedure will be maintained in a file kept by the District Coordinator
• b. A copy of the decision rendered at the highest level of appeal will be kept in the employee’s personnel file where applicable.