Investigation: Chino Valley Unified School District response to sexual harassment allegations violated Title IX
Members of an athletic team videotaped assaults of teammates, pretended to sexually assault other students, and shared photos of their genitals among the team and on social media, an investigation into sexual harassment within the Chino Valley Unified School District found.
The district violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 by failing to effectively respond to a notice of sexual harassment among members of a school athletics team in the Fall of 2017, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights announced on Tuesday. The name of the school and sport has been redacted from the report (PDF).
Federal education officials found that sexual harassment took place on a team bus, in the locker and weight rooms, and in the Athletics Physical Education classroom, creating a "hostile educational environment." Team members reported they were disgusted and shocked by the harassment, avoided the locker room, and the team's social media to avoid harassment themselves and considered leaving the team to avoid becoming targets.
The harassing conduct included videotaped assaults of teammates, students forcibly overpowering other students, and sharing photos of their genitals among the team and on social media, and placing their genitals on or near other students' faces and bodies, according to education officials.
When notified, the Department of Education said the school's response to these incidents "was not reasonably calculated to end the harassing conduct or prevent its recurrence. Likewise, the district's response following the investigations reflected an inability to address adequately the conduct and a failure to consider interim supportive measures to protect student athletes from sexual harassment."
District officials have agreed to take steps (PDF) to resolve the investigation, including contacting all former athletes from the school's fall 2017 team and offer them counseling services or reimbursement for such services; conduct a climate survey of the team; train district, school administrators, and coaching staff about their responsibilities for responding effectively to sexual harassment; conduct ongoing Title IX education for student athletes in the athletics program; and report the district's training and responses to complaints of sexual harassment to the Office Of Civil Rights through the end of the 2022-23 school year.