Youth Advocacy & Services

NON-DISCRIMINATION
The Vista Unified School District prohibits discrimination, intimidation, harassment, and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, nationality, national origin, immigration status, ethnic group identification, ethnicity, age, religion, marital or parental status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other legally protected status or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

Students are encouraged to report any instances of discrimination, harassment or bullying to school staff, including administrators, counselors, social workers or any other trusted adult.  Students may also submit a report online through our Report It! PSST World. 

For more information about complaint procedures relating to Non-Discrimination, please click HERE.
For questions or complaints related to employees, contact: 
Rachel D’Ambroso, Assistant Superintendent of Human Relations, 
1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA 92084, 
(760) 726-2170 ext 92202 | email: racheldambroso@vistausd.org

or

For questions or complaints related to students, contact: 
Dr. Narciso Iglesias, Executive Director of Student Support Services 
1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA 92084 
(760) 726-2170 ext. 92180 | email: narcisoiglesias@vistausd.org

Resources:

Board Policy 5145.3: Non-Discrimination /Harassment

 Administrative Regulation 5145.3: Non-Discrimination/Harassment

Vista Unified School District is committed to Educational Equity and Anti-Racism.  Our Governing Board has passed a Resolution 20-42 Reaffirming Commitment to Fight Racism and Board Policy 0415: Equity and we have adopted Administrative Regulation 0415: Equity. 

All district staff participate in Anti-Bias and Trauma-Informed Practices professional development workshops and are engaged in Restorative Practices/Restorative Justice.

Our Superintendent’s Council for Equity and Anti-Racism includes a diverse group of staff, students, parents/guardians and community members who meet regularly to discuss and set the course of action for ongoing improvement in educational equity.  For more information about the council, please click HERE. 

Hate-motivated behavior is expressly prohibited amongst students and/or staff under Board Policy 5145.9: Hate-Motivated Behavior.

Hate-motivated behavior includes any behavior intended to cause emotional suffering, physical injury, or property damage through intimidation, harassment, bigoted slurs or epithets, force or threat of force, or vandalism motivated in part or in whole by bias or hostility toward the victim's real or perceived race, color, ancestry, nationality, national origin, immigration status, ethnic group identification, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or genetic information, or any other characteristic identified in Education Code 200 or 220, Government Code 11135, or Penal Code 422.55

The District provides counseling, guidance, interventions and support to students who are victims of hate-motivated behavior and to students who exhibit such behavior. When appropriate, students who engage in hate-motivated behavior shall be disciplined, up to and including suspension or expulsion.

Students are encouraged to report any instances of discrimination, racism or hate-motivated behavior  to school staff, including administrators, counselors, social workers or any other trusted adult.  

Students may also submit a report online through our Report It! PSST World. 

For more information about our equity work or the Council contact:
Dr. Narciso Iglesias, Executive Director of Student Support Services,
1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA 92084 
(760) 726-2170 ext 92180 | email:  narcisoiglesias@vistausd.org

Joan Faus, Coordinator Student Support Services, 
1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA 92084 
(760) 726-2170 ext. 92184 | email:  joanfaus@vistausd.org
Resources:

• VUSD Resolution 20-42 Reaffirming Commitment to Fight Racism
• VUSD Board Policy 0415: Equity
• VUSD Administrative Regulation 0415: Equity
• California organizations providing support to the youth and their families in our region.
• Matrix for Race and Ethnicity
• Anti-Defamation League
• Trauma-Sensitive Schools

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

School districts are required to prominently post a definition of discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex and their policies and procedures for requiring reporting and addressing complaints of harassment and discrimination on the basis of sex.  (EC Section 234.6)  Harassment and other discrimination on the basis of sex include, but are not limited to, the following practices:

Exclusion, Discrimination, Harassment 

• On the basis of sex, exclusion of a person or persons from participation in, denial of the benefits of, or subjection to harassment or other discrimination in, any academic, extracurricular, research, occupational training, or other program or activity

•  On the basis of sex, provision of different amounts or types of student financial aid, limitation of eligibility for student financial aid, or the application of different criteria to applicants for student financial aid or for participation in the provision of student financial aid by others. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to prohibit an educational institution from administering, or assisting in the administration of, scholarships, fellowships, or other forms of student financial aid, established pursuant to domestic or foreign wills, bequests, trusts, or similar legal instruments or by acts of a foreign government, which require that awards be made to members of a particular sex; provided, that the overall effect of the award of these sex-restricted scholarships, fellowships, and other forms of student financial aid does not discriminate on the basis of sex.

•  On the basis of sex, harassment or other discrimination among persons, including, but not limited to, students and non-students, or academic and nonacademic personnel, in employment and the conditions thereof, except as it relates to a bona fide occupational qualification.

•  On the basis of sex, the application of any rule concerning the actual or potential parental, family, or marital status of a person, or the exclusion of any person from any program or activity or employment because of pregnancy or related conditions.

Exclusion, Discrimination, Inequitable Access in Athletics

• Athletes Bill of Rights    
• Derechos de los Atletas 

On the basis of sex, exclusion from participation in, or denial of equivalent opportunity in, athletic programs. For purposes of this subdivision, “equivalent” means equal or equal in effect.

An educational institution may be found to have effectively accommodated the interests and abilities in athletics of both sexes within the meaning of Section 4922 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations as that section exists on January 1, 2003, using any one of the following tests:

1. Whether interscholastic level participation opportunities for male and female pupils are provided in numbers substantially proportionate to their respective enrollments.
2. Where the members of one sex have been and are underrepresented among interscholastic athletes, whether the school district can show a history and continuing practice of program expansion that is demonstrably responsive to the developing interest and abilities of the members of that sex
3. Where the members of one sex are underrepresented among interscholastic athletes, and the institution cannot show a history and continuing practice of program expansion as required in paragraph (2), whether the school district can demonstrate that the interest and abilities of the members of that sex have been fully and effectively accommodated by the present program.

 If an educational institution must cut its athletic budget, the educational institution shall do so consistently with its legal obligation to comply with both state and federal gender equity laws.

It is the intent of the Legislature that the three-part test articulated in subdivision (d) be interpreted as it has been in the policies and regulations of the Office of Civil Rights in effect on January 1, 2003.

Competitive Athletics Data (for 2022-23 will be posted at the end of the school year)
For questions or complaints, contact Title IX Coordinator: 
Rachel D’Ambroso, Assistant Superintendent of Human Relations, 
1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA 92084, 
(760) 726-2170 ext 92202 | email: racheldambroso@vistausd.org

or

 
Dr. Narciso Iglesias, Executive Director of Student Support Services,
1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA 92084 
(760) 726-2170 ext 92180 | email:  narcisoiglesias@vistausd.org

Resources:

• Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedures can be found in Administrative Regulation 5145.71 Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedures (Students)
•  The California Department of Education (CDE) provides additional information and resources related to gender equity and Title IX.  To access these resources
•   For more information about the policies and procedures relating to Title IX Sexual Harassment, please click HERE.

The District is committed to maintaining a safe school environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. The Board prohibits sexual harassment and other discrimination on the basis of sex targeted at any student or employee by anyone. The District also prohibits retaliatory behavior or action against any person who reports, files a complaint or testifies about, or otherwise supports a complainant in alleging sexual harassment.

All employees are required to complete annual Sexual Harassment training and are mandated to report suspicion of any form of harassment, abuse and neglect they become aware of amongst students and/or adults. 

Students are encouraged to report any instances of sex-based discrimination or sexual harassment  to school staff, including administrators, counselors, social workers or any other trusted adult.  Students may also submit a report online through our Report It! PSST World. 

For sexual harassment questions or complaints related to employees, contact: 
Rachel D’Ambroso, Assistant Superintendent of Human Relations, 
1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA 92084, 
(760) 726-2170 ext 92202 | email: racheldambroso@vistausd.org

or 

For sexual harassment questions or complaints related to students, contact: 
Dr. Narciso Iglesias, Executive Director of Student Support Services,
1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA 92084 
(760) 726-2170 ext 92180 | email:  narcisoiglesias@vistausd.org

Resources:

• Policies and procedures related to Sexual Harassment of Students include Board Policy 5145.7  and Administrative Regulation 5145.7
• Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedures can be found in Administrative Regulation 5145.7 Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedures (Students).

 

All schools are expected to create school environments that are safe and free from discrimination for all students, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
All students are permitted to participate in school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities in accordance with the student’s gender identity, regardless of the gender listed in their student records or the student’s assigned sex at birth. Gender includes a person’s gender-related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth.
 

Name and Gender Changes

Aeries is considered a mandatory permanent student record which includes the legal name of the student and/or the student’s gender. If the district receives a legal name and/or gender change, Aeries will be updated accordingly. 
Students may also request a name and/or gender change through a consultation with the school counselor or social worker to update all unofficial school records (e.g. attendance sheets, school IDs, report cards) to reflect the student’s name and gender marker that is consistent with the student’s gender identity. 
Staff and students are required to address the student by a name and the pronouns consistent with the student’s gender identity, without the necessity of legal documentation or a change to the student’s official district record. Referring to a transgender student by the student’s chosen name and pronouns fosters a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment.  Intentional or persistent use of a  student’s chosen name and pronouns creates a hostile learning environment, violates the student’s privacy rights, and increases that student’s risk for harassment by other members of the school community.  The District will take action to investigate and implement appropriate corrective measures when incidents of this type of harassment are reported.
Students shall have access to the restroom and locker room that corresponds to their gender identity asserted at school. As an alternative, a “gender neutral” restroom or private changing area may be used by any student who desires increased privacy, regardless of the underlying reason, however, the use of such a “gender neutral” restroom or private changing area shall be a matter of choice for a student and no student shall be compelled to use such restroom or changing area.
Any student may be provided confidential access to a reasonable alternative locker room such as:

1. Use of a private area in the public area of the locker room facility (i.e., a nearby restroom stall with a door, an area separated by a curtain, or a P.E. instructor’s office in the locker room).

2.  A separate changing schedule (either utilizing the locker room before or after the other students)

3.   Use of a nearby private area (i.e., a nearby restroom or a health office restroom).

Students are encouraged to report any instances of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression discrimination or hate-motivated behavior to school staff, including administrators, counselors, social workers or any other trusted adult.  Students may also submit a report online through our Report It! PSST World. 
For more information or support related to LGBTQ+ youth, please contact:
Joan Faus, Coordinator Student Support Services, 
1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA 92084 
(760) 726-2170 ext. 92185 | email:  joanfaus@vistausd.org

Definitions of Common Terms Related to Gender and Gender Identity
 SDCOE LGBTQ+ Resources
 Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
 Gay-Straight  Alliance  Network
 Suicide  Prevention  Resource  Center  promotes  a  public  health  approach  to  suicide  prevention.  Resources include Suicide Risk and Prevention for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth. 
 Transgender  Law  Center
 California School Board Association Policy Brief

Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 USC 12101, et seq.) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. 
Section 504 requires school districts to identify and evaluate children with disabilities in order to provide them a free, appropriate public education (FAPE). Individuals with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including seeing, hearing, walking, breathing, working, performing manual tasks, learning, eating, sleeping, standing, lifting, bending, reading, concentrating, thinking, speaking, are eligible to receive services and aids designed to meet their needs as adequately as the needs of non-disabled students are met.
Students who may be qualified as a "person with a disability" as that term is defined in 34 C.F.R. § 104.3 can be referred by a parent, teacher, school employee,*Student Success Team" (SST), or community agency, to the school 504 Coordinator. 
Each school site has one or more 504 Coordinators who can work with parents/guardians throughout the process of qualification and services under Section 504.  For more information about the policies and procedures relating to Section 504, please click HERE.  
For district level questions or complaints, contact:
Dr. Narciso Iglesias, Executive Director of Student Support Services,
1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA 92084 
(760) 726-2170 ext 92182 | email:  narcisoiglesias@vistausd.org
Resources for 504 and Special Education:
Board Policy 6164.6: Identification And Education Under Section 504
 Administrative Regulation 6164.6: Identification And Education Under Section 504
 Section 504: Students with Disabilities
 Special Education Department

•  California Avenue Preschool
• Vista Adult Transition Center (VATC)
• North Coastal Consortium for Special Education SELPA

Relationships Spectrum