Civil Rights Laws
District Coordinators for Civil Rights Laws
All programs, activities and employment opportunities provided by the Ashland Public Schools are offered without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability. Questions regarding implementation of these practices should be addressed to the appropriate coordinator listed below.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Statute prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, color or national origin by recipients of federal financial assistance. This statute ensures that individuals are not excluded from participation in programs or activities receiving federal funds (or the benefits of) on account of their membership in one of these protected categories (42 USC S2000d). This statute has been interpreted to prohibit the denial of equal access to education because of a language minority student’s limited proficiency in English.
Coordinator: Brittany Hawkins, Director of Student Services
87 West Union Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0155
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VII, the federal law that prohibits most workplace harassment and discrimination, covers all private employers, state and local governments, and educational institutions with 15 or more employees. In addition to prohibiting discrimination against workers because of race, color, national origin, religion, and sex, those protections have been extended to include barring against discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, sex stereotyping, and sexual harassment of employees.
Coordinators:
Michael A. Caira, Jr., Asst. Superintendent
75 Central Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0150
Kelley St. Coeur, Principal
Ashland High School
65 East Union Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0177
Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974
This federal statute prohibits states from denying equal educational opportunities to an individual based on certain protected classifications including national origin. It specifically prohibits denying equal educational opportunities by failing to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by its students in its instructional programs. [20 USC S1203 (f)]
Coordinator: Brittany Hawkins, Director of Student Services
87 West Union Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0155
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 provides that no individual may be discriminated against on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Title IX requires that schools adopt and publish a policy against sex discrimination and have a grievance procedure through which students can complain of alleged sex discrimination, including sexual harassment. State law requires Massachusetts employers have a policy against sexual harassment. (M.G.L. Ch.151B, S3A)
Coordinators:
Brittany Hawkins, Director of Student Services
Student-Centered
Ashland Middle School
87 West Union Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0155
Christy Arnold, Director of English Language Education
Faculty-Centered
Ashland Middle School
87 West Union Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0150
MA General Laws Chapter 76, Section 5
This state law provides that "Every person shall have a right to attend the public schools of the town where he actually resides. No person shall be excluded from or discriminated against in admission to a public school of any town, or in obtaining the advantages, privileges and courses of study of such public school on account of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation."
Coordinator: Michael Caira, Asst. Superintendent
75 Central Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0150
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 504 provides that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. The regulations implementing Section 504 require that public schools provide a free appropriate public education to each qualified handicapped person who is in the recipient’s jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the person’s handicap. (34 CFR 104.33)
Coordinator: Jennifer Taylor, Director of Counseling and Social-Emotional Learning
87 West Union Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0150
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
Title I is designed to help disadvantaged children meet challenging content and student performance standards. Staff should know that special education students are not deemed ineligible for Title I services because they receive special education services. Also, school districts must ensure that Title I funds are not being misused (e.g. referring an ESL student to a Title I program in order to meet the student’s language needs rather than providing an ESL program/class).
Coordinator: Michael Caira, Jr., Asst. Superintendent
75 Central Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0175
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The regulations implementing the ADA provide that: "A public entity that employs 50 or more persons shall designate at least one employee to coordinate its efforts to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under this part, including any investigation of any complaint communicated to it alleging its noncompliance with this part or alleging any actions that would be prohibited by this part. The public entity must make available to all interested individuals the name, office address, and telephone number of the employee(s) designated pursuant to this paragraph." [34 CFR 35.107 (a)]
Coordinator: Brittany Hawkins, Director of Student Services
87 West Union Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0155
McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act
The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act requires that school districts immediately enroll homeless students in school, even if they do not have the document usually required for enrollment, such as school records, medical records or proof of residency. Homeless students have a right to either remain in their school of origin or attend school where they are temporarily residing.
Coordinator: Brittany Hawkins, Director of Student Services
87 West Union Street
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-0155