Bryan County Schools

As required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Bryan County School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission to its programs, services, or activities; in access to them; in the treatment of individuals; or in any aspect of its operations and provides equal access to the Boys Scouts and other designated youth groups. Bryan County School System’s Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) department does not discriminate in enrollment or access to any of the available programs located in middle or high schools. The challenging CTAE curriculum, in conjunction with core academics, provides a robust academic skills and hands-on experience. Program offerings include Broadcast/Video Production, Business and Computer Science, Construction, Culinary Arts, Engineering and Technology, Education, Graphic Communication and Design, Government and Public Safety including JROTC, Healthcare Science, Journalism and Marketing Education. Program offerings vary by school location. The lack of English language skills shall not be a barrier to admission or participation in the district’s activities and programs. The Bryan County School System also does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices.

Any student or employee who believes he or she has been subjected to harassment or discrimination by other students or employees of the school district based upon his or her race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or sex should promptly report the same to the school principal or directly to the contacts listed below.

Ms. Debi McNeal
Assistant Superintendent of Business Services
8810 Highway 280 East
Black Creek, Georgia 31308
(912) 851-4000

Inquiries concerning the application of Title II, Title IX, Title VI, Section 504, or the Americans With Disabilities Act to the policies of the Bryan County Board of Education may be addressed to the person listed above, who can assist with processing complaints, questions, or requests for additional information.

Bryan County School System Complaint Procedure for Title II; Title IX; and Section 504

Any employee, applicant for employment, or other person who believes he or she has been discriminated against or harassed in violation of this policy must make a complaint in accordance with the procedures outlined below.

Complaints Procedure

Complaints made to the School District regarding alleged discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color or national origin in violation of Title VI; religion or sex in violation of Title VII; sex in violation of Title IX; disability in violation of Section 504 or the ADA, or on the basis of age in violation of the ADEA, will be processed in accordance with the following procedure:

Any employee, applicant for employment, or other person with a complaint alleging a violation as described above shall promptly notify, in writing or orally, either the principal for his/her school or the appropriate coordinator designated from time to time by the Board of Education. If the complaint is oral, either the coordinator or school principal to whom the complaint is made shall promptly prepare a memorandum or written statement of the complaint as made to him or her by the complainant and shall have the complainant read and sign the memorandum or statement if it accurately reflects the complaint made. If the complaint is made to a school principal, he or she shall be responsible for notifying the appropriate coordinator of the complaint.

If the alleged offending individual is the coordinator designated by the Board of Education, the complaint shall either be made by the complainant to the Superintendent or, if the complaint is initially made to the school principal, reported by the principal to the Superintendent. If the alleged offending individual is the Superintendent, the complaint shall be made to the designated coordinator, who shall, without further investigation, report the complaint to the Board chairperson.

The coordinator or his or her designee shall have fifteen work days to gather all information relevant to the complaint made, review the information, determine the facts relating to the complaint, review the action requested by the complainant, and attempt to resolve the complaint with the complainant and any other persons involved. The coordinator or designee shall prepare a written response to the complaint detailing any action to be taken in response to the complaint and the time frame in which such action will be taken and copies of this response shall be furnished to the complainant, the appropriate coordinator and the Superintendent or his or her designee.

If the complaint is not resolved at the conclusion of this fifteen-day period or if the complainant is not satisfied with the resolution of the complaint, the complainant shall have the right, within five work days of receiving a copy of the written response, to have the complaint referred to the Superintendent of Schools. If the alleged offending individual is the Superintendent, the complainant may have the complaint referred to the Board of Education, rather than the Superintendent.

The Superintendent shall have fifteen work days to review the complaint and the response of the coordinator or designee and attempt to resolve the complaint. The Superintendent shall furnish to the complainant a written response setting forth either his or her approval of the action recommended by the coordinator or designee or the action to be taken by the School District in response to the complaint in lieu of that recommended by the coordinator or designee and the time frame in which such action shall be taken.

If the complainant is dissatisfied with the response of the Superintendent, then the complainant shall have the right, within fifteen work days of the receipt of the written response of the Superintendent, to have the complaint referred to the Board of Education. In order to have the Board review the Superintendent's decision, the complainant must file with the Superintendent a written statement setting forth the reasons he or she disagrees with the response of the Superintendent and the action the complainant is requesting the School District to take. The complainant shall also include in the written response a request that his or her complaint be referred to the Board of Education.

Within thirty work days of receipt of the written request of the complainant, the Superintendent shall present the matter to the Board of Education at its regular meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose. The Board shall review the original complaint, the response of the coordinator or designee, the response of the Superintendent, and the response of the complainant. In addition, the Board may, but is not required to, hear directly from any individuals with knowledge of any relevant facts relating to the complaint.

The Board of Education will either uphold the recommendation of the Superintendent or require the School District to take some other action in response to the complaint. A copy of the action of the Board will be furnished to the complainant, either as a part of the minutes of the Board of Education or as a separate written statement. The Board shall be the final reviewing authority within the School District.

This policy is not intended to deprive any employee of any right they may have to file a grievance pursuant to any other policy of the local Board of Education, specifically the policy designed to implement Official Code of Georgia Annotated 20-2-989.5, where appropriate. This policy is not intended to provide an alternative process for resolving evaluation and employment disputes where there already exists a due process procedure mandated by state law or State Department of Education regulations, specifically including, but not limited to, hearings to be conducted pursuant to the Fair Dismissal Act of Georgia. The complainant retains at all times the right to contact the Office of Civil Rights, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or any other appropriate state or federal agency with regard to any allegations that the system has violated the statutes described above.

No reprisal shall occur as a result of reporting unlawful discrimination or harassment under this policy, and any attempt to retaliate against a complainant shall be disciplined as is appropriate.

The confidentiality of any individual making a complaint or report in accordance with this policy, to the extent it is reasonably possible and in compliance with law, shall be protected, although the discovery of the truth and the elimination of unlawful harassment shall be the overriding consideration.

The School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, or sex in its employment practices. It is the policy of the Board of Education to comply fully with the requirements of Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and all accompanying regulations.

The following person has been designated as the employee responsible for coordinating the Board's efforts to implement this nondiscrimination policy.

Ms. Debi McNeal, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services

Bryan County Board of Education
8810 Highway 280 East
Black Creek, Georgia 31308
912-851-4000

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“Title II”); Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”); or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”) formal complaints may be filed with the United States Department of Education.

Office for Civil Rights (OCR) 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-1100 Customer Service Hotline 800.421.3481 Fax: 202-453-6012  TDD: 877.521.2172  Email: OCR@ed.gov  Web: http://www.ed.gov/ocr

Office for Civil Rights, Region IV  61 Forsyth Street S.W., Suite 19T10  Atlanta, GA 30303-8927  Telephone: 404-974-9406  Fax: 404-974-9471  Email: OCR.Atlanta@ed.gov