It is the policy of the Avon Board of Education (the “Board”) for the Avon Public Schools (the  “District”) that any form of sex discrimination or sexual harassment is prohibited in the Board’s  education programs and activities, whether by students, Board employees or third parties subject  to substantial control by the Board. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the  education programs or activities that it operates and the Board is required by Title IX of the  Education Amendments of 1972 and its implementing regulations (“Title IX”) and Connecticut  law not to discriminate in such a manner. Discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex  includes discrimination or harassment on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. Students, Board employees and third parties are required to adhere to a standard of conduct that  is respectful of the rights of students, employees and third parties. Any student or employee who  engages in conduct prohibited by this Policy shall be subject to disciplinary action, up to and  including expulsion or termination, respectively. 

For conduct to violate Title IX, the conduct must have occurred in an education program or  activity of the Board; the conduct must have occurred within the United States of America; and  the complainant must be participating in or attempting to participate in the education program or  activity of the Board. Conduct that does not meet these requirements still may constitute a  violation of Connecticut law or another Board policy. 

The Superintendent of Schools shall develop Administrative Regulations implementing this  Policy and in accordance with Title IX and Connecticut law (the “Administrative Regulations”). 

Sex discrimination occurs when a person, because of the person’s sex, is denied participation in  or the benefits of any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. 

Sexual harassment under Title IX means conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following:  

(1) An employee of the Board conditioning the provision of an aid, benefit, or service of  the Board on an individual’s participation in unwelcome sexual conduct (i.e., quid pro  quo);  

(2) Unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive,  and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the Board’s  education programs or activities; or  

(3) “Sexual assault” as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1092(f)(6)(A)(v), “dating violence” as  defined in 34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(10), “domestic violence” as defined in 34 U.S.C. 

12291(a)(8), or “stalking” as defined in 34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(30).

 

Sexual harassment under Connecticut law means conduct in a school setting that 1) is sexual  in nature; 2) is unwelcome; and 3) denies or limits a student’s ability to participate in or benefit  from a school’s educational program. Sexual harassment can be verbal, nonverbal or physical.  Sexual violence is a form of sexual harassment.  

Reporting Sex Discrimination or Sexual Harassment

It is the express policy of the Board to encourage victims of sex discrimination and/or sexual  harassment to report such claims. Students are encouraged to report complaints of sex  discrimination and/or sexual harassment promptly in accordance with the appropriate process set  forth in the Administrative Regulations. The Board directs its employees to respond to such  complaints in a prompt and equitable manner. The Board further directs its employees to  maintain confidentiality to the extent appropriate and not tolerate any reprisals or retaliation that  occur as a result of the good faith reporting of charges of sex discrimination and/or sexual  harassment. Any such reprisals or retaliation will result in disciplinary action against the  retaliator, up to and including expulsion or termination as appropriate. 

Any Board employee with notice of sex discrimination and/or sexual harassment allegations  shall immediately report such information to the building principal and/or the Title IX  Coordinator, or if the employee does not work in a school building, to the Title IX Coordinator. 

The Avon Public Schools administration (the “Administration”) shall provide training to Title IX  Coordinator(s), investigators, decision-makers, and any person who facilitates an informal  resolution process (as set forth in the Administrative Regulations), which training shall include  but need not be limited to, the definitions of sex discrimination and sexual harassment, the scope  of the Board’s education program and activity, how to conduct an investigation and grievance  process, and how to serve impartially, including by avoiding prejudgment of the facts at issue,  conflicts of interest, and bias. The Administration shall make the training materials used to  provide these trainings publicly available on the Board’s website. The Administration shall also  periodically provide training to all Board employees on the topic of sex discrimination and  sexual harassment under Title IX and Connecticut law, which shall include but not be limited to  when reports of sex discrimination and/or sexual harassment must be made. The Administration  shall distribute this Policy and the Administrative Regulations to staff, students and parents and  legal guardians and make the Policy and the Administrative Regulations available on the Board’s  website to promote an environment free of sex discrimination and sexual harassment. 

The Board’s Title IX Coordinator is Roberto Medic, Director of Human Resources. Any individual may make a report of sex discrimination and/or sexual harassment to any Board employee or directly to the Title IX Coordinator using any one, or multiple, of the following points of contact:

Roberto Medic, District Title IX Coordinator 

34 Simsbury Road, Avon, CT 06001

Phone: 860-404-4708; [email protected]