Preamble

Any student who believes that Maplewood Career Center or any school official has inadequately applied the principles and/or regulations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (race, color, natural origin,) Title IX of the Education Amendment Act of 1972 (gender), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (disability) or the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, 20, U.S.C. etc. Seq., which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in educational programs receiving financial assistance, may file a complaint, which shall be referred to as a formal discrimination/harassment complaint.

This is in accordance with the U.S. Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) guidelines. It is recommended that the grievant attempt to resolve the alleged discrimination or harassment complaint informally at the Director/Instructor level within five (5) days of the date the incident occurred. However, if the alleged discrimination/harassment complaint cannot be resolved informally, the following procedure shall be followed: Students can also file complaints directly with the Certification Board for their individual programs if a Certification Board is assigned for that individual program.

Step 1

An alleged formal discrimination/harassment complaint shall be made to the Director or Instructor within ten (10) working days of the date the incident occurred. A formal conference will be arranged to discuss the alleged discrimination/harassment and determine a reasonable solution. Nevertheless, a copy of the discrimination/harassment complaint must be forwarded to the District’s Title IX/504 Coordinator.

a. The written complaint will include the date, time, a description of the incident, and the name of the person or persons involved.

b. Within three (3) working days of the written complaint, the Director will request a meeting with the person or persons allegedly involved in the discrimination/harassment of the complainant to inform them about the filing of  the complaint. The person against whom the discrimination or harassment complaint has been filed will have seven (7) working days to submit a written response to the complaint.

c. Upon receipt of the response, the Director will review the reports, conduct any further inquiry as necessary, and issue a written decision to all parties involved within ten (10) working days.

Step 2

If the issue is not resolved at Step 1, the decision may be appealed to the Title IX or 504 Coordinator, within five (5) working days. A conference/investigation will be held with involved personnel in the alleged act of discrimination/harassment. (Both of these titles include Title VI.)

504 Coordinator for Adult
Adult Education Director
7075 State Route 88
Ravenna, OH 44266
(330) 296-2892

Students Title IX Coordinator
Supervisor of Business Affairs
7075 State Route 88
Ravenna, OH 44266
(330) 296-2892

Step 3

If the issue is not resolved at Step 2, the decision may be appealed in writing to the District’s Superintendent within five (5) working days.

a. The request will contain a concise statement of the incident that resulted in the complaint.

b. The Superintendent will schedule a hearing within five (5) working days after receiving the written request.

c. After the hearing has taken place, the Superintendent will schedule a hearing within five (5) working days. A copy of the decision will be sent to all parties involved including the District’s Title IX/504 Coordinator.

Step 4

If the issue is not resolved in Step 3, the decision may be appealed in writing to the District’s Board of Education within ten (10) working days.

a. The appeal will be placed on the agenda for the next regular meeting of the Board. The appeal may be heard in either open or closed session at the request of the employee.

b. The employee submitting the appeal shall be entitled to representation if desired. Such action shall be based upon information presented orally and in writing by the appellant and any other information provided by the Director, the District’s Title IX/504 Coordinator, and/or Superintendent.

c. Copies of the final disposition shall be sent to the employee who submitted the appeal, the Superintendent, Director, and the District’s Title IX/504 Coordinator.

Step 5

If the alleged issue is not resolved at Step 4, the decision, at any time during the process may be forwarded to the Office for Civil Rights. Parent(s) or guardian(s) do not have to be present at the informal complaint meeting with the Director/Supervisor. However, the parent(s) or guardian(s) must be present at all levels of the formal alleged discrimination process for youth under the age of 18 years.

Office for Civil Rights
Bank One Center
600 Superior Avenue, East Suite 750
Cleveland OH 44114-2611
(614) 522-4970

Council on Occupational Education
7840 Roswell Road
Bldg. 300, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30350 

www.council.org