Nondiscrimination Commitment

Plainfield District 202 is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity in its education programs and activities and employment. Equal educational, vocational, and extracurricular opportunities shall be available for all students without regard to color, race, nationality, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, gender identity, status of being homeless, immigration status, order of protection status, actual or potential marital or prenatal status, including pregnancy.

Educational and vocational opportunities include English, English Language Development, math, science, social science, world languages, fine arts, physical education, health, driver education, special education, and vocational/career & technology education areas of business, family and consumer science, industrial technology, and courses offered through the WILCO Area Career Center (WILCO Curriculum Guide).  Open enrollment is available to all students who meet the required prerequisites for the course(s). The District complies with all laws and applicable regulations that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation by and in the District, including the following:

1. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act
2. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
3. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
4. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.
5. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq.
6. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 
7. The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act
8. The Illinois Human Rights Act
9. Sections 10-22.5, 27-1, and 20.60 of the School Code and 23 Illinois Administrative Code Part 200
10. Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act, 820 ILCS 108/
11. Illinois Equal Pay Act of 2003, 820 ILCS 112/
12. Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GINA), 410 ILCS 513/ and Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000ff et seq.
13. Employee Credit Privacy Act, 820 ILCS 70/

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. The District is committed to conducting a prompt investigation of any and all complaints of discrimination or harassment in accordance with its policies and applicable law. Students found to have engaged in conduct prohibited by the laws cited above or Board policy, including discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, will be promptly disciplined, up to and including suspension and expulsion, if circumstances warrant and in accordance with Board policy. We encourage students and parents to work together with school staff to prevent acts of harassment of any kind.

Title IX/Nondiscrimination and 504 Coordinator Information:

Assistant Superintendent for Student Services

The following agencies may also be able to answer inquiries about some of the laws cited above:

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 handbook is available on the District’s website.