Title IX: The law surfaces in the news every regularly enough, usually attached to a disconcerting story. Sometimes, it's in conjunction with an athlete sex discrimination case. In other cases, a student assault makes national media.
When the term hits closer to home, however, the once-removed term can become incredibly frightening. Title IX is a federal law that guarantees your child a discrimination-free, safe education. This makes it jarring when its protection infringes on the rights of your high school student.
Title IX Cases in Georgia High Schools
A Georgia teen recently alleged she was the victim of a sexual assault at her school. Instead of taking up the case, the school expelled the teen for sexual impropriety. The case made national news and resulted in a D.C. nonprofit filing a Title IX lawsuit on the student's behalf. The suit requested not only compensation but policy change.
According to the Official Code of Georgia, Annotated, each school district writes and maintains its own code of conduct. This code of conduct governs all processes about school behavior and discipline. Each school district also has a system in place for students who violate this code. This means that the system of due process in regards to Title IX may differ from school district to school district in the state of Georgia. This renders Georgia Title IX proceedings more complex, with location-specific subtleties.
Because of this, having expert legal help will be crucial. Navigating the details of a Title IX case by yourself, particularly with district-specific details, won't be easy.
Title IX in Georgia:
A Brief Overview of Title IX
Decades ago, the federal government implemented Title IX as one of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), 20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq. The law prohibits sex discrimination as an influencing factor in school admissions, athletics, and other benefit determinations. Now, Title IX cases pertain to a wider sphere of scenarios. Today, Title IX laws encompass any case of sexual misconduct in any school that receives federal funding. This includes public colleges and universities as well as public K-12 schools.
Title IX Procedures and Processes in Georgia
A Title IX process in Georgia begins when a student or student's family issues a complaint to a school staff member. Ultimately, word must make way to the school's principal, because in Georgia the principal of a school serves as the local Title IX liaison. This complaint must be in writing. The accused must file this complaint within a year after the discriminatory act or occurrence of sexual misconduct.
Upon receipt of that complaint, your school must act. The school will assign a compliance officer to inform the accuser of procedures, as well as to guide the investigation. According to the Georgia Compilation of School Discipline Laws and Regulations, any school which fails to initiate and complete these proceedings may lose their funding.
This gives Georgia schools an incentive to pursue quick timelines—timelines that may not lend themselves to the fair treatment of all involved, especially the accused.
If your student doesn't already know their rights, your school might not have an interest in protecting them. In some cases, your student might not receive crucial communication regarding their case. If your child is accused of sexual aggression or assault, you need to know how to protect them. Unfortunately, their school might stand with the accuser, rather than the accused.
Ensuring that Your GA School Treats Your Child Fairly
School websites which detail local Georgia high school IX procedures tend to be explicit about the school's duties to itself and the accuser. They may fail to mention notices and opportunities which the accused deserves, as well. According to one documented set of Title IX procedures, the school compliance officer and Title IX liaison must send written notice at every stage of the process to the accuser.
The only time the processes mention the rights of the accused concerns any unwanted follow-up. The accused cannot retaliate, the processes note, against the accuser for making the accusation. In other words, the only time the procedures make any reference to the accused, it's to protect the accuser!
If your child stands accused of an alleged sexual assault, your school may act quickly and without consideration as to who is truly innocent. The school district may skip several steps of the process which might benefit your child, as a result. If your school does not send your child a written notice of his accusation, a copy of the investigative report, or the opportunity to comment or reply to any written questions, your school may have infringed upon your student's rights.
Joseph D. Lento is a legal advisor with years of experience making sure that children are fairly represented in Title IX cases. Working with Lento Law Firm is an investment that may help your child protect his future. After all, if your student is innocent of all alleged sexual misconduct, it would be unfair to let rushed proceedings make their life more difficult later than it needs to be.
A Law Firm With a History of Successful Title IX Case Resolution
If your student experiences an accusation related to a Title IX case while in high school, there's a good chance your family is reeling while dealing with the situation. You don't have to handle this by yourself! Instead, leave the matter to an experienced legal team. Legal advisor Joseph D. Lento will deal with your high school Title IX case with precision and skill.
Joseph D. Lento has vast experience with Title IX case resolution, as he's helped thousands of students across the nation. Whether you need aid with the investigation process or with a case that's facing adjudication by a hearing, Joseph D. Lento will be able to assist.
Call Lento Law Firm today at 888-555-3686, or feel free to contact us by way of our online form.
Georgia 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
- Appling County Public Schools
- Atkinson County Public Schools
- Atlanta Public Schools
B
- Bacon County Public Schools
- Baker County Public Schools
- Baldwin County Public Schools
- Banks County Public Schools
- Barrow County School System
- Bartow County School System
- Ben Hill County Public Schools
- Berrien County Public Schools
- Bibb County School District
- Bleckley County Public Schools
- Brantley County Public Schools
- Bremen City Public Schools
- Brooks County Public Schools
- Bryan County Public Schools
- Buford City Public Schools
- Bulloch County Schools
- Burke County Public Schools
- Butts County Public Schools
C
- Calhoun City Public Schools
- Calhoun County Public Schools
- Camden County Schools
- Candler County Public Schools
- Carroll County Schools
- Carrollton City Public Schools
- Cartersville City Public Schools
- Catoosa County Public Schools
- Ccat School District
- Charlton County Public Schools
- Chattahoochee County Public Schools
- Chattooga County Public Schools
- Cherokee County School District
- Chickamauga City Public Schools
- Clarke County School District
- Clay County Public Schools
- Clayton County Public Schools
- Clinch County Public Schools
- Cobb County School District
- Coffee County Public Schools
- Colquitt County Schools
- Columbia County School System
- Commerce City Public Schools
- Cook County Public Schools
- Coweta County School System
- Crawford County Public Schools
- Crisp County Public Schools
D
- Dade County Public Schools
- Dalton City Public Schools
- Dawson County Public Schools
- Decatur City Public Schools
- Decatur County Public Schools
- DeKalb County School District
- Dodge County Public Schools
- Dooly County Public Schools
- Dougherty County School System
- Douglas County School System
- Dublin City Public Schools
E
- Early County Public Schools
- Echols County Public Schools
- Effingham County Schools
- Elbert County Public Schools
- Emanuel County Public Schools
- Evans County Public Schools
F
- Fannin County Public Schools
- Fayette County Board of Education
- Floyd County Schools
- Forsyth County Schools
- Franklin County Public Schools
- Fulton County Schools
G
- Gainesville City Public Schools
- Georgia Cyber Academy
- Gilmer County Public Schools
- Glascock County Public Schools
- Glynn County School System
- Gordon County Public Schools
- Grady County Public Schools
- Greene County Public Schools
- Griffin Resa School District
- Griffin-Spalding County School System
- Gwinnett County Public Schools
H
- Habersham County Public Schools
- Hall County Schools
- Hancock County Public Schools
- Haralson County Public Schools
- Harris County Public Schools
- Hart County Public Schools
- Heard County Public Schools
- Henry County Schools
- Houston County Board of Education
I
- Irwin County Public Schools
J
- Jackson County Public Schools
- Jasper County Public Schools
- Jeff Davis County Public Schools
- Jefferson City Public Schools
- Jefferson County Public Schools
- Jenkins County Public Schools
- Johnson County Public Schools
- Jones County Public Schools
L
- Lamar County Public Schools
- Lanier County Public Schools
- Laurens County Public Schools
- Lee County Public Schools
- Liberty County School System
- Lincoln County Public Schools
- Long County Public Schools
- Lowndes County Schools
- Lumpkin County Public Schools
M
- Macon County Public Schools
- Madison County Public Schools
- Marietta City Public Schools
- Marion County Public Schools
- McDuffie County Public Schools
- McIntosh County Public Schools
- Meriwether County Public Schools
- Miller County Public Schools
- Mitchell County Public Schools
- Monroe County Public Schools
- Montgomery County Public Schools
- Morgan County Public Schools
- Murray County Public Schools
- Muscogee County School District
N
- Newton County Schools
O
- Oconee County Public Schools
- Odyssey Charter School
- Oglethorpe County Public Schools
P
- Paulding County School District
- Peach County Public Schools
- Pelham City Public Schools
- Pickens County Public Schools
- Pierce County Public Schools
- Pike County Public Schools
- Polk County Public Schools
- Pulaski County Public Schools
- Putnam County Public Schools
Q
- Quitman County Public Schools
R
- Rabun County Public Schools
- Randolph County Public Schools
- Richmond County Public Schools
- Rockdale County Public Schools
- Rome City Public Schools
S
- Savannah-Chatham County Public School System
- Schley County Public Schools
- Screven County Public Schools
- Seminole County Public Schools
- Social Circle City Public Schools
- Stephens County Public Schools
- Stewart County Public Schools
- Sumter County Public Schools
T
- Talbot County Public Schools
- Taliaferro County Public Schools
- Tattnall County Public Schools
- Taylor County Public Schools
- Telfair County Public Schools
- Terrell County Public Schools
- Thomas County Public Schools
- Thomaston-Upson County Public Schools
- Thomasville City Public Schools
- Tift County Public Schools
- Toombs County Public Schools
- Towns County Public Schools
- Treutlen County Public Schools
- Trion City Public Schools
- Troup County School System
- Turner County Public Schools
- Twiggs County Public Schools
U
- Union County Public Schools
V
- Valdosta City Public Schools
- Vidalia City Public Schools
W
- Walker County Schools
- Walton County School District
- Ware County Public Schools
- Warren County Public Schools
- Washington County Public Schools
- Wayne County Public Schools
- Webster County Public Schools
- Wheeler County Public Schools
- White County Public Schools
- Whitfield County Schools
- Wilcox County Public Schools
- Wilkes County Public Schools
- Wilkinson County Public Schools
- Worth County Public Schools
It is critical to make certain the Title IX investigation at your child's Georgia 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 Georgia 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.
