A problem or complaint of a sexual
misconduct nature should be reported to the Title IX Officer
immediately. The Title IX Officer for the Waterford-Halfmoon
UFSD is Mrs. Susan Wulczyn.
Once this allegation is revealed, a
decision about whether or not to investigate is made. If
necessary, immediate action is taken. Any immediate action
must be in compliance with all collective bargaining
agreements that cover investigations or disciplinary
procedures. Issues of retaliation should be understood and
avoided.
Investigators will be chosen based on
their impartiality and on the situation; thereafter, the
investigation will be planned (what steps will be necessary
to speak with all the involved parties, what evidence
exists, in what order should people be interviewed, what
questions should be asked and what might be asked by the
interviewees, etc.?).
Interviews will be conducted and
include the gathering of documents/evidence. At a minimum
these must include the person making the complaint and the
accused. Other witnesses can be interviewed to augment the
entire context of the situation. When students are included
in the investigation, care must be taken to involve the
parents at an appropriate level.
Once all evidence is collected, it is
evaluated and a decision is made about whether or not the
alleged misconduct has occurred. Inherent in this decision
is that action may need to be taken; this action will depend
on how serious the misconduct was, how problems have been
handled in the past, and the governing conditions of the
collective bargaining agreement.
At each step of this process, careful
documentation of the chronology of the investigation and
what was reported, as well as other evidence to assess the
credibility of the interviewees such as their demeanor, any
conflicting statements, and plausibility of the explanation
should be recorded. Once the investigation has been
completed and any action taken, follow-up with the initial
complainant should be conducted to ascertain whether the
problem has been solved and that there has been no
retaliation.
Records of this process will be
retained in the office of the Title IX Officer.
Each year in the annual newsletter that
is mailed to the home of all district residents, a public
announcement is made that identifies the Title IX Officer
and procedures for making a complaint of a sexual misconduct
nature.
BOE Approved 11/15/07