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Civil‑rights officer reviews FY26 complaints and investigations; office reports 17 bullying probes and ongoing Title IX intakes
Summary
The district civil‑rights officer told the committee the office handled 17 formal bullying investigations this year (five founded) and managed multiple Title VI and Title IX matters; the officer reviewed intake procedures, legal authorities, and next steps for reporting and training.
The civil‑rights officer presented an FY26 overview to the Brockton School Committee describing the office’s duties, applicable law, and the year’s investigation activity. Because the full committee meeting was about to begin, the officer said she would proceed quickly and take follow‑up questions later.
The officer summarized the legal framework the office enforces: federal protections referenced in the presentation included Title IV and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Massachusetts general law and the district policy cited in the presentation (policy JB).
She defined discrimination as differential treatment because of a protected characteristic and described harassment and bullying as separate but sometimes overlapping concepts; cyberbullying examples cited included text messages, fake accounts and impersonation.
On caseload, the officer reported that her office supported and managed 17 formal bullying investigations this year (nine at the elementary level, four at middle, and one at high school); five of those 17 were determined to be founded, and 12 were not founded. She said Title VI matters numbered three for the year (one founded, one not founded, one still in progress) and that Title IX procedures have been implemented for multiple matters: five active or completed at elementary, five at middle and five at high school, with two additional intakes ongoing.
"Once the district has notice, the responsibility of the civil‑rights officer is to ensure that the district takes immediate steps to stop the discriminatory conduct, prevent its reoccurrence, and remedy the effects," the officer said while describing intake and investigatory steps and the role of assistant principals in initial universal intake screening.
The officer noted the district maintains two civil‑rights contacts: the presenting officer and an alternate (identified in the presentation as Stephanie Gettis, associate director and deputy coordinator for HR‑related complaints). She also described staff training and the district’s obligation to investigate when a potential Title IX report is received, even at an initial assessment stage.
Committee members asked for further detail on determining founded outcomes and requested a deeper review of bullying determinations at a future meeting; the officer agreed to return with more detail on final dispositions and offered to accept follow‑up questions by email.
Next steps: bring a fuller review of investigation outcomes and the school‑level decision‑making process to a future committee meeting and continue staff training on intake procedures.
