Westchester Public Schools is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity in its education programs and activities and employment. The District complies with all laws and applicable regulations that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation by and in the District, including the following:
For students, this includes the requirement that no person, including a School District employee or agent, or student, shall harass, intimidate, or bully a student on the basis of actual or perceived: race; color; national origin; military status; unfavorable discharge status from military service; sex; sexual orientation; gender identity; gender-related identity or expression; ancestry; age; religion; physical or mental disability; order of protection status; status of being homeless; actual or potential marital or parental status, including pregnancy; association with a person or group with one or more of the aforementioned actual or perceived characteristics; or any other distinguishing characteristic identified in Board policy 7:10, Equal Educational Opportunities.
This also includes the requirement that no District employees shall engage in harassment or abusive conduct on the basis of an individual’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, disability, pregnancy, marital status, order of protection status, military status, or unfavorable discharge from military service, nor shall they engage in harassment or abusive conduct on the basis of an individual’s other protected status identified in Board policy 5:10, Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority Recruitment.
The District will use the grievance procedures in Board of Education policies 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure, and 2:265, Title IX Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedure, to process complaints based on alleged violations of law or Board policy.
No student, parent/guardian, employee, or other member of the District community will be subjected to retaliation as prohibited under any law or Board policy, including those laws identified above. Retaliation is an adverse act imposed because a person has asserted a right or participated in a process involving the assertion of a right, including reporting a violation of law or Board policy or participating in the grievance processes used to process complaints based on alleged violations of law or Board policy.
Any person who believes any student, employee, or third party or the District generally has engaged in conduct prohibited by the laws cited above or Board policy, including discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, or who has inquiries about the application of the laws cited above or Board policy should contact a District Nondiscrimination/Title IX Coordinator, Nondiscrimination Coordinator, or Complaint Manager using the contact information below:
Uniform Grievance Procedure Form
Stephanie DelFiacco Dennis Gress
Director of Curriculum Director of Finance and Operations/CSBO
Title IX Coordinator
Nondiscrimination Coordinator
Complaint Manager Complaint Manager
9981 Canterbury Street 9981 Canterbury Street
Westchester, IL 60154 Westchester, IL 60154
[email protected] [email protected]
(708) 498-0063 (708) 498-0023
The following agencies may also be able to answer inquiries about some of the laws cited above:
U.S. Department of Education |
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity |
Illinois Department of Human Rights |
More information on the Board policies prohibiting discrimination, harassment, and retaliation can be found in Board policy, including, for example, Board policies 5:10 (Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority Recruitment), 5:20 (Workplace Harassment Prohibited), 7:10 (Equal Educational Opportunities), 7:20 (Harassment of Students Prohibited); 7:180 (Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment). More information about how to report discrimination, harassment, or retaliation can be found in Board policies 2:260 (Uniform Grievance Procedure) and 2:265 (Title IX Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedure). The Board's Policy Manual is available on the District’s website.
Training Materials Used to Train Title IX Team Members