Notification Requirements, Staff Training, and Outreach Materials

Contact Information

Equity & Civil Rights

School districts must take steps to make sure students, families, and employees know about their rights. Not only is this required by law, but it helps families and staff know how to resolve concerns at the local level.

Nondiscrimination Statement

Every school district must provide continuous notice that it does not discriminate. This notice is often called a "nondiscrimination statement." As state and federal civil rights laws contain minor differences in the required content of these notices and the methods used to publish them, school districts are encouraged to publish a combined nondiscrimination statement that covers all of the requirements of state and federal laws. The combined notice must include the following parts:

A statement that specifies the basis (protected class) for nondiscrimination, including sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, and the use of a trained dog guide or service animal;
A statement that the school district provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups; and
The name or title, address, and telephone number of the Title IX Officer, Section 504 Coordinator, and Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator.

Note: Additional nondiscrimination notice requirements exist for districts with Career and Technical Education (CTE) (Annual CTE Nondiscrimination Notice) and USDA Funded Child Nutrition Programs.

Sample comprehensive nondiscrimination statement

___________ School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:

Title IX Coordinator
Name and/or Title*:
Address:
Telephone Number:
Email:

Section 504/ADA Coordinator
Name and/or Title*:
Address:
Telephone Number:
Email:

Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator
Name and/or Title*:
Address:
Telephone Number:
Email:

*OCR recognizes that including a person's name may result in an overly burdensome requirement to republish the notice if a person leaves the coordinator position. It is acceptable for a school district to identify its coordinator only through a position title.

What types of publications should have the nondiscrimination statement?

School districts must include a nondiscrimination statement in any publication that is disseminated on an annual or periodic basis to all students, parents, participants, applicants, employees, or stakeholders. This includes district publications as well as building publications.

Some examples include:

Announcements
Flyers and brochures
Course catalogs
Employment application forms and recruitment materials
Staff and student handbooks
School newsletters
School calendars
District web site

Routine letters or daily announcements do not need to include the statement, although a school may choose to include the statement on these publications.

Why are school districts required to include the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups in the nondiscrimination statement?

The Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act was passed in 2002 and applies to school districts that receive funds through the U.S. Department of Education. Under the Boy Scouts Act, schools and districts that provide an opportunity for one or more outside youth or community groups to meet on school premises or in school facilities before or after school hours may not deny equal access or a fair opportunity to meet to, or discriminate against, any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, or any other youth group listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society. To comply with federal regulations, school districts must inform people of the protections provided under the Boy Scouts Act (34 C.F.R. §108.9). Including the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups in the district's nondiscrimination statement satisfies this requirement.

Legal references - nondiscrimination statement

WAC 392-190-060 Compliance-School district or Public Charter School-Designation of Responsible Employee-Notification
Nondiscrimination Statement (Guidelines: Prohibiting Discrimination, pages 60-61)
Notice of Nondiscrimination - Federal Requirements

Annual Notices on Website and in Handbooks

House Bill 1207 (2023), now codified at RCW 28A.300.286, requires each Washington school district to publish OSPI’s model student handbook language in handbooks and on websites to notify the school community of district policies and procedures related to harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB); discrimination; sexual harassment; and gender-inclusive schools.

By the beginning of the 2024–25 school year, and every following school year, each school district must include OSPI’s model handbook language in the following publications:

Any student, parent, employee, and volunteer handbook that the school district or any of its schools publishes;
The school district’s website, if the district maintains a website; and
Each school’s website, if a school maintains a website.

School districts should publish this information in handbooks and on websites in locations that families and staff may easily navigate to or find.

The model student handbook language also includes placeholders for district-specific information, including coordinator contact information and links to the school district’s policies and procedures.

Model Student Handbook Language (March 2024) - translated version coming soon.
OSPI Bulletin No. 018-24: New Requirements for Annual Notices Regarding Discrimination, Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (4/5/2024)

What if a school or school district does not publish a handbook or website?

If a school district does not publish a handbook or maintain a website, it must provide the model student handbook language to each student, parent, employee, and volunteer at least annually.

School districts should use a notification method that is reasonably calculated to reach all students, parents, employees, and volunteers—such as a newsletter or handout provided to all students, employees, and volunteers—and should maintain documentation of this annual notice.

Can the handbook language be modified?

Each school district should update the model handbook language to include district-specific information, including coordinator contact information and links to policies and procedures. The model handbook language includes placeholders for this district-specific information.

A school district may not remove any content from the model handbook language. It is permissible, however, for a school district to modify the formatting of the handbook language to meet its own style or formatting needs. However, any formatting change should not impact the readability of the handbook language, such as using very small font.

It is also permissible for a school district to add additional information or resources regarding its anti-HIB, nondiscrimination, or gender-inclusive schools efforts. However, any additional information must be consistent with state law and OSPI rules and guidelines.

Posting Your Sexual Harassment Policy

School districts must post their sexual harassment policy in each school building in a location visible to students and staff to inform students and staff of their rights and encourage them to share any concerns about sexual harassment.

Free Posters to Download and Print

Download and self-service print the posters:

Suggestions for posting sexual harassment policy

Posters in school buildings should be hung where children and parents can easily locate and read them, such as: building entrances, common bulletin boards, counselor and nurses offices, hallways, the lunch line, locker rooms, restrooms, etc. To protect privacy, posters should be located where students can read them without drawing undue attention to themselves. The student's age (and height) should be considered when posting. District staff should routinely check to see that posters have not been removed from posted locations.

Legal references - sexual harassment policy

Sexual Harassment (Guidelines: Prohibiting Discrimination, pages 36-39)
WAC 392-190-058 Sexual Harassment Policy-Notification

Staff Training on Nondiscrimination Requirements

In accordance with WAC 392-190-020, each school district must ensure all administrators and certificated and classroom personnel have received training regarding their responsibilities under civil rights laws and to raise awareness of and eliminate bias based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, and the use of a trained dog guide or
service animal.

This training should include information about civil rights requirements, including nondiscrimination protections under Washington law (i.e., types of discrimination and protected classes), employee responsibilities to report and respond to discrimination, and the school district's discrimination complaint procedures.

OSPI's sample staff training may assist LEAs in meeting compliance with this requirement. The sample staff training slide deck includes talking points for a compliance coordinator or other administrator to deliver the training.

OSPI Sample Staff Training Slide Deck

Outreach Materials

OSPI has developed the following materials as information for families about their rights.

Poster: We Can Help You in Your Language!
Use this multi-language poster to inform families how to request an interpreter or a translated document.

Notification Requirements, Staff Training, and Outreach Materials

Contact Information

Equity & Civil Rights

Nondiscrimination Statement

Annual Notices on Website and in Handbooks

Posting Your Sexual Harassment Policy

Staff Training on Nondiscrimination Requirements

Outreach Materials

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