TITLE IX – SEX BASED NON-DISCRIMINATION STATUTE
Each student and employee has a right to learn and work in an environment that is free from unlawful discrimination. No District student or employee shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity or expression.
Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 is one of several federal and state anti-discrimination laws that ensure equality in education. Title IX prohibits discrimination, harassment, exclusion, denial, limitation or separation based on sex or gender. Title IX applies to both male and female students in any educational institution receiving federal funding.
Pregnant students and teen parents have a right to equal education, full participation, and to enroll in any school or program for which they would otherwise qualify at any stage of the pregnancy. They have the right to remain in their regular or current school program, including elementary or secondary schools, honors and magnet programs, special education and non-public school placements, alternative/options programs, migrant education, free and reduced lunch programs and services for English Learners, and any others for which they are otherwise qualified. This would also include participation in the following: graduation, awards, ceremonies; field trips; student clubs, councils, after-school activities, and any other school-related programs. Students cannot legally be expelled, suspended, or otherwise excluded from, or required to participate in school programs solely on the basis of their pregnancy-related conditions, or marital or parental status.
California Education Code Sections 200 through 282 and South Pasadena Unified School District Board Policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation or gender. Title IX requires that every school district or institution have a Title IX Coordinator to whom concerns or complaints regarding sex discrimination can be made.
Workplace Discrimination and Harrassment Laws (DFEH)
Transgender Rights in the Workplace (DFEH)
COMPLAINT PROCESS
Students or parents/guardians should submit their written or verbal Title IX complaint to the school administrator or Title IX Coordinator within six months from the date the alleged sexual discrimination or sexual harassment occurred or the date the complainant first obtained knowledge of the facts of the alleged discrimination or sexual harassment. The time for filing a complaint may be extended by the Title IX Coordinator upon written request by the complainant setting forth the reasons for the extension. Complainants have a right to a timely and informal resolution at the school site.
If the complainant is dissatisfied with the school-site or Local District decision, the complainant may file a written Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP) complaint directly to the Associate Superintendent of Instructional Services. The District UCP Complaint Policy and further information about the UCP process can be obtained here, the District office, and the office of each school within the District.
This will begin the investigation process which must be completed within 60 days. An appeal of the District’s Complaint Coordinator’s Office's findings may be made to the California Department of Education - Office of Equal Opportunity.
ASSISTANCE and RESOURCES
School
Speak to the site administrator or Title IX Complaint Manager/Designee.
District Office: Title IX Coordinator, Judy Correnti
Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources
1100 El Centro Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030
626-441-5810, ext. 1139
The Calfornia Department of Education Resources: The California Department of Education supports high-quality educational programs for California's diverse student population through its educational leadership role and places great importance on cultivating a diverse staff that understands and promotes the intellectual, ethical, cultural, emotional, and physical growth of each student.
A discrimination complaint may be also filed with the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR):
San Francisco Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
Phone: (415) 486-5555
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/howto.html?src=rt
OCR Discrimination Complaint Form: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/howto.html