Policies and Notices
BOARD POLICIES (BP)/ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS (AR)
Antelope Valley Union High School District Board Policies and Administrative Regulations are available by clicking here.
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION/TITLE IX
The Governing Board is committed to maintaining an educational environment that is free from harassment. The Board prohibits sexual harassment of students by other students, employees or other persons, at school or at school-sponsored or school-related activities.
The Board also prohibits retaliatory behavior or action against persons who complain, testify, assist or otherwise participate in the complaint process established pursuant to this policy and the administrative regulation.
For all employees, applicants and students, District programs and activities shall be free from harassment, discrimination, intimidation and bullying based on gender, gender identity, gender expression race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or the perception of one or more of such characteristics. The AVUHSD Board of Trustees and Administration is dedicated to providing a safe and secure educational environment and strictly prohibits any type of bullying. Harassment of students and staff, including bullying, intimidation, cyber-bullying, cyber-harassment, hazing or initiation activity, ridicule, extortion, or any other verbal, written, or physical conduct that causes or threatens to cause bodily harm or emotional suffering is prohibited and subject to disciplinary action.
Cyber-bullying and cyber-harassment includes the posting of harassing messages, direct threats, social cruelty, or other harmful text or images on the Internet, social networking sites, or other digital technologies, as well as breaking into another person's account and assuming that person's identity in order to damage that person's reputation or friendships.
If you or someone you know is being discriminated against or harassed or bullied in anyway, please contact any administrator at your site (or bypass the administrator if that person is the harasser) and contact either of the two designated Title IX coordinators:
Kathryn Taylor, Ed.D.
Director of Equity
176 Holston Drive
Lancaster, CA 93535
Phone: 661-948-7655 ext. 2420
STUDENT RIGHTS UNDER TITLE IX
Federal Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), implemented at 34 C.F.R. § 106.31, subd. (a), provides that no person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any academic, extracurricular, research, occupational training, or other education program or activity operated by a recipient which receives federal financial assistance. Relevant here, Title IX requires the Antelope Valley Union High School District to take immediate and appropriate action to investigate when it knows or reasonably should know of a possible Title IX violation.
TITLE IX COORDINATOR
In the event of a complaint regarding gender equity or sexual harassment, or discrimination, including harassment, intimidation and bullying because of actual or perceived disability, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race, ethnicity, color, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital or parental status, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, contact either of the two designated Title IX coordinators above.
FILING A TITLE IX COMPLAINT
Student complaints shall be submitted in written form in accordance with Board Policy 1312.3 - Uniform Complaint Procedures. If the complainant is unable to prepare the complaint in writing, administrative staff shall help him/her to do so.
Complaints must be filed within six months from the date when the alleged unlawful discrimination occurred, or from the date the complainant first obtained knowledge of the facts of the alleged discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying that is based on sex. The time for filing may be extended up to 90 days by the Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee, for good cause, upon written request by the complainant setting forth the reasons for the request for an extension of time to file a written complain
All complaints shall be appropriately investigated in a timely manner. Within 10 business days after the compliance officer receives the complaint, the compliance officer, or designee, shall begin an investigation into the complaint. The investigation shall include an opportunity for the complainant, or the complainant’s representative, or both, to present the compliance officer, or designee, with any evidence, or information leading to evidence, to support the allegations in the complaint. AVUHSD shall issue a written decision based on the evidence within 60 calendar days from receipt of the written complaint by AVUHSD.
Any complainant who is dissatisfied with AVUHSD’s final written decision may file an appeal in writing with the California Department of Education within 15 calendar days of receiving AVUHSD’s decision.
Complaints made by or on behalf of students may also be filed with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights within 180 calendar days of the date of the alleged discrimination, unless the time for filing is extended by the Office of Civil Rights for good cause shown under certain circumstances.
Student Rights Pursuant to Education Code Section 221.8
Education Code section 221.8 provides as follows:
The following list of rights, which are based on the relevant provisions of the federal regulations implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1681 et seq.), may be used by the department for purposes of Section 221.6:
- You have the right to fair and equitable treatment and you shall not be discriminated against based on your sex.
- You have the right to be provided with an equitable opportunity to participate in all academic extracurricular activities, including athletics.
- You have the right to inquire of the athletic director of your school as to the athletic opportunities offered by the school.
- You have the right to apply for athletic scholarships.
- You have the right to receive equitable treatment and benefits in the provision of all of the following:
- Equipment and supplies.
- Scheduling of games and practices.
- Transportation and daily allowances.
- Access to tutoring.
- Coaching.
- Locker rooms.
- Practice and competitive facilities.
- Medical and training facilities and services.
- Publicity.
- You have the right to have access to a gender equity coordinator to answer questions regarding gender equity laws.
- You have the right to contact the State Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation to access information on gender equity laws.
- You have the right to file a confidential discrimination complaint with the United States Office of Civil Rights or the State Department of Education if you believe you have been discriminated against or if you believe you have received unequal treatment on the basis of your sex.
- You have the right to pursue civil remedies if you have been discriminated against.
- You have the right to be protected against retaliation if you file a discrimination complaint.
UNIFORM COMPLAINT PROCEDURES (UCP)
For pupils, employees, parents or guardians of its pupils, school and district advisory committees, appropriate private school officials or representatives, and other interested parties
The Antelope Valley Union High School District is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals in education. Our District programs and activities shall be free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying based on actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnic group identification, race, ethnicity, ancestry, nationality, national origin, religion, color, physical or mental disability, lack of English skills, ethnic group, marital or parental status, pregnancy or parenting status, age, or any other unlawful consideration, or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. The District has the primary responsibility to ensure compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations governing educational programs and has established procedures to address allegations of unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying and complaints alleging violation of such state or federal laws.
The District shall investigate and seek to resolve any such complaints using policies and procedures known as the Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP) adopted by our local board. Complaints alleging unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying in district programs and activities may be based on actual or perceived characteristics of race or ethnicity, color, ancestry, nationality, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or genetic information, or on a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. The UCP shall also be used to address any complaint alleging the District’s failure to comply with state and/or federal laws in Adult Education, Career/Technical Education, Consolidated Categorical Aid Programs, Migrant Education, Child Care and Developmental Programs, Child Nutrition Programs, Special Education Programs, Vocational Education, and Federal Safety Planning Requirements or with the prohibition against requiring students to pay fees, deposits, or other charges for participation in educational activities.
A copy of the District UCP policy and complaint procedures shall be available free of charge by clicking here 1312.3
For further details or to file a complaint under the Uniform Complaint Procedures, please contact the District compliance officer:
Marisa Rissling
Director of Student Services
176 Holston Drive
Lancaster, CA 93535
Phone: 661-948-7655 ext. 2412
Fax: 661-949-6292
BULLYING POLICIES
The Governing Board recognizes the harmful effects of bullying on student learning and school attendance and desires to provide a safe school environment that protects students from physical and emotional harm. District employees shall establish student safety as a high priority and shall not tolerate bullying of any student.
No individual or group shall, through physical, written, verbal, or other means, harass, sexually harass, threaten, intimidate, retaliate, cyberbully, cause bodily injury to, or commit hate violence against any student or school personnel.
Students are encouraged to notify school staff when they are being bullied or suspect that another student is being victimized.
Cyberbullying includes the electronic creation or transmission of harassing communications, direct threats, or other harmful texts, sounds, or images as defined in Education Code 48900. Cyberbullying also includes breaking into another person's electronic account and assuming that person's identity in order to damage that person's reputation.
Any complaint of bullying shall be investigated and, if determined to be discriminatory, resolved in accordance with law and the district's uniform complaint procedures specified in AR 1312.3.
If, during the investigation, it is determined that a complaint is about nondiscriminatory bullying, the principal or designee shall inform the complainant and shall take all necessary actions to resolve the complaint.
Any student, parent/guardian, or other individual who believes that a student has been subjected to bullying or who has witnessed bullying may report the incident to a teacher, the principal, a compliance officer, or any other available school employee.
WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY
The Antelope Valley Union High School District is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website for students, parents, and members of the community, including those with disabilities. District websites will be maintained in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“Title II”).
The District shall ensure that all new, updated, and existing District webpages are accessible to all persons, including those with disabilities. The District shall ensure that all website content or functionality on District’s websites conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) 2.0, Level AA (http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/) standards, and the Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite (WAI-ARIA) 1.1 guidelines.
If you have trouble accessing any of our webpages or documents, please contact us and provide the URL (web address) of the material you tried to access, the problem you experienced and your contact information. You may contact us at the contact information below.
District Contact:
Dr. Christopher Grado
Assistant Superintendent Educational Services
(661) 948-7655 ext. 2504
cgrado@avhsd.org
A student, parent, or member of the public who wishes to submit a complaint regarding a violation of Section 504 or Title II related to accessibility of any District webpages that are developed or maintained by the District may initiate a complaint pursuant to the uniform complaint procedures in Administrative Regulation 1312.3.