School District U-46 is committed to the success of every student in every school. A primary objective of the District is that by graduation, all students will meet or exceed college and career ready standards and be fully prepared to become contributing members of society. It is our belief that it is the responsibility of this school District to give each student the opportunity and support to meet his or her highest potential.

In 2018, the District formed an Equity Committee to ensure these commitments are being met.  As of 2025, the Committee aligned its work to the District Strategic Plan, which includes an equity-committed statement under each of the four goals:

• Goal 1: Building Early Academic & Social Emotional Foundations - Every student in preschool through grade two will demonstrate academic and social emotional skills for lifelong learning and success.

OUR EQUITY COMMITMENT: We provide every students access to rigorous, developmentally-responsive learning environments that embrace and honor the student's and family's language, culture, and background, recognizing families as a child's first teacher.

• Goal 2: Safety, Sense of Belonging & Inclusion - Every student will contribute to and experience a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment that nurtures a sense of belonging. OUR EQUITY COMMITMENT: We provide a safe and inclusive environments that disrupt systemic inequities and ensure every students is valued, connected, and engaged.
• Goal 3: Academic Growth & Mastery - Every student will demonstrate at least a year of growth to meet or exceed standards at every grade level. OUR EQUITY COMMITMENT: We provide every student access to a rigorous, standard-based curriculum, culturally and linguistically appropriate coursework, actionable feedback, and targeted instruction.
• Goal 4: Ready to Embrace a Diverse & Changing World - Every student will develop skills and interests for successful postsecondary transitions through life, college, and/or career. OUR EQUITY COMMITMENT: We provide every student with quality experiences and support to identify their passions and pursue success at the next level.

The mission of School District U-46 for Equity is to aggressively include and value all students; especially those who have been historically marginalized, invisible and forgotten resulting in persistent achievement and/or excellence gaps. Further, this mission seeks to operationalize actions through structures and systems to meet student’s unique learning needs while developing and preparing them to be vibrant contributors in an increasing interrelated, interconnected and interdependent global community.

We will...

• Provide every student with equitable access to high quality and culturally and linguistically relevant instruction, curriculum, and other educational resources.
• Create multiple pathways to success in order to meet the needs of our diverse student body.
• Actively encourage, support and expect high academic achievement from all students.
• Actively strive to have a teacher and administrative workforce that reflects the diversity of the student body.
• Provide professional development to strengthen employee knowledge and skills in eliminating disparities in achievement based on race and/or ethnicity.
• Remedy any practices that lead to over-representation of students of color in special education and student discipline.
• Remedy any practices that lead to under-representation of students of color in programs such as gifted programs, academies, and early college experiences.
• Welcome, empower and recognize students and families of all racial and ethnic backgrounds as essential partners in their student’s education, school planning and District decision-making.
• Include and consider the input of government agencies, non-profit organizations, business and the community in general in ensuring equity of programs to all students.
• Hold the Superintendent, school and central office administrative leadership, and all remaining District staff accountable for their contributions toward measurable progress in ensuring these mandates.
• Develop action plans with clear accountability and metrics – including prioritizing staffing and budget allocations, as well as ensuring equity in the allocation of resources used to accomplish these mandates.
• Update action plans and progress towards these mandates that will be reported to the School District U-46 School Board annually.

We believe...

• A Culturally Proficient workforce will strengthen our collective knowledge, attitudes, skills and practices to be an inclusive and culturally responsive organization that is equipped to meet the needs of all the students and families that we serve.
• An Equitable and Culturally Responsive Organization must be felt and experienced by all stakeholders.
• A Strategically Implemented Professional Development plan to build cultural proficiency among all staff will insure the application of equitable and culturally responsive practices for students; especially those who have been historically marginalized, invisible and forgotten.
• All Curriculum and Instructional Materials must reflect the unique cultural and linguistic diversity that is our student population.
• Equitable Resources and Scaled Supports for all students must be established within a culturally responsive and equitable school and district system, PreK-12.
• Enhancing Parent and Community Engagement with culturally and linguistically meaningful activities will lead to greater levels of participation and contributions to our schools and district, PreK-12.
• School Safety is a priority; Strengthening Social Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies will increase rapport and strengthen relationships among and between all stakeholders as well as reduce/eliminate the potential for inequitable practices in student discipline.
• Equitably Distributing Funds so that seen and unseen real and/or rumored financial barriers to student success in every academic, athletic, and/or extracurricular activity approved by School District U-46 School Board isn’t the predictor of participation and success.
• Recruiting, Hiring, and Retaining a diverse faculty and staff that reflects the cultural and linguistic experiences and worldviews of our students is essential for meeting the needs of all our students.
• We believe we must Ensure Easily Navigable Structures and Systems so that community and families interactions with School District U-46 are understandable and accessible regardless of one’s cultural and linguistic diversity.
• All School and District Processes must be accessible and understandable to all students, parents and families regardless of one’s culture or language.

Our Moral Imperative

Our moral imperative is to change until all our systems measurably work for all children.

It is our responsibility to ensure all students are engaged in rigorous learning, receive quality core instruction, and can develop the skills they need for better life chances and opportunities.

Our focus must be on rigor, agency, and equity (and all systems must support).

We will become a choice district that inspires families to join us.

Our Challenge

We need every student engaged in rigorous grade-level core instruction.

Our classroom learning environments will shift to Academic Teaming, where students develop and exercise agency by collaborating with peers on standards-aligned tasks using complex grade-level texts. 

Equity, Our Collective Effort

We will not locate deficits in our students, rather seek out deficits in our systems that generate our results.

Each of our systems must be measured and improved.

2:265 Title IX Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedure

Sexual harassment affects a student's ability to learn and an employee's ability to work. Providing an educational and workplace environment free from sexual harassment is an important District goal. The District does not discriminate on the basis of sex in any of its education programs or activities, and it complies with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and its implementing regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106) concerning everyone in the District's education programs and activities, including applicants for employment, students, parents/guardians, employees, and third parties.

Title IX Sexual Harassment Prohibited

Sexual harassment as defined in Title IX (Title IX Sexual Harassment) is prohibited. Any person, including a District employee or agent, or student, engages in Title IX Sexual Harassment whenever that person engages in conduct on the basis of an individual's sex that satisfies one or more of the following:

1. A District employee conditions the provision of an aid, benefit, or service on an individual's participation in unwelcome sexual conduct; or
2. Unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the District's educational program or activity; or
3. Sexual assault as defined in 20 U.S.C. §1092(f)(6)(A)(v), dating violence as defined in 34 U.S.C. §12291(a)(10), domestic violence as defined in 34 U.S.C. §12291(a)(8), or stalking as defined in 34 U.S.C. §12291(a)(30).

Examples of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to, touching, crude jokes or pictures, discussions of sexual experiences, teasing related to sexual characteristics, spreading rumors related to a person's alleged sexual activities, rape, sexual battery, sexual abuse, and sexual coercion.

Definitions from 34 C.F.R. §106.30

Complainant means an individual who is alleged to be the victim of conduct that could constitute sexual harassment.

Education program or activity includes locations, events, or circumstances where the District has substantial control over both the Respondent and the context in which alleged sexual harassment occurs.

Formal Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint means a document filed by a Complainant or signed by the Title IX Coordinator alleging sexual harassment against a Respondent and requesting that the District investigate the allegation.

Respondent means an individual who has been reported to be the perpetrator of the conduct that could constitute sexual harassment.

Supportive measures mean non-disciplinary, non-punitive individualized services offered as appropriate, as reasonably available, and without fee or charge to the Complainant or the Respondent before or after the filing of a Formal Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint or where no Formal Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint has been filed.

Title IX Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response

The Chief Executive Officer/Superintendent or designee will ensure that the District prevents and responds to allegations of Title IX Sexual Harassment as follows:

1. Ensures that the District's comprehensive health education program in Board policy 6:60, Curriculum Content, incorporates (a) age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention programs in grades pre-K through 12, and (b) age-appropriate education about the warning signs, recognition, dangers, and prevention of teen dating violence in grades 7-12. This includes incorporating student social and emotional development into the District's educational program as required by State law and in alignment with Board policy 6:65, Student Social and Emotional Development.
2. Incorporates education and training for school staff pursuant to policy 5:100, Staff Development Program, and as recommended by the Chief Executive Officer/Superintendent, Title IX Coordinator, Nondiscrimination Coordinator, Building Principal, Assistant Building Principal, Dean of Students, or a Complaint Manager.
3. Notifies applicants for employment, students, parents/guardians, employees, and collective bargaining units of this policy and contact information for the Title IX Coordinator by, at a minimum, prominently displaying them on the District's website, if any, and in each handbook made available to such persons.

Making a Report

A person who wishes to make a report under this Title IX Sexual Harassment grievance procedure may make a report to the Title IX Coordinator, Nondiscrimination Coordinator, Building Principal, Assistant Building Principal, Dean of Students, a Complaint Manager, or any employee with whom the person is comfortable speaking. A person who wishes to make a report may choose to report to a person of the same gender.

School employees shall respond to incidents of sexual harassment by promptly making or forwarding the report to the Title IX Coordinator. An employee who fails to promptly make or forward a report may be disciplined, up to and including discharge.

The Chief Executive Officer/Superintendent shall insert into this policy and keep current the name, office address, email address, and telephone number of the Title IX Coordinator.

Title IX Coordinator:

Trisha Olson, Chief Legal Officer

355 E. Chicago St, Elgin, IL 60120

trishaolson@u-46.org

847-888-5000, ext. 5450

Processing and Reviewing a Report or Complaint

Upon receipt of a report, the Title IX Coordinator and/or designee will promptly contact the Complainant to: (1)discuss the availability of supportive measures, (2) consider the Complainant's wishes with respect to supportive measures, (3) inform the Complainant of the availability of supportive measures with or without the filing of a Formal Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint, and (4) explain to the Complainant the process for filing a Formal Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint.

Further, the Title IX Coordinator will analyze the report to identify and determine whether there is another or an additional appropriate method(s) for processing and reviewing it. For any report received, the Title IX Coordinator shall review Board policies 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure; 5:20, Workplace Harassment Prohibited; 5:90, Abused and Neglected Child Reporting; 5:120, Employee Ethics; Conduct; and Conflict of Interest; 7:20, Harassment of Students Prohibited; 7:180, Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment; 7:185, Teen Dating Violence Prohibited; and 7:190, Student Behavior, to determine if the allegations in the report require further action.

Reports of alleged sexual harassment will be confidential to the greatest extent practicable, subject to the District's duty to investigate and maintain an educational program or activity that is productive, respectful, and free of sexual harassment.

Formal Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint Grievance Process

When a Formal Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint is filed, the Title IX Coordinator will investigate it or appoint a qualified person to undertake the investigation.

The Chief Executive Officer/Superintendent or designee shall implement procedures to ensure that all Formal Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaints are processed and reviewed according to a Title IX grievance process that fully complies with 34 C.F.R. §106.45. The District's grievance process shall, at a minimum:

1. Treat Complainants and Respondents equitably by providing remedies to a Complainant where the Respondent is determined to be responsible for sexual harassment, and by following a grievance process that complies with 34 C.F.R. §106.45 before the imposition of any disciplinary sanctions or other actions against a Respondent.
2. Require an objective evaluation of all relevant evidence - including both inculpatory and exculpatory evidence - and provide that credibility determinations may not be based on a person's status as a Complainant, Respondent, or witness.
3. Require that any individual designated by the District as a Title IX Coordinator, investigator, decision-maker, or any person designated by the District to facilitate an informal resolution process:

1. Not have a conflict of interest or bias for or against complainants or respondents generally or an individual Complainant or Respondent.
2. Receive training on the definition of sexual harassment, the scope of the District's education program or activity, how to conduct an investigation and grievance process (including hearings, appeals, and informal resolution processes, as applicable), and how to serve impartially.

4. Require that any individual designated by the District as an investigator receiving training on issues of relevance to create an investigative report that fairly summarizes relevant evidence.
5. Require that any individual designated by the District as a decision-maker receive training on issues of relevance of questions and evidence, including when questions and evidence about the Complainant's sexual predisposition or prior sexual behavior are not relevant.
6. Include a presumption that the Respondent is not responsible for the alleged conduct until a determination regarding responsibility is made at the conclusion of the grievance process.
7. Include reasonably prompt timeframes for conclusion of the grievance process.
8. Describe the range of possible disciplinary sanctions and remedies the District may implement following any determination of responsibility.
9. Base all decisions upon the preponderance of evidence standard.
10. Include the procedures and permissible bases for the Complainant and Respondent to appeal.
11. Describe the range of supportive measures available to Complainants and Respondents.
12. Not require, allow, rely upon, or otherwise use questions or evidence that constitute, or seek disclosure of, information protected under a legally recognized privilege, unless the person holding such privilege has waived the privilege.

Enforcement

Any District employee who is determined, at the conclusion of the grievance process, to have engaged in sexual harassment will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including discharge. Any third party who is determined, at the conclusion of the grievance process, to have engaged in sexual harassment will be addressed in accordance with the authority of the Board in the context of the relationship of the third party to the District, e.g., vendor, parent, invitee, etc. Any District student who is determined, at the conclusion of the grievance process, to have engaged in sexual harassment will be subject to disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, suspension and expulsion consistent with student behavior policies. Any person making a knowingly false accusation regarding sexual harassment will likewise be subject to disciplinary action.

This policy does not increase or diminish the ability of the District or the parties to exercise any other rights under existing law.

Retaliation Prohibited

The District prohibits any form of retaliation against anyone who, in good faith, has made a report or complaint, assisted, or participated or refused to participate in any manner in a proceeding under this policy. Any person should report claims of retaliation using Board policy 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure.

Any person who retaliates against others for reporting or complaining of violations of this policy or for participating in any manner under this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge, with regard to employees, or suspension and expulsion, with regard to students.

LEGAL REF.:

20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq., Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972; 34 C.F.R. Part 106.

Davis v. Monroe County Bd. of Educ., 526 U.S. 629 (1999).

Gebser v. Lago Vista Independent Sch. Dist., 524 U.S. 274 (1998).

CROSS REF.: 2:260 (Uniform Grievance Procedure), 5:10 (Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority Recruitment), 5:20 (Workplace Harassment Prohibited), 5:90 (Abused and Neglected Child Reporting), 5:100 (Staff Development Program), 5:120 (Employee Ethics; Conduct, and Conflict of Interest), 6:60 (Curriculum Content), 6:65 (Student Social and Emotional Development), 7:10 (Equal Educational Opportunities), 7:20 (Harassment of Students Prohibited), 7:180 (Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment), 7:185 (Teen Dating Violence Prohibited), 7:190 (Student Behavior)

ADOPTED: July 18, 2022

Dr. Leatrice Satterwhite 

As Assistant Superintendent of Equity and Innovation Dr. Leatrice Satterwhite leads equity work and oversight of innovative strategies and programs.

Dr. Leatrice L. Satterwhite previously served as U-46’s Director of Specialized Student Services from 2014 to 2024. In her role as Assistant Superintendent, she leads the efforts to sustain a culture of inclusion and belonging for all students by working to increase academic achievement, opportunities, and access and narrowing the gaps between student groups. Additionally, this position plans, organizes, and directs initiatives for staff, parents, and the community; develop and revise policies, practices, and programs that create a climate of belonging; and provide leadership to increase effectiveness in promoting equity and cultural responsiveness districtwide.

Dr. Satterwhite’s career spans over thirty years in the educational sector as a teacher, building, and district administrator, bringing a wealth of experience in enhancing educational outcomes for students with diverse needs. She is recognized for elevating the achievement level among economically disadvantaged students through strategic planning, effective administration, and the supervision of comprehensive special education services.

Dr. Satterwhite’s dedication to special education and equity extends beyond her professional roles, as evidenced by her contributions to national and state-level educational boards and conferences. She has presented at the National Alliance of Black School Educators National Conference, Harvard Graduate School Summer Institute, and other conferences.

Dr. Satterwhite earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in special education, both from Eastern Illinois University. She holds a second Master of Science in education administration from Roosevelt University, and a Doctorate in education administration from Northern Illinois University.