Title IX

The Bethany Public School District (District) does not discriminate in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its services, programs, and activities, on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, alienage, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, physical or mental disability (including, but not limited to, intellectual disability, past or present history of mental disorder, physical disability or learning disability), gender identity or expression, genetic predisposition or carrier status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by local, state and federal laws, and provides equal access to other designated youth groups.

The District's sexual harassment policy and administrative regulation can be found on the District website, by contacting the District's Title IX Coordinator or by selecting the links below.

For Employees - Board Policy 4000.1 and Administrative Regulation 4000.1

For Students - Board Policy 5145.44 and Administrative Regulation 5145.44

Any person, including parents/guardians, students, employees, and third parties may report sex discrimination or sexual harassment occurring in the District's education programs or activities.

Education programs or activities include locations, events, or circumstances over which the school exercises substantial control over both the respondent (perpetrator of sex discrimination or sexual harassment) and the context in which the sex discrimination or sexual harassment occurs. IN addition to occurring on school grounds, sex discrimination or sexual harassment may potentially occur on field trips, on the school bus, at school related conferences or through the use of school technology depending upon whether the District exercises control over both the respondent and the context in which the sexual harassment occurs.

Reporting may be in person, by mail, telephone or electronic mail using the contact information provided for the Title IX Coordinator. Complaints may be made by completing the Informal Report of Sexual Harassment Form.

Reports may be made during non-business hours.

Reports may be made anonymously. However, when a reporter fails to identify a specific complainant (victim of sexual harassment) or to identify him/herself as the reporter, the District's response may be limited.

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.

While third parties may make informal reports of sexual harassment occurring in the District's education programs or activities, a formal complaint may only be made by a complainant or be signed by the Title IX Coordinator, triggering an investigation.

While there is no time limit for making an informal report or filing a formal complaint of sexual harassment, reporters/complainants are encouraged to promptly report incidents of sexual harassment to avoid the potential loss of evidence, a lapse in the memories of parties or witnesses of the unavailability of persons key to an investigation. Complete the Formal Report of Sexual Harassment Form to trigger an investigation.

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 Administrative Regulation 4000.1 or 5145.44, 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 Administrative Regulation 4000.1 or 5145.44, as published on the District’s website. 

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

The Title IX Team is:

• Title IX Coordinator - Susan Carpenter
• Investigator - Kai Byrd
• Decision Maker - Tom Reed-Swale
• Appeals - Colleen Murray

Title IX - Sexual Harassment Training presented by Bercham Moses on August 18, 2020
Attended by Colleen Murray, Kai Byrd, Tom Reed-Swale, and Susan Carpenter

Bethany Public Schools Sexual Harassment Prevention Training on August 26, 2020
Attended by Title IX Team and all employees of the Bethany Public School District

United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights

Connecticut State  Department of Education