Title IX

A STUDENT SHOULD CONTACT THE TITLE IX COORDINATOR IN ORDER TO:

  • seek information or training about students’ rights and courses of action available to resolve reports or complaints that involve sex discrimination, including sexual misconduct,

  • file a complaint or make a report of sex discrimination, including sexual misconduct,

  • notify the District of an incident or policy or procedure that may raise potential Title IX concerns,

  • get information about available resources (including confidential resources) and support services relating to sex discrimination, including sexual misconduct, and

  • ask questions about the District’s policies and procedures related to sex discrimination, including sexual misconduct.

Inquiries or complaints that involve potential violations of Title IX may also be referred to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which can be reached at (415)486-5580. 

HOW COMPLAINTS ARE INVESTIGATED:

The District is responsible for conducting adequate, reliable, and impartial investigations of reports and complaints of sexual misconduct.  The Title IX Coordinator oversees many aspects of this response, including:

  • determining whether the report or complaint alleges conduct that may, upon investigation, constitute prohibited sexual misconduct,

  • appointing an investigative team upon such determination,

  • making certain that individual reports and complaints are handled properly and in a prompt and timely manner,

  • informing all parties regarding the grievance process,

  • confirming that all parties have been notified of grievance decisions and of the right to, and procedures for, appeal, if applicable,

  • maintaining information and documentation related to the investigation in a secure manner, and

  • monitoring compliance with time frames specified in the grievance procedures.

The Title IX Coordinator evaluates requests for confidentiality by those who report or complain about sexual misconduct in the context of the District’s responsibility to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students.

THE HISTORY OF TITLE IX

Passed by Congress on June 23, 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 bars sex discrimination in education programs and activities offered by entities receiving federal financial assistance. As the Supreme Court recognized in the landmark case of United States v. Virginia, “our Nation has had a long and unfortunate history of sex discrimination.” But in the forty years since its enactment, Title IX has improved access to educational opportunities for millions of students, helping to ensure that no educational opportunity is denied to women on the basis of sex and that women are granted “equal opportunity to aspire, achieve, participate in and contribute to society based on their individual talents and capacities.”  In 2011 alone, Title IX covered over 49 million students enrolled in more than 98,000 elementary and secondary schools.  Title IX also protects more than 20 million students enrolled in post-secondary education.

Over the past four decades, the Department of Justice’s work to enforce Title IX and other laws prohibiting sex discrimination in education, including its work in partnership with the Department of Education, has significantly advanced educational equity. However, despite the gains achieved in the last forty years, inequalities in education persist. The Department of Justice remains committed to pursuing the goal of equality in education through its continued enforcement of Title IX and other federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination based on sex.