Dear
Staff, Parents and Students,
The
North Shore Regional Vocational School district is committed to create and
maintain a system that prevents every type of
discrimination. Our goal is to create for every member of the educational
community an understanding and awareness of the civil rights granted to all
of us by law, such as:
prohibiting
discrimination, exclusion from participation, and denial of benefits on the
basis of disability in the areas of
employment.
prohibiting discrimination,
exclusion from participation, and denial of benefits on the basis of
disability in the areas of educational programming.
prohibiting
discrimination, exclusion from participation, and denial of benefits in
educational programs on the basis of sex.
prohibiting
discrimination, exclusion from participation, and denial of benefits based on race,
color, or natural origin.
prohibiting
discrimination, exclusion from participation, and denial of benefits
based on disability.
-
MGL, Ch. 76, Section 5 of
the Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5:
prohibiting
discrimination in all public schools on the basis of
race, color, sex, national origin, religion,
and sexual orientation.
Statement
of Commitment
It is
the role of the North
Shore Regional Vocational School District to provide a safe and secure learning
environment for all its students without distinction based on race, religion,
ethnicity, disability, gender, or sexual orientation.
Discrimination, sexual and bias-motivated harassment, and violations of civil
rights disrupt the educational process and will not be tolerated.
It
shall be a violation for any pupil, teacher, administrator or other school
personnel to engage in sexual or bias-related harassment or violate the civil
rights of any pupil, teacher, administrator, or other personnel. Conduct
amounting to hate crime is a particularly serious infraction that will result in
referral to law enforcement agencies.
Each
school will act to investigate all complaints, either formal or informal, verbal
or written, of sexual or bias-related harassment or violations of civil rights
and take appropriate action against any pupil, teacher, administrator, or other
school personnel who is found in violation.
School
employees must intervene in ongoing civil rights violations and episodes of
wrongful harassment whenever witnessed or reported, to the extent intervention
can be done safely. School
employees must report a civil rights violation or episode of wrongful harassment
to the school civil rights administrator. Designated
administrators (each Building Principal) must intervene in ongoing matters of
civil rights violations and episodes of wrongful harassment, summoning
assistance as necessary.
The
primary objective of school intervention in a civil rights matter is to put a
swift end to, and prevent any recurrence of, any wrongful conduct, so as to
ensure the safety of all students and a school environment free of wrongful
harassment and civil rights violations. Intervention
should be undertaken immediately, as needed on a short-term basis, and more
comprehensively once a civil rights violation has been found to have occurred.
The school will take all necessary steps within its authority to
implement the objective of stopping continuing civil rights violations and
wrongful harassment, and restoring and preserving an environment free of such
conduct.
Effective
measures should be used to definitively stop harassment and violence.
School officials should immediately consider and use regular
administrative actions to defuse a civil rights situation wherever possible:
separating victim or complainant and offender, ordering the offender to
stay away from the victim, or assigning additional security.
Relevant school disciplinary hearings should begin and proceed on an
expedited basis where there is a threat of ongoing interference with civil
rights. Disciplinary action
appropriate to the offender’s conduct should be taken when a violation is
found. Potential criminal conduct
must be reported to law enforcement by the District Civil Rights
Administrator.
Examples
of Civil Rights Violations and Bias Incidents:
I
Unwelcome verbal, written, or physical conduct directed at the
characteristics of a person’s race or color, such as nicknames emphasizing
stereotypes, racial slurs, comments on manner of speaking, and negative
references to racial customs (racial and color harassment).
II
Unwelcome verbal, written, or
physical conduct, directed at the characteristics of a person’s religion, such
as derogatory comments regarding surnames, religious tradition, or religious
clothing, or religious slurs, or graffiti (religious harassment).
III
Conduct directed at the
characteristics of a person’s national origin, such as negative comments
regarding surnames, manner of speaking, customs, language, or ethnic slurs (national
origin harassment).
IV
Conduct directed at the
characteristics of a person’s sexual orientation (actual, perceived, or
asserted) such as negative name-calling and imitating mannerisms (sexual
orientation harassment).
V
Conduct directed at the
characteristics of a person’s disabling condition, such as imitating manner of
speech or movement, or interference with necessary equipment (disability
harassment).
VI
Physical conduct putting someone
in fear of imminent harm, coupled with name-calling of a bigoted nature (crime
of assault).
VII
Repeated, purposeful following of someone, coupled with evident bias
against the victim’s actual or perceived group status (civil rights
violation or crime of stalking).
VIII
Painting swastikas on walls or
other public or private property (crime of vandalism).
X
Hitting someone because of their actual or perceived group status (crime
of battery).
This
information applies to bias crimes, civil rights violations, bias incidents, and
bias-related harassment occurring on school premises or property, or in the
course of school-sponsored activities, including those outside of school if
there is a detrimental effect on the school or educational climate.
Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination against persons
with a disability in any program receiving federal financial assistance.
In order to fulfill obligations under Section 504, the North Shore
Regional Vocational School District has the responsibility to avoid
discrimination in policies and practices regarding its personnel and students.
No discrimination against any person with a disability should knowingly
be permitted in any of the programs and practices of the school system.
The
North Shore Regional Vocational School District has the responsibility under
Section 504 to identify, evaluate, and (if the student is determined to be
eligible under section 504) to afford access to appropriate educational
services.
If
the parent or guardian disagrees with the determination made by the professional
staff of the school district, that parent has the right to a hearing with an
impartial officer.
The
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) also specifies rights related
to educational records. This Act
gives the parents or guardian the right to: (1) inspect and review his/her
child’s educational records; (2) make copies of these records; (3) receive a
list of the individuals having access to those records; (4) ask for an
explanation of any item in the records; (5) ask for an amendment to any report
on the grounds it is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the child’s rights;
and (6) request a hearing on the issue if the school refuses to make the
amendment.
Notice
of Non-Discrimination
North
Shore Regional Vocational School District is committed to compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The
district intends to ensure that individuals with disabilities (whether they are
employed, apply for a position, or visit facilities within the schools) are
treated fairly and given an equal opportunity to access facilities, programs,
activities, and employment.
The ADA
requires that the district focus on the ability not the disability
of the individual. North Shore
Regional Vocational School district will consider reasonable accommodations
providing that the individual can perform essential functions of the position.
It is not required, however, to give preferential treatment to
individuals with disabilities or to lower the expected standards of performance.
North Shore Regional Vocational School district is committed to meeting
the intent and spirit of ADA. All
employees are urged to help meet this goal.
If anyone believes that the North Shore Regional Vocational School
district has discriminated against him/her or someone else on the basis of
disability, or if anyone has questions or concerns about the school system’s
responsibilities in this regard, please contact one of the Section 504 Coordinators, Ms.
Ellen Kline or Mr. David McCarthy.
North
Shore Technical High School
District
Coordinator
Title
VI, Chapter 622
Ms. Vera Skinner x2 63
Title IX,
Ms. Ellen Kline x342 |
