Sturgeon Bay board reviews updated Title IX policy in first reading; staff cite legal guidance and options

District staff presented a first reading of the updated Title IX policy (Policy 2264), explaining that the draft reflects work with Neola (an educational-policy vendor) and the district's legal counsel and that the board must decide among drafting options such as whether to designate one or more Title IX coordinators and how to handle informal-resolution steps.

The presenter said legal counsel (Mary Gerg) and the district's Neola representative provided recommended language and options. Staff described how the policy would interact with student- or staff-handbook language and indicated that some procedural choices—such as whether to include an appeal of findings or whether to retain certain optional paragraphs about pregnant students—were intentionally pared down in the draft based on legal advice. The transcript records staff noting that districts may reserve the right to bring in a third-party attorney for investigations when a situation is complicated.

The presenter also summarized broader legal context: recent litigation in other states has led to injunctions affecting implementation timelines in some jurisdictions, and advocacy organizations are monitoring and in some cases participating in litigation-related procedures. Staff said Wisconsin is not currently subject to an injunction cited in the presentation but that the district is monitoring developments. No vote was taken; the item was explicitly informational as a first read and will return for further consideration.

Next steps noted in the meeting: staff will continue to consult with legal counsel, refine the draft language where the board has discretion, and present the policy for subsequent readings and action. The transcript includes an offer to share additional documents (the Title IX final rule, a fact sheet, and a summary table) with board members and the public.