Is your Connecticut high school student facing false allegations of sexual misconduct? Sexual assault and discrimination can be devastating. It's important that your school investigate all accusations quickly and fairly. More than that, it's required.
Title IX, a civil law enacted under the Educational Amendments of 1972, promises to protect your high school student from sexual discrimination or assault while in school. All publicly-funded institutions, including your local K-12 school, must take action to resolve sexual misconduct allegations quickly. Otherwise, they risk losing their funding.
Just because these schools must investigate sexual misconduct does not mean that they have the experience or resources to do so. In fact, because your school has an incentive to act quickly, your school may infringe upon your child's rights while doing so.
A Title IX case can cripple your student's career before it has a chance to happen. There's a lot at stake. Hiring a successful Title IX advisor to be proactive in your child's case may be your best bet to protect your child's future.
High School Sexual Misconduct in CT
You might look at your child and your child's peers and think that they are too young for sexual misconduct. This is, unfortunately, wishful thinking. Recently, seven students at UConn faced expulsion for alleged sexual assault. Cases like these occur at high schools, too: Local news reported that a teen faced charges for sexual assault at a small Connecticut high school. On a national level, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center notes that nearly half of female rape victims experienced their first rape before they were 18 years old.
These stats and stories paint a very clear picture: Sexual misconduct happens in small high schools. You need to be ready for it. If your student faces unfair Title IX charges, your action may make all the difference.
Title IX Grievance Procedures in Connecticut High Schools
The United States Office for Civil Rights issues policy recommendations, but allows every state—and school district—in the country to write and maintain its own specific student discipline procedures. Your school must make these procedures available to every person in your academic community, along with the contact information of your school's designated Title IX coordinator.
The posted student grievance procedures at one Connecticut high school shed some light on what your student may expect during a Title IX investigative process:
- A Title IX investigation officially begins when an accuser, or complainant, notifies the school's Title IX coordinator.
- Immediately afterward, the coordinator will form an investigative team. The team will begin collecting information.
- All involved parties will have the opportunity to find legal aid.
- In the ensuing weeks, your school and any involved authorities will conduct witness interviews and examine the evidence. Your student may or may not have permission to attend school during this time.
- Once the investigative team finishes their report, your school will inform all involved parties of their findings.
- The school will notify your student as to any decided-upon corrective actions or disciplinary measures.
- Your child has the right to appeal this decision if it is unfair.
Your school may have protections in place for your student's academic performance. For example, in another Connecticut high school, an out-of-school suspension during the investigative process can only last 10 days.
Throughout this process, your child has a right to a presumption of innocence and written notification of all findings and decisions. However, if your school is running a rushed or aggressive investigation, they may skip these notifications. Doing so infringes upon your student's rights. If you're working with a driven Title IX advisor, you can work to make sure that your student receives a fair trial—and, potentially, fewer unwarranted punishments.
Holding Your High School Accountable to Your Student
You have likely spent years investing in your student's future. You've entrusted your Connecticut high school with your student's safety. This can make sudden investigations and harsh punishments very jarring. Unfair consequences can traumatize your student, and potentially mar their bright future before it gets started!
Your school's student handbook or code of conduct will make potential ramifications for sexual misconduct clear. Your school will take the severity of the alleged incident as well as your student's academic history into account when deciding upon disciplinary action. Potential rulings for corrective actions for your student could include:
- Forced adherence to a behavioral contract
- Referral to a counselor for ongoing treatment
- Instant negative ramifications for your student's academic and personal reputation
- Lowered grades and even failures due to required out-of-school suspensions
- Title IX allegations noted on your student's personal, permanent discipline record
- Expulsion from your Connecticut high school, or recommendations for alternative forms of education
- Criminal charges, and even jail time
As you can see, the stakes are high in your student's Title IX investigation. Any of these consequences could make it very difficult for your student to get into the college of their dreams, or even to find a job later on in life. Waiting until after your school metes out one of these punishments might be too late for your student. Instead, contact a successful Title IX advisor once you find out that your student faces Title IX allegations. If you're able to be proactive about protecting your student's rights from day one, your chances of receiving a favorable ruling go through the roof.
A High School Title IX Advisor Ready to Help Your Family
Joseph D. Lento is a high school Title IX advisor with a reputation for success. Over the past years, he has been able to deal with more than a thousand of student misconduct cases all around America. If you're looking to ensure that your student receives all accorded rights during their Title IX investigation, contact the Lento Law Firm as early as you can. Joseph D. Lento has experience assisting with thorough, fair Title IX investigations as well as cases adjudicated thought hearings. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 to learn about your options, or fill out this brief online form at your earliest convenience.
Connecticut high schools where Joseph D. Lento can help as your child's student's Title IX advisor during investigations, hearings and appeals include, but are not limited to, the following school districts:
A
- Andover Elementary School
- Ansonia Public Schools
- Ashford School
- Avon Public Schools
B
- Barkhamsted School
- Berlin Public Schools
- Bethany Public Schools (see Regional School District 5)
- Bethel Public Schools
- Bethlehem Schools (see Regional School District 14)
- Bloomfield Public Schools
- Bolton Public Schools
- Branford Public Schools
- Bridgeport Public Schools, Connecticut
- Bristol Public Schools
- Brookfield Public Schools
- Brooklyn School
C
- Canaan Schools (see Regional School District 1)
- Canterbury Public Schools
- Canton Public Schools
- Chaplin Elementary School
- Cheshire Public Schools
- Chester Public Schools (see Regional School District 4)
- Clinton Public Schools
- Colchester Public Schools
- Colebrook Consolidated School
- Columbia Public Schools
- Connecticut Technical High School System, Connecticut
- Cornwall Consolidated School
- Coventry Public Schools
- Cromwell Public Schools
D
- Danbury Public Schools, Connecticut
- Darien Public Schools
- Deep River Public Schools (see Regional School District 4)
- Derby Public Schools
- Durham Public Schools (see Regional School District 13)
E
- East Granby Public Schools
- East Haddam Public Schools
- East Hampton Public Schools
- East Hartford Public Schools
- East Haven Public Schools
- East Lyme Public Schools
- East Windsor Public Schools
- Enfield Public Schools
- Eastford Elementary School
- Easton Public Schools
- Ellington Public Schools
- Essex Public Schools (see Regional School District 4)
F
- Fairfield Public Schools, Connecticut
- Farmington Public Schools
- Fields Memorial School
- Franklin Elementary School
G
- Glastonbury Public Schools
- Granby Public Schools
- Greenwich Public Schools
- Griswold Public Schools
- Groton Public Schools
- Guilford Public Schools
H
- Hamden Public Schools
- Hampton Elementary School
- Hartford Public Schools, Connecticut
- Hartland School
- Hebron School District
- Horace W. Porter School
I
- Kent Center School
- Killingly Public Schools
L
- Lebanon Public Schools
- Ledyard Public Schools
- Lisbon Central School
- Litchfield Public Schools
M
- Madison Public Schools
- Manchester Public Schools
- Mansfield Public Schools
- Marlborough Public School District
- Meriden Public Schools
- Middlefield Public Schools (see Regional School District 13)
- Middletown Public Schools
- Milford Public Schools
- Monroe Public Schools
- Montville Public Schools
N
- Naugatuck Public Schools
- New Britain School District, Connecticut
- New Canaan Public Schools
- New Fairfield Public School District
- New Hartford Public Schools
- New Haven Public Schools, Connecticut
- New London Public Schools
- New Milford Public Schools
- Newington Public Schools
- Newtown Public Schools
- Norfolk Schools (see Regional School District 7)
- North Branford Public Schools
- North Canaan Elementary School
- North Haven Public Schools
- North Stonington Public Schools
- Northwestern Regional School District 7
- Norwalk Public Schools, Connecticut
- Norwich Public Schools
O
- Old Saybrook Public Schools
- Orange Elementary Schools
- Oxford Public Schools
P
- Plainfield Public Schools
- Plainville Community Schools
- Plymouth Public Schools
- Pomfret Community School
- Pomperaug Regional School District 15
- Portland Public Schools
- Preston Public Schools
- Putnam Public Schools
R
- Redding Public Schools
- Regional School District 1
- Regional School District 4
- Regional School District 5
- Regional School District 6
- Regional School District 7
- Regional School District 8
- Regional School District 9
- Regional School District 10
- Regional School District 11
- Regional School District 12
- Regional School District 13
- Regional School District 14
- Regional School District 16
- Regional School District 17
- Regional School District 18
- Regional School District 19
- Ridgefield Public Schools
- Rocky Hill Public Schools
S
- Salem School
- Salisbury Central School
- Sayles Elementary School
- Scotland Elementary School
- Seymour Public Schools
- Sharon Center School
- Shelton Public Schools
- Sherman School
- Simsbury Public Schools
- Somers Public Schools
- Southington Public Schools
- Stafford Public Schools
- Stamford Public Schools, Connecticut
- Sterling Memorial School
- Stonington Public Schools
- Stratford Public Schools
- Suffield Public Schools
T
- Thomaston Public Schools
- Thompson Public Schools
- Tolland Public Schools
- Torrington Public Schools
- Trumbull Public Schools
U
- Union Elementary School
V
- Vernon Public Schools
- Voluntown Elementary School
W
- Wallingford Public Schools
- Washington Public Schools (see Regional School District 12)
- Waterbury Public Schools, Connecticut
- Waterford Public Schools
- Watertown School System
- West Hartford Public Schools, Connecticut
- West Haven Public Schools
- Westbrook Public Schools
- Weston Public Schools
- Westport Public Schools
- Wethersfield Public Schools
- Willington Public Schools (see Regional School District 19)
- Wilton Public Schools
- Winchester Public Schools
- Windham Public Schools
- Windsor Locks Public Schools
- Windsor Public Schools
- Woodbridge Public Schools (see Regional School District 5)
- Woodstock Public Schools
It is critical to make certain the Title IX investigation at your child's Connecticut high school is handled properly and that the accused student's interests and rights are protected from as early as possible during the sexual misconduct investigative process. One major reason is because even at high schools where a finding of responsibility for sexual misconduct charges is made at a hearing, the investigation will set the stage for what the hearing panel is provided prior to a hearing (and what the hearing panel will in large part rely on at a hearing), and at high schools where the finding of responsibility is made solely through the investigative process, what takes place during the investigation itself will determine whether the accused student is found responsible or not responsible for Title IX charges.
Unfortunately, some parents make the mistake of not taking the necessary precautions as soon as possible when accused of sexual misconduct. Some people will mistakenly believe that if they "just explain what happened," their school will be fair and impartial and will arrive at the truth. In a perfect world this may be the case, but in a perfect world, sexual misconduct allegations and Title IX charges would not exist.
Fighting passionately for the future of his clients at schools throughout the nation for many years, Joseph D. Lento knows how important it is to mount the strongest defense because he understands that an accused high school student's academic future is on the line. He does not settle for the easiest outcome, and instead prioritizes his clients' needs and well-being. Joseph Lento is a licensed attorney in New Jersey and New York, is admitted as an attorney pro hac vice in state and federal court if needed when representing clients nationwide, and serves as a Title IX attorney advisor to high school students facing sexual misconduct investigations and disciplinary cases in Connecticut and throughout the nation. Make certain your or your student's interests are protected - Contact National High School Title IX Attorney Joseph D. Lento today at 888-535-3686.
