The U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), requires the Kentucky Department of Education to conduct site visits as part of its Vocational Education Methods of Administration civil rights compliance of districts that receive federal funding. On-site reviews are based on U.S. Department of Education regulations implementing Title VI (34 CFR, Part 100), Title IX (34 CFR, Part 106), Section 504 (34 CFR, Part 104), and the Department of Justice regulations implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (28 CFR, Part 35), as well as the Guidelines for Eliminating Discrimination and Denial of Services on the Basis of Race, Color, National Origin, Sex and Disability in Vocational Education Programs (34 CFR, Part 100, Appendix B).
Annual Notice of Non-Discrimination
In compliance with federal guidelines, prior to the beginning of each school year, recipients of federal career and technical (vocational) funds must advise students, parents, employees, and the general public that all career and technical educational opportunities will be offered without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, or disability.
Continuous Notice of Non-Discrimination
In addition to the Annual Notice of Non-Discrimination, districts and schools are required to publish a notice of nondiscrimination on a continuing basis and in a variety of locations. Some of the places would be in postings of notices, newspapers and magazines, applications for admission and employment, recruitment materials, announcements, bulletins, catalogs and websites. A more thorough explanation of these requirements including an example of a Continuous Notice of Nondiscrimination can be found in useful links and documents.
Comprehensive On-Site Reviews
In an effort to sustain a process of continuous improvement in assuring equity for all students, comprehensive on-site reviews are conducted for four (4) selected school districts. (Or Jefferson County Clusters).
These reviews are scheduled for the four (4) selected school districts as soon as possible between December and April.
The reviews focus on requirements in the following areas:
Administrative
Employment
Counseling and Pre-Career and Technical Programs
Recruitment
Access and Admissions
Services for Students with Disabilities
Accessibility
Comparable Facilities
Student Financial Assistance
Work Study, Cooperative Education, Job Placement and Apprentice Training
Site Locations
Information is gathered through a combination of student and staff interviews, a comprehensive review of documents, the school / district websites and an accessibility walk-through of all Schools with CTE programs.
A "Letter of Findings" report (LOF) is issued to the district within 30 days and contains a brief explanation of the requirements, the observation of the school's compliance with the requirements and a listing of the documentation/methodology utilized to determine compliance. The report contains findings that require action. Findings denote issues that require the district to develop a plan within 60 calendar days of receipt of the notice. The report may also contain recommendations for continuous improvement. Recommendations do not require action. Finally, any outstanding programs or services observed or discovered during the on-site review will be included in the report under commendations.