Title IX is a federal Civil Rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in education. To ensure that no student, employee, or third party participating in or attempting to participate in an educational activity or program is discriminated against based on sex, the Quakertown Community School District has updated its Title IX procedures.
Dr. Lisa Hoffman, Assistant Superintendent, is Quakertown Community School District’s Title IX Coordinator. If anyone has a Title IX complaint, please contact Dr. Hoffman at [email protected]
QCSD’s Non-Discrimination Policies
Students: Discrimination/Title IX Sexual Harassment Affecting Students
Employees: Discrimination/Title IX Sexual Harassment Affecting Staff
Employee training materials:
Title IX Toolkit August 10, 2020: U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Final Regulations Issued May 2020
Our duty to prohibit discrimination:
QCSD, like all educational institutions, understands that we have a responsibility to protect every student's right to learn in a safe environment free from unlawful discrimination and to prevent unjust deprivations of that right. The Office for Civil Rights enforces several Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the Department of Education. It is the mission of the Office for Civil Rights to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights.
Some history:
On May 6, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education issued the 2,033-page document that amended the regulations implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and which contained the new Final Regulations.
In November 2018, the U.S. Department of Education issued proposed changes to Title IX procedures called the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking or NPRM. U.S. Department of Education received more than 124,000 comments during a six-month public comment period following the release of the NPRM.
Eighteen months later, the final regulations were issued. These Final Regulations specify how recipients (defined as schools, LEAs, and postsecondary institutions) of federal financial assistance must respond to allegations of sexual harassment consistent with Title IX’s prohibition against sex discrimination.
Final Regulations, unlike past guidance issued in 2011 and 2014 from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the Department, have the full effect of law and override any past guidance.
“These Final Regulations impose, for the first time, legally binding rules on recipients with respect to sexual harassment.”
Safe2Say:
Safe2Say Something Anonymous Reporting System is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to "say something" before it is too late.
The tip line is operated and monitored 24/7 by the Office of the Attorney General, where tips are reviewed, classified, and forwarded to the appropriate school district. Anyone may provide tips about potential risks to young people through a phone call - 1-844-723-2729, website (www.safe2saypa.org), or phone app.
The Quakertown Community School District has met all requirements established in Safe2Say, a key component in the Pennsylvania General Assembly's Act 44 of 2018.