The Hartselle City school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, or age in any of its programs and activities, or in matters of employment, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.
It is against the policy of the Hartselle City Schools Board of Education to have different rules or regulations on the basis of sex in employment, including recruitment, hiring classification, and other terms, conditions or privileges of employment.
In accordance with Title IX (20 U.S.C. S1681, et seq.), Hartselle City Schools strictly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex or gender in its programs or activities, or any matters of employment. The prohibition includes sexual harassment based on sex, sexual assault, and discrimination as defined by law and Board policy.
The Superintendent is authorized and directed to designate a Title IX Coordinator, whose duties will include, but not be limited to receiving and responding to Title IX inquiries and complaints.
Reports of Harassment and/ or Discrimination based on sex may be reported to a school administrator or counselor who will then contact the Title IX Coordinator, or they may be reported directly to the Title IX Coordinator.
Within five school days the Title IX Coordinator will:
- Accept the report of harassment or discrimination based on sex from the Complainant. (HCS uses the Harassment Form from the Code of Conduct but will accept the report of harassment in other ways if necessary.)
- Determine if the report rises to Title IX law. (If not, the complaint will be returned to the Principal to determine if there is still a Code of Conduct violation)
- Ensure that the Complainant and Respondent are made aware of next steps.
- Work with the school to immediately put into place any safeguards the Complainant or Respondent might need.
- Contact the Special Services Coordinator and/ or his/ her designee should the Complainant or Respondent receive services through an IEP.
- Contact DHR and/ or Law Enforcement if the nature of the report calls for such interventions.
- Issue to the Respondent a Notice of Allegation.
- Inform all that retaliatory measures are prohibited by Title IX law.
The Coordinator will remain in contact with and available to the Claimant, the Respondent, and the School; but the Investigator will begin his/ her work.
HCS deems Title IX investigations and investigations into any matters of discrimination and/ or harassment a priority and will work to expedite such investigations. However, investigation timelines are influenced by the amount of/ availability of evidence and witnesses. Within five school days of notification from the Title IX Coordinator, the Title IX Investigator will:
- Begin interviewing witnesses and reviewing evidence.
- Seek any needed clarification from the Claimant or the Respondent.
- Communicate to the Coordinator any additional safeguards the Claimant or Respondent may need based on newly acquired information.
- Communicate to the Coordinator the progress in the investigation to help the Coordinator communicate with schools and families.
- Communicate to the Coordinator should a revised Notice of Allegation be issued to the Respondent.
- Once the Investigator has gathered all evidence and interviewed witnesses that might impact the outcome of the investigation, the Investigator will make that evidence available to the Complainant and to the Respondent for review and, if desired, response. The Complainant and Respondent will have three school days to review and respond to the evidence and may request additional days, up to ten, if needed.
- The Investigator will develop a written report of findings.
HCS relies upon the Title IX Investigator to additionally serve as the Title IX Decision-Maker.
- Within school days of completion of the investigation, the Decision-Maker will evaluate the report of discrimination and/ or harassment based on sex and the findings of the investigation against Title IX law.
- If a preponderance of the evidence points to guilt, the Decision-Maker will work with the school and... if appropriate... the Special Services Coordinator and/ or a student's IEP Team to determine appropriate remedies and/ or disciplinary sanctions.
- A written report will be provided to the Complainant and the Respondent.
- The bottom of the report will inform both of the Appeals process should either believe there are grounds for such.
The entire process can take as many as sixty school days, but HCS will work to expedite all phases of the process.
ALL PARTIES... Complainants, Respondents, Witnesses, and Families of all... are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to honor the investigatory process and the privacy of all involved.
ALL PARTIES... Complainants, Respondents, Witnesses, and Families of all... are reminded that Title IX Law PROHIBITS RETALIATION in all its forms.
ALL PARTIES are reminded that should the nature of the complaint require the intervention of DHR or Law Enforcement, their role and duties in the matter can affect the role of the school and the district.
In the end, it is the goal of Hartselle City Schools to protect its learners and its learning environment and to grow its students in their understanding of the law and of their responsibilities.
The HCS Coordinator, Investigator and Decision-Maker are initially trained using ICS's Title IX University materials.
Training reviews are completed using HCS-developed training materials which are available on request.
School Administrators and Counselors are trained using HCS-developed training materials which are available on request.
HCS employees are trained in their duties to report using HCS-developed training materials which are available on request.
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