Title IX and Sexual Assault

If you or your child have information regarding an alleged sexual assault or harassment, there are multiple ways to report and seek support.

The most direct way is to notify your school administrator of the incident, which will begin a process of investigation under our Title IX/Sexual Harassment/Assault protocols. We also encourage you to notify the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) immediately by calling 301-279-8000.

We know some families may not feel comfortable reporting to school administrators and/or the police so we have identified additional ways for students, staff and families to share information.

This includes:

• Parent, students and staff can report any incidents of discrimination and/or sexual harassment/assault to Greg Edmundson, Director of Student Welfare and Compliance/Title IX Coordinator at COS-TitleIX@mcpsmd.org.
• Reports and allegations concerning MCPS Employees will immediately involve the Office of Employee Engagement and Labor Relations. They can be reached at OCOO-EmployeeEngagement@mcpsmd.org
• Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line is an anonymous reporting system used to report threats to the safety and/or well-being of students. Call 1-833-MD-B-SAFE or download the app.
• Parents and students may report any bullying or harassment to MCPS by completing MCPS Form 230-35, Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Reporting Form. This form may be submitted to the principal, counselor, or any school staff (via email).  Interim measures will be taken while an investigation is occurring.  A safety plan will be implemented to ensure all students involved are safe to access educational programming at the school.  An example of a safety plan can be found HERE.
• Call the Montgomery County Hotline at 240-777-4357 or 301-738-2255 (EveryMind). A trained staff member or volunteer will provide supportive listening and information, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Students may text the EveryMind hotline telephone number every day, available between noon and midnight.
• Families or students may contact the Victim Assistance and Sexual Assault Program (VASAP) for support. VASAP provides information and referrals, advocacy, as well as crisis and ongoing counseling for victims of sexual assault.

The following MCPS offices can also provide support:

• MCPS Student Welfare and Compliance works collaboratively with schools, the Office of the General Counsel and other MCPS offices, and community agencies to ensure consistency and coherence with implementation of policies, regulations, and guidelines, such as issues related to human relations; bullying, harassment (including Title IX sexual harassment), and intimidation; recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect; and gender identity. You can call (240) 740-3215 or email COS-StudentWelfare@mcpsmd.org.
• MCPS Office of Student and Family Support and Engagement (OSFSE) oversees MCPS services and programs needed to promote positive school cultures and advance the academic, physical, social and psychological well-being of every student. You can call the office at (240) 740-5630 or reach out to Ruschelle Reuben (Ruschelle_Reuben@mcpsmd.org) or Everett Davis (Everett_M_Davis@mcpsmd.org).
• The Equity Initiatives Unit supports, coaches, consults, and collaborates with schools and offices to design and implement efforts to address equity and cultural competency. They help school and office employees, in their day-to-day work, address structural barriers that enable our racial achievement gap to persist. You can call the office at 240-740-4070 or email Troy Boddy at Troy_Boddy@mcpsmd.org.
• MCPS school psychologists can be contacted by calling your school, or by contacting Dr. Christina N. Conolly, Director of Psychological Services at 240-740-5640 or Christina_N_Connolly@mcpsmd.org. You can find more on MCPS school psychologists here.

Here are some additional resources to support you as you have difficult conversations at home.

• Washington Post: Sexual harassment among teens is pervasive. Here's how parents can change that.
• Harvard School of Education, Making Caring Common Project: The Talk: How Adults Can Promote Young People's Healthy Relationships and Prevent Misogyny and Sexual Harassment.
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center: 6 Resources to Help Parents Talk about Consent