Community Consolidated School District #2

OCR Complaint #05991018 and #05991071

To voluntarily resolve the allegations raised by the above-referenced complaints filed with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and its implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 106, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) and its implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 100, the Rome Community Consolidated School District #2, Dix, Illinois (District), agrees to enter into this agreement with OCR. The District enters into this agreement for the purpose of taking steps to create and enhance policies and procedures related to alleged racial and sexual harassment.?? By doing so, the District does not admit that the allegations are true or that is has in any way violated the statutes or regulations cited above.

Accordingly, the District has agreed to the following:

Prompt Remedial Actions

1.   The District assures that it will take prompt action calculated to address any current allegations of racial or sexual harassment, will promptly investigate and future allegations of harassment of students on the basis or race or sex, and will take disciplinary action as may be appropriate.

2.   By May 15, 1999, the Superintendent of Rome School will appoint an acting coordinator for nondiscrimination who will have the responsibility to investigate, monitor, and document all allegations or reports of harassment based on race or sex, occurring on the bus or during recess, class or school related activities, and will take appropriate responsive action for substantiated misconduct.?? In taking responsive action, the District will consider the perpetrator's prior conduct.?? The appointment will continue until the Board of Education can permanently appoint someone to serve in this capacity.??

3.      By May 21, 1999, the District will issue a letter to all parents and staff and to Beck Bus Transportation, Inc. (Beck) detailing the inappropriate use of sexual and racial epithets on the school buses and on school property during this school year.?? The letter will emphasize that such behavior is unacceptable under the District's disciplinary code and will not be tolerated by the District.?? The letter will also state that the District will investigate any allegations of such harassment and will take prompt disciplinary action against any student found to have committed any acts violating the District's disciplinary code of conduct. The letter will indicate that all allegations or reports of harassment based on race or sex should be brought to the attention of the Assistant Principal of Rome School.

4.      Effective the date of this agreement and for the remainder of the school year, the District will take any necessary steps calculated to prevent racial or sexual harassment of students on the bus.?? By July 15, 1999, the District will complete a study of the need for continuing or additional supervision or other preventative measures on school bus routes for Students A, B, C and D.?? In this regard, the District will determine which, if any, of the following methods will be used for the subsequent school years and the circumstances in which the methods will be used: parent intervention, assignment of adult monitors, additional training and/or reassignment of bus drivers, use of video camera monitoring to record the behavior of students, or any other method the District determines is effective to prevent racial or sexual harassment of students on the bus.

5.      By September 1, 1999, and every year thereafter, the District will include in its bus contract a statement to the effect that Beck, in providing transportation to the District's students, agrees to take preventative measures against harassment, to report all allegations of harassment and to administer discipline in accordance with the District's policies and procedures and with Federal and State regulations.?? Within the first one (1) week of school during the 1999-2000 school year, the District, in conjunction with Beck, will discuss with all bus drivers the District's expectations that all students be provided bus transportation in an environment free from racial or sexual harassment, and the bus drivers' specific responsibilities in achieving this environment.

6.      Effective immediately, the District agrees to meet upon request with the parents of Students A, B, C, and D to discuss any parental concerns with respect to incidents of alleged harassment of their children.?? These meetings will be geared to facilitate prompt and equitable resolution of parental and student concerns regarding the treatment of these students.

7.      Parents or any other persons who wish to report alleged harassment will be encouraged to contact the coordinator for nondiscrimination or other District officials to file a complaint or to set up a meeting with District officials.?? A statement that the District encourages parents, guardians or others with complaints to contact the Coordinator or other District official will be included in the Handbook.?? When the District receives a report or complaint of harassment based on race or sex, the District will alert other staff, as necessary, to assist the District to appropriately and effectively address and prevent future incidents of harassment involving the victim or perpetrator.?? The District will promptly investigate such complaints pursuant to the policy described herein and will take appropriate action.?? Information about such incidents of harassment will be given only to district personnel with a legitimate educational interest in the information in a manner that protects confidentiality to the extent possible.

Coordinator for Nondiscrimination

8.      By September 1, 1999, the District will appoint a coordinator for nondiscrimination (Coordinator) who will responsible for implementing and administering the anti-harassment policies and complaint investigation process. That person may be the Assistant Principal or other District employee, in which case the job description of such position will be amended to include the duties described herein.?? The District will determine the qualification of such position.

9.      At a minimum, the Coordinator's on going job responsibilities will include:

Informing District administrators of complaints and reports of harassment;

Investigating complaints and/or advising and assisting other personnel to handle complaints of harassment properly;

Maintaining and analyzing documentation of all harassment incidents covered by the anti-harassment policy;

Reviewing the effectiveness of District's efforts to correct and prevent harassment and proposing improvements;

Assessing the effectiveness of training for staff, administrators, students and parents and proposing improvements;

Monitoring the use of any informal complaint process; and

Performing such other related duties as may be assigned by the Superintendent or Board of Education.

10.  The Coordinator shall be named in the District's policy, along with the means by which students, staff or parents can contact him or her for the purposes of initiating a complaint of harassment.

11.  By June 30, 1999, and as needed thereafter, the District will provided the Coordinator with appropriate training, literature and materials on racial and sexual harassment issues.

12.  The District shall provide OCR with a copy of the revised Job Description, the name of the person assigned to the Coordinator position, and the training which that person has received no later than the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year.

Anti-Harassment Policy

13.  By the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year, the District will adopt a policy for preventing and responding to racial and sexual harassment.?? The policy may include other forms of prohibited harassment.?? The policy will include a complaint process for accepting and responding to formal complaints pursuant to the policy. The policy or policies shall be included in the Student Handbook and distributed at the beginning of each academic year.

14.  The District will submit the proposed racial and sexual harassment policy for OCR review prior to adoption by the Board of Education.

Record Keeping

15.  Beginning with his or her appointment, the Coordinator will maintain a centralized record of all notices, handbook provisions, and training given to students, parents, administrators and other District staff pertaining to harassment.?? The Coordinator will also maintain a centralized record of all formal and informal complaints of harassment and all reports of harassment by students, staff or other persons.?? The record will also document the responsive action taken by the District.?? The Coordinator will analyze the complaint data on a quarterly basis to look for any pattern or practice affecting a particular perpetrator or victim of harassment or recurring in a particular setting.?? If a pattern develops, the District will take affirmative steps to intervene immediately.

16.  All actions taken to discipline students found to have committed acts of racial and/or sexual harassment will be documented in the student's disciplinary file, including a description of the act, the disciplinary action taken, and a statement to the effect that the student was involved in an incident of sexual or racial harassment.?? Said file shall be maintained according to Federal and State laws.??

Notice

17.  The District agrees to promptly inform the parent or guardian of any student whom the District determines has been subjected to or accused of racial or sexual harassment based on its assessment of an incident, unless the student's best interest dictates otherwise.??

18.  Within one month of the Board of Education's adoption of the policy and procedures referred to in paragraphs 13 and 14, or within one month of the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year, whichever is later, written notice of the policy and procedures as specified above will be provided to Beck, all District students, their parents or guardians, teachers, administrators and other District staff.?? Such notice to students, their parents or guardians will be included in the Student Handbook, which shall be sent home with all students at the beginning of each school year.??

Training

19.  At the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year and annually thereafter, the District will conduct staff orientation that will address issues of racial and sexual harassment and will serve to promote respect for racial, cultural and gender?? diversity in curricular and extra-curricular activities.?? The program will include a discussion of the District's policy prohibiting racial and sexual harassment and an explanation of the relevant responsibilities of each staff member and administrator. The District may consult with or utilize other agencies, including OCR, familiar with these issues to develop the orientation.??

20.  At the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year and annually thereafter, the District will effectively communicate with students its commitment to having a school environment free from sexual and racial harassment and explain to students what they should do if they believe they are being harassed.

Monitoring

21.  By July 31, 1999, the District will provide OCR with documentation that paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 6, and 11 have been implemented.

22.  By September 30, 1999, the District will provide OCR with documentation that paragraphs 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13 and 14 have been implemented.??

23.  By November 15, 1999, the District will provide OCR with documentation that paragraphs 15 - 20 have been implemented.