TITLE IX COORDINATORS

KARA HOLDEN

715-825-3515 X 5030

KHOLDEN@UNITY.K12.WI.US

ELIZABETH JORGENSEN

715-825-3515 X 3050

EJORGENSEN@UNITY.K12.WI.US

UNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT TITLE IX RESOURCES

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 ("Title IX") is a federal law intended to ensure sex and gender equality and protect students against sexual harassment in all school programs and activities, including extracurricular, athletic and other programs, that occur at school, on the school bus, or off campus during school-sponsored events.

The Unity School District is committed to providing an environment where every student feels supported, welcomed and respected and as such shall not discriminate against any person on the basis of sex in any of its curricular, career and technical education, co-curricular, student services, recreational or other programs or activities, or in admission or access to any programs or activities offered by the District. It is the District’s policy to protect all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE DISTRICT’S SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY?

Discrimination or Harassment Complaint Form

Any person (including a person who is not claiming to have been personally harmed/victimized by the alleged discrimination) may report a concern or allegation regarding prohibited sex discrimination (including sexual harassment) to the District. Such reports may be submitted as follows:

1. In person, by mail, by telephone, by electronic mail, or through an online portal or webpage provided for this purpose (where available) to the District’s Title IX Coordinator using the contact information for the District’s Title IX Coordinator as listed above. 

2. In person reports should be made when the Title IX Coordinator is reasonably available during regular working hours. Reports submitted by telephone, mail, electronic mail, or through an online portal or webpage (where available) may be made at any time. 

3. By reporting the alleged sexual harassment to any District employee who shall be responsible for forwarding the complaint to the District’s Title IX Coordinator for review and action as necessary. 

4. By any other means that results in the Title IX Coordinator actually receiving the person’s verbal or written report.

Alternatively, complaints can be made by completing the Discrimination & Harassment Complaint Form.

FILING FORMAL COMPLAINTS OF TITLE IX SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Discrimination or Harassment Complaint Form

As required by the federal Title IX regulations, the District has established a formal grievance process for investigating and resolving “formal complaints” of “sexual harassment,” as those terms are defined in the regulations.

An individual who is alleged to be the victim of conduct that could constitute sexual harassment under the federal Title IX regulations (i.e., a Title IX “complainant”), or a parent or guardian who has a legal right to act on behalf of such an individual, may file a formal complaint of sexual harassment. No Title IX complainant is obligated to file a formal complaint, but a qualifying formal complaint is necessary for the District to start an investigation using the District’s formal Title IX grievance process.

Complainants are expected to file formal complaints of sexual harassment with a District Title IX Coordinator by submitting a document or electronic submission in person, by U.S. mail, or by electronic mail, using the contact information specified above. In addition, the District will accept submissions of a formal complaint through an online portal or webpage provided for this purpose (where available) so long as the electronic submission contains the complainant’s physical or digital signature or otherwise indicates that the complainant is the person filing the formal complaint.

Additional requirements for formal complaints of Title IX sexual harassment, including a description of the required content for a formal complaint, are set forth in Board of Education Policy 113 and Administrative Rule 113.1.

COMPLAINT PROCESS

District Response to Reports and Complaints of Sex Discrimination and to Formal Complaints of Sexual Harassment under Title IX –The District has established grievance procedures through which the District structures its response to reports that allege unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity of the District. Those procedures are set forth in Board of Education Policy 113 and Administrative Rule 113.1, Policy 411 and Policies 511 and 512 as published on the District’s website. The purpose of such procedures is to provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of any report or complaint of alleged sex discrimination, excluding formal complaints of sexual harassment under Title IX (which are subject to a different process).

Any time that the District has actual knowledge of sexual harassment or allegations of sexual harassment that could constitute a violation of Title IX, the District has obligations to respond to such knowledge in a manner that is not deliberately indifferent and in a manner that treats the alleged victim(s) of sexual harassment and the alleged perpetrator(s) of sexual harassment equitably. Such a response includes, but is not limited to, offering supportive measures to a complainant and investigating and resolving any formal complaint that presents allegations of Title IX sexual harassment using the formal grievance process that the District has adopted for such formal complaints. District procedures for responding to alleged sexual harassment under Title IX, including the formal grievance process, are set forth in Board of Education Policy 113 and Administrative Rule 113.1, as published on the District’s website.

TITLE IX TEAM TRAINING

Training for the District's Title IX team is an ongoing effort. Training includes in-house and training with Title IX experts. Please see below for training our Title IX team has received.

WASB & BoardmanClark Title IX Mandatory Training, August 2020

Module 1: A Comprehensive Overview of the 2020 Title IX Regulations for School District Title IX Coordinators

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT TITLE IX?

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Pupil Nondiscrimination Program

United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights