• Sexual Harassment & Discrimination (Title IX) Coordinator Information

    Dr. Chris Davis, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Campus Support

    3205 Jenny Lind Road, Fort Smith, AR 72901 | 479-785-2501

    Fort Smith Public Schools is committed to having an environment where all students and staff are treated with respect and dignity. In compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws, the Fort Smith Public School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, genetic information, or disability in its employment and educational practices. Any person may report sex discrimination, including sexual harassment in person, by mail, by telephone, or by e-mail using the contact information listed for the Title IX Coordinator or by any other means that results in the Title IX Coordinator receiving an individual’s verbal or written report. Reports may be made at any time, including during non-business hours.

    What is Title IX?
    The U.S. Department of Education’s     Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces, among other statutes, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. Title IX states that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.  

    Scope of Sexual Harassment & Discrimination (Title IX)
    Title IX applies to institutions that receive federal financial assistance from ED, including state and local educational agencies. These agencies include approximately 16,500 local school districts and 7,000 post-secondary institutions, charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries, and museums. Also included are vocational rehabilitation agencies and education agencies of 50 states, the District of Columbia, and territories and possessions of the United States. Educational programs and activities that receive ED funds must operate in a nondiscriminatory manner. Some key issue areas in which recipients have Title IX obligations are recruitment, admissions, and counseling; financial assistance; athletics; sex-based harassment; treatment of pregnant and parenting students; discipline; single-sex education; and employment. Also, a recipient may not retaliate against any person for opposing an unlawful educational practice or policy, make charges, testify, or participate in any complaint action under Title IX. For a recipient to retaliate is considered a violation of Title IX. The ED Title IX regulations  (Volume 34, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 106) provides additional information about the forms of discrimination prohibited by Title IX.     

     

    LAWS AND GUIDANCE ABOUT Sexual Harassment & Discrimination (Title IX)