Jt. Jerome School District No. 261

STUDENTS 3085F2

Notice of Investigation & Allegation Template

Note: May also be used for initial Interview Request

[DATE]

[ADDRESSEE (RESPONDENT AND PARENT/LEGAL GUARDIAN]

[MAILING ADDRESS OR (IF DELIVERED VIA EMAIL) EMAIL ADDRESS]

Dear [ADDRESSEE]:

On [DATE] the [NAME OF OFFICE] received a formal complaint from [COMPLAINANT] (“complainant”) alleging

that you may have engaged in behavior that potentially violates District policy, including misconduct alleged on

[DATE(S)] at [LOCATION(S)].

Specifically, it is alleged that you [APPROPRIATELY DETAILED DESCRIPTION].

This letter serves as formal notice that the District will be conducting a prompt, thorough, and impartial

investigation of these allegations pursuant to the procedures detailed in the Policy 3085. The District’s Title IX

Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedure is compliant with applicable federal and state law, including the 2020 Title

IX implementing regulations. A copy of this notice has also been provided to the complainant.

Specifically, you are alleged to have violated the following provision(s) of the Policy 3085 Sexual Harassment,

Discrimination and Retaliation Policy:

[ALL POTENTIALLY APPLICABLE POLICY SECTIONS]

[ALL POTENTIALLY APPLICABLE SANCTIONS THAT COULD RESULT]

You are considered “not responsible” for violating District policy, unless and until a preponderance of the evidence

proves that a violation of policy has occurred. The burden is on the District to gather evidence, investigate the

allegations, summarize all relevant evidence in a final investigation report, and make a final determination of

responsibility (subject to appeal). No determination of responsibility will made until the conclusion of the process

and after the parties have been given an opportunity to inspect, review, and respond to all directly related and/or

relevant evidence obtained by the District.

Should the allegations need to be modified, or if additional allegations emerge over the course of this

investigation, this office will provide you with an updated and revised Notice of Investigation and Allegations.

Below, you will find details included to ensure that the District process is transparent to you, so that you fully

understand your rights and the District’s procedures.

1. The District’s applicable procedures can be found online at www.jeromeschools.org. If you need a

hardcopy or accessible copy of these procedures, you should direct a request to the board clerk with

contact information.

2. You are expected to preserve any evidence in your possession related to the allegations. Examples

include, but are not limited to, screenshots of social media posts or electronic conversations (e.g.,

Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, TikTok, text messages, etc.), written communication, audio or video recordings, photos, receipts, call logs, or any other relevant information.

3. Please plan to bring all evidence, documents, and items that you believe will be helpful to the

investigator(s) to your interview or provide them beforehand. Originals are preferred to copies, and all

materials should be in unaltered form. Expect that you will be asked to verify the accuracy and

authenticity of evidence you provide. If information is stored on an electronic device (e.g., cell phone) it is recommended that you be able to show the device itself to the investigator(s) during the interview.

4. You may not record any meetings pursuant to this process. Doing so is a violation of Procedure 3085P.

The District will record or transcribe proceedings, and those recordings or transcriptions will be made

available to you.

5. Breaks are permitted during the interview, upon request.

6. You should plan to be available for the interview for at least [LENGTH OF TIME].

7. You may bring materials into the interview that are relevant to the investigation, but no other materials,

bags, backpacks or personal items are permitted. Your phone should be silenced if you will have one with you.

8. You will be permitted to ask questions of the investigator(s), and should be prepared for them to ask

many questions of you. Your honesty and cooperation are expected. You are expected to maintain

decorum during the interview and to respect the serious nature of the proceedings.

9. The District cannot obligate you to participate in the interview. If you do not intend to attend, please

notify [PERSON] at [CONTACT INFORMATION].

10. Your rights in the process are detailed throughout the District’s procedures.

Investigation and Interview

[INVESTIGATOR(S)] has/have been assigned to this matter. The investigator(s) are neutral professionals whose

role is to objectively collect and compile all available information relevant to the allegations and compose a

thorough, detailed investigation report. They will be [taking notes AND/OR recording] during the interview. A

summary or transcript of your interview will be provided to you following the interview and you will be asked to

verify its accuracy, in writing, to the investigator(s).

If you have any questions regarding the qualifications or training of the investigator, please feel free to contact me

directly. Similarly, if you have a concern that the investigator is potentially biased or has a conflict of interest, you

must raise that issue with me prior to your scheduled interview.

At this time, we ask you to schedule an interview with the District’s investigator(s). Two suggested times that work

for an appointment to interview you are below, and we have already checked to make sure that these times work

with your class schedule. Please contact the investigator(s) at [CONTACT INFORMATION] to confirm which of

these times work best for you.

1. [OPTION 1]

2. [OPTION 2]

[SPECIFY ANY MEETING PROCEDURES OR CONDITIONS IF THE STUDENT/EMPLOYEE HAS BEEN SUBJECT TO

EMERGENCY REMOVAL.]

[ONLY INCLUDE IF ISSUING A NO CONTACT ORDER BETWEEN THE PARTIES:

No Contact Order

Effective immediately, I am instituting a no contact order that prohibits you and the complainant from having

direct or indirect contact with one another. This information will also be provided to the complainant and other

appropriate officials as needed. This order is not a determination that Policy 3085 has been violated. If you have

questions or concerns about the no contact order, please contact me.]

Advisors

You have the right to an advisor of your choosing, who can be an attorney, to accompany you to all meetings,

interviews, and hearings and to assist you in this process. If you would prefer that the school/district appoint a

school/district-trained advisor for you, please let me know as soon as possible. Upon request, a pre-interview

meeting between you, your advisor, and the investigator(s) to explain the District process and answer any

questions may be arranged by contacting the investigator.

Retaliation

This letter also serves as a reminder that District policy prohibits retaliation, as defined in Procedure 3085P.

Retaliation exists when an individual harasses, intimidates, or takes other adverse actions against a person because of that person’s participation in an investigation or because of their support of someone involved in an

investigation.

The District will impose sanctions on any faculty, student, or staff member found to be engaging in retaliation, and

on individuals who encourage third parties to retaliate on their behalf.

If you experience any retaliation, please contact me immediately.

False Statements and/or False Information

Please also be reminded that Procedure 3085P prohibits making false statements and knowingly providing false

information in the course of a District grievance process.

To ensure that the investigator(s) can obtain as much accurate and objective information about this matter as

possible, please do not suggest to any witness that they distort or align their accounts.

Should it be alleged that you have violated these rules, the District reserves the right to address those allegations

inside of this process or to address the allegations as a separate matter pursuant to Procedure 2085P.

Confidentiality

You have the right to discuss this matter with your advisor and others, but the District will conduct this

investigation confidentially, meaning that it will only share information as permitted or required by law. The

District asks for your discretion in what you choose to share and hopes that you will respect the private and

sensitive nature of these allegations. The complainant has been provided with the same information.

Campus Resources

I understand that receiving this notice may result in many questions and potential distress. I encourage you to avail

yourself of any of the following resources that you may find helpful as you work to resolve this matter.