The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced a resolution agreement with the Paterson Public School District in New Jersey to address violations found under Title IX regulations. These violations occurred during the school years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, as well as under prior regulations.
OCR identified that the district did not meet its Title IX obligations by failing to provide supportive measures to students or notify them about available measures without needing a formal complaint of sexual harassment. Additionally, there was a lack of guidance on how to file such complaints when district employees were aware of alleged harassment. The district also violated recordkeeping requirements related to reports and complaints.
For three school years before the 2020 amendments, OCR noted that the district generally did not equitably respond to allegations of sexual harassment, including assault. There was a failure in coordinating responses through the designated Title IX coordinator and notifying relevant parties about the coordinator’s contact information. The district also lacked compliant grievance procedures for sex discrimination complaints.
These issues led to inadequate responses to numerous sexual harassment complaints, leaving students vulnerable. A compliance concern regarding record maintenance was also identified.
To resolve these issues, the district has committed to several actions:
- Developing a monitoring program for Title IX compliance.
- Reviewing past reports of harassment for equitable resolutions.
- Training employees on handling sex discrimination reports.
- Creating a system for tracking reports and investigations.
- Providing annual training for students on recognizing and reporting harassment.
- Conducting annual climate surveys about sexual harassment in schools.
- Ensuring compliance with Title IX when law enforcement is involved.
- Updating policies and grievance procedures per Title IX standards.
- Properly informing all stakeholders about the Title IX coordinator.
“Paterson Public Schools’ commitments today will ensure that its students now will be able to learn without sexual harassment or discrimination,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon.
Further details can be found in the letter of resolution and agreement available on OCR's website.
