Title IX Editorial Continued
By: Eden Winkler
Imagine this scenario:
While working on a project in English class, a student who we will call Student A makes a joke about rape in front of another student who we will call Student B. Student B tells Student A that jokes like that aren’t okay and asks them politely to stop. Student A refuses and makes another joke, creating an uncomfortable space for Student B.
Student B decides that they want the situation to be investigated, however, due to lack of training, does not know what to do. They ask their friend and their friend mentions the ISD grievance procedure and suggests that Student B take a look at it.
The first thing the procedure says to do is discuss the issue with a teacher, counselor, or building administrator, so they visit with the teacher after class. The teacher apologizes, but says there’s not much they can do and that Student B should just ignore it.
The next day, it happens again, and the student decides to take it further, and move onto Level 2 of the procedure, which is to file a complaint in writing on a Compliance Violation Form. The procedure says that a student can obtain the form by contacting the Title IX and Section 504 coordinators, their contact information being located at the bottom of the page.
The student attempts to email the contacts, but finds that the Title IX coordinator listed (Dr. Linda Gray Smith) is retired. Because of this, Student B moves onto the Section 504 coordinator listed (Ms. Janet Knapp), but is unable to find the email addressed to her name as, according to public record, she left the district in 2013.
The process is getting difficult, and Student B begins to wonder if what they experienced is even sexual harassment, however they can’t find any examples in the procedures to tell them whether or not it is. After this, the student becomes intimidated by the process that follows and decides not to pursue the investigation.
The next step for the student, if they were to continue, would be to contact the superintendent and after that, to contact the board of education. Realistically, when the process is this difficult for the student, most won’t continue the process especially if the next step is to contact someone as high up as the superintendent or the board of education.
It is also important to note that if the scenario were to continue, it is unknown how it would fold out, and how the process would continue afterward. When asked questions for clarity on the process, Chrisman Media received no response after multiple attempts from District PR or William Chrisman administration.
Emily Lazaroff, a legal fellow with ACLU, said,
“Anytime there’s an update to the regulations of Title IX, the district’s policy should be revised to reflect that. Typically, districts are notified if there’s been a rule change, and they’ll be given a date by which their policies need to be updated in order to remain in compliance… I personally think the best practice would be to update those policies annually.”
Although the exact date that the ISD grievance procedure was last updated is still unknown due to lack of district response, taking into consideration the fact that the listed 504 coordinator hasn’t been in the district for nine years, that update probably wasn’t recent.
In this scenario, it is easy to see the loopholes a student has to go through in order to follow the procedures which the school gives, and why an up-to-date and efficient grievance procedure is so important.
These procedures are for the students. They are there to provide security for students in order for them to feel comfortable in their learning environments; they are there to protect students from sex-based issues; they are there to help students get the best out of their educational experiences, and they are there to help students in a potentially vulnerable time of need. None of these things are possible if the procedures are not efficient.
While working on a project in English class, a student who we will call Student A makes a joke about rape in front of another student who we will call Student B. Student B tells Student A that jokes like that aren’t okay and asks them politely to stop. Student A refuses and makes another joke, creating an uncomfortable space for Student B.
Student B decides that they want the situation to be investigated, however, due to lack of training, does not know what to do. They ask their friend and their friend mentions the ISD grievance procedure and suggests that Student B take a look at it.
The first thing the procedure says to do is discuss the issue with a teacher, counselor, or building administrator, so they visit with the teacher after class. The teacher apologizes, but says there’s not much they can do and that Student B should just ignore it.
The next day, it happens again, and the student decides to take it further, and move onto Level 2 of the procedure, which is to file a complaint in writing on a Compliance Violation Form. The procedure says that a student can obtain the form by contacting the Title IX and Section 504 coordinators, their contact information being located at the bottom of the page.
The student attempts to email the contacts, but finds that the Title IX coordinator listed (Dr. Linda Gray Smith) is retired. Because of this, Student B moves onto the Section 504 coordinator listed (Ms. Janet Knapp), but is unable to find the email addressed to her name as, according to public record, she left the district in 2013.
The process is getting difficult, and Student B begins to wonder if what they experienced is even sexual harassment, however they can’t find any examples in the procedures to tell them whether or not it is. After this, the student becomes intimidated by the process that follows and decides not to pursue the investigation.
The next step for the student, if they were to continue, would be to contact the superintendent and after that, to contact the board of education. Realistically, when the process is this difficult for the student, most won’t continue the process especially if the next step is to contact someone as high up as the superintendent or the board of education.
It is also important to note that if the scenario were to continue, it is unknown how it would fold out, and how the process would continue afterward. When asked questions for clarity on the process, Chrisman Media received no response after multiple attempts from District PR or William Chrisman administration.
Emily Lazaroff, a legal fellow with ACLU, said,
“Anytime there’s an update to the regulations of Title IX, the district’s policy should be revised to reflect that. Typically, districts are notified if there’s been a rule change, and they’ll be given a date by which their policies need to be updated in order to remain in compliance… I personally think the best practice would be to update those policies annually.”
Although the exact date that the ISD grievance procedure was last updated is still unknown due to lack of district response, taking into consideration the fact that the listed 504 coordinator hasn’t been in the district for nine years, that update probably wasn’t recent.
In this scenario, it is easy to see the loopholes a student has to go through in order to follow the procedures which the school gives, and why an up-to-date and efficient grievance procedure is so important.
These procedures are for the students. They are there to provide security for students in order for them to feel comfortable in their learning environments; they are there to protect students from sex-based issues; they are there to help students get the best out of their educational experiences, and they are there to help students in a potentially vulnerable time of need. None of these things are possible if the procedures are not efficient.