Is your child involved in a Title IX case? Your Oregon high school may have sent you a notification of an impending investigation or invited you to speak to the school's provided legal advisor. If so, you and your family are likely rushing to educate yourselves about Title IX proceedings as quickly as you can.
Title IX cases and allegations of sexual misconduct can be devastating. Once made public, even a false accusation of sexual assault can follow your student for the rest of their academic life—and even their professional career. If you don't want to see your child's bright future compromised because of Title IX proceedings, it's imperative that you seek your own legal aid as early on in the process as possible. A hard-working and aggressive Title IX advisor can help you protect your child's rights throughout your school's Title IX investigative process.
Cases of Sexual Misconduct in Oregon High Schools
It can be easy to look at your student and their group of peers and assume that they are just too young to worry about matters of sexual assault. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Recently, an Oregon local news site reported that a teenage girl had experienced a sexual assault while in the bathroom of her high school. These types of events are traumatizing. However, this does not mean that all allegations of sexual assault are necessarily true.
Title IX is a federal law that promises to protect your child from sexual assault and discrimination while your student is in high school. One of the ways it does so is by threatening to revoke the funding of any publicly-funded school which does not immediately investigate all accusations of sexual misconduct. Even though Title IX applies to your student's Oregon high school, your school staff may not have the tools to handle these types of investigations. When one student accuses another student of sexual assault, the school may naturally side with the victim.
Should your student be a victim of a potentially biased and rushed investigative process? Especially when your child's entire future is at stake? Of course not. It may fall on you and your Title IX advisor to ensure that your student has their best chance at the future they deserve.
Title IX and Student Discipline Procedures at Your Oregon High School
According to the Oregon Department of Education, every school district must have at least one designated Title IX Coordinator. The contact information of this person must be available to every student. To initiate Title IX proceedings, students or their representatives must make a formal allegation to this coordinator.
The Portland public school system has posted guidelines to make it very clear what actions are punishable by Title IX proceedings. These include:
- Any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature
- Any sexual contact without consent
- Discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation
- Online sexual intimidation or harassment
- Discrimination based on parenting status or pregnancy
- Unequal access due to gender in athletics, curricular, or extra-curricular programs
Once a student files a qualifying complaint, the Title IX Coordinator will work with the school board to proceed with the discipline policies specific to your school district. Oregon Revised Statutes makes it clear that your school must write, regularly review, and distribute these policies to all members of an academic community.
The same guidelines clarify that the school must take into account your student's age and pattern of past behavior before deciding upon disciplinary action. In particular, your school needs to treat expulsion as a last resort. An Oregon high school student should only face expulsion when “other strategies to change student conduct have been ineffective”, according to the Revised Statutes.
As a result of your student's Title IX case, your student might have to change classes, spend more time with the school principal or a school counselor, stop participating in after-school activities, or go see a mental health professional on their own time. All of these unwarranted punishments can make your student's life much more difficult and may restrict them from opportunities, putting them at a disadvantage to their peers. You and your advisor must find a way to protect your child's future against this possible treatment.
The Advantages of Hiring Your Own Title IX Advisor
When your high school first notifies you about your student's Title IX allegation, they might offer you the services of your school's legal professional. While this may seem like a generous offer, it's one that you're better off declining.
While a Title IX advisor whom you personally hire will keep all of your personal information confidential, the same courtesy may not apply to your school's legal counsel. Since your school's advisor works, first and foremost, for your school, there's nothing to keep the school's advisor from failing to keep pertinent information private if it would aid the school in its investigation.
Here are just a few other reasons why it's a good idea to hire a Title IX Advisor to assist with your student's sexual misconduct case:
- Your Title IX advisor may have legal expertise and experience that will make all the difference in your school's adjudication process
- Your advisor can assist with the preparation of crucial documents to make sure they are accurate and on-time
- Your advisor can help you gather evidence and interview witnesses
- Your advisor can help prepare you for a hearing to give your student their best chance
An Experienced Oregon High School Title IX Advisor Ready to Help You
Joseph D. Lento has years of experience dealing more than a thousand student discipline and sexual misconduct cases in Oregon and all over America. If your student stands accused of sexual assault, you should immediately consult with the Lento Law Firm to learn about your options. Whether your student's Title IX case is facing resolution through the investigative process or by an adjudication hearing, Joseph D. Lento can assist with preparation, analysis, resolution, negotiation, and more. He will fight aggressively for your student's rights at every turn! Contact the Lento Law Firm today by calling 888-535-3686 or by filling out our brief online form.
Oregon high schools where Joseph D. Lento can help as your child's Title IX advisor during investigations, hearings and appeals include, but are not limited to, the following school districts:
A
- Adel School District
- Adrian School District
- Alsea School District
- Amity School District
- Annex School District
- Arlington School District
- Arock School District
- Ashland School District
- Ashwood School District
- Astoria School District
- Athena-Weston School District
B
- Baker School District
- Bandon School District
- Banks School District
- Beaverton School District
- Bend-La Pine Schools
- Bethel School District
- Blachly School District
- Black Butte School District
- Brookings-Harbor School District
- Burnt River School District
- Butte Falls School District
C
- Camas Valley School District
- Canby School District
- Cascade School District
- Centennial School District
- Central Curry School District
- Central Linn School District
- Central Point School District (formerly Jackson County School District)
- Central School District
- Clatskanie School District
- Colton School District
- Condon School District
- Coos Bay School District
- Coquille School District
- Corbett School District
- Corvallis School District
- Cove School District
- Creswell School District
- Crook County School District
- Crow-Applegate-Lorane School District
- Culver School District
D
- Dallas School District
- David Douglas School District
- Days Creek School District (Douglas County School District 4)
- Dayton School District
- Dayville School District
- Diamond School District
- Double O School District
- Drewsey School District
- Dufur School District
E
- Eagle Point School District
- Echo School District
- Elgin School District
- Elkton School District
- Enterprise School District
- Estacada School District
- Eugene School District
F
- Falls City School District
- Fern Ridge School District
- Forest Grove School District
- Fossil School District
- Frenchglen School District
G
- Gaston School District
- Gervais School District
- Gladstone School District
- Glendale School District
- Glide School District
- Grants Pass School District
- Greater Albany Public Schools
- Gresham-Barlow School District
H
- Harney County School District 3
- Harper School District
- Harrisburg School District
- Helix School District
- Hermiston School District
- Hillsboro School District
- Hood River County School District
- Huntington School District
I
- Imbler School District
- Ione School District
J
- Jefferson County School District
- Jefferson School District
- Jewell School District
- John Day School District (Grant County School District)
- Jordan Valley School District
- Joseph School District
- Junction City School District
- Juntura School District
K
- Klamath County School District
- Klamath Falls City Schools
- Knappa School District
L
- La Grande School District
- Lake County School District (Lakeview School District)
- Lake Oswego School District
- Lebanon Community Schools
- Lincoln County School District
- Long Creek School District
- Lowell School District
M
- Mapleton School District
- Marcola School District
- McDermitt Elementary School District (Students attend school in McDermitt, Nevada)
- McKenzie School District
- McMinnville School District
- Medford School District
- Milton-Freewater Unified School District
- Mitchell School District
- Molalla River School District
- Monroe School District
- Monument School District
- Morrow School District
- Angel School District
- Myrtle Point School District
N
- Neah-Kah-Nie School District
- Nestucca Valley School District
- Newberg School District
- North Bend School District
- North Clackamas School District
- North Douglas School District
- North Lake School District
- North Marion School District
- North Powder School District
- North Santiam School District
- North Wasco County School District (formerly The Dalles and Chenowith school districts)
- Nyssa School District
O
- Oakland School District
- Oakridge School District
- ODE Head Start
- Ontario School District
- Oregon City School District
- Oregon Trail School Districty
P
- Paisley School District
- Parkrose School District
- Pendleton School District
- Perrydale School District
- Philomath School District
- Phoenix-Talent School District
- Pilot Rock School District
- Pine Creek School District
- Pine Eagle School District
- Pinehurst School District
- Pleasant Hill School District
- Plush School District
- Port Orford-Langlois School District
- Portland Public Schools
- Powers School District
- Prairie City School District
- Prospect School District
R
- Rainier School District
- Redmond School District
- Reedsport School District
- Reynolds School District
- Riddle School District
- Riverdale School District
- Rogue River School District
- Roseburg School District (Douglas County School District 4)
S
- Salem-Keizer Public Schools
- Santiam Canyon School District
- Scappoose School District
- Scio School District
- Seaside School District
- Sheridan School District
- Sherman County School District
- Sherwood School District
- Silver Falls School District
- Sisters School District
- Siuslaw School District
- South Harney School District
- South Lane School District
- South Umpqua School District
- South Wasco County School District
- Spray School District
- Springfield School District
- Paul School District
- Helens School District
- Stanfield School District
- Suntex School District
- Sutherlin School District
- Sweet Home School District
T
- Three Rivers/Josephine County School District
- Tigard-Tualatin School District
- Tillamook School District
- Troy School District
U
- Ukiah School District
- Umatilla School District
- Union School District
V
- Vale School District
- Vernonia School District
W
- Wallowa School District
- Warrenton-Hammond School District
- West Linn-Wilsonville School District
- Willamina School District
- Winston-Dillard School District
- Woodburn School District
Y
- Yamhill-Carlton School District
- Yoncalla School District
It is critical to make certain the Title IX investigation at your child's Oregon 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 Oregon 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.
