CUSEC is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program, activity, or service that it provides.
It is the policy of CUSEC to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), which states that “no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance”. Nondiscrimination prohibitions have been further broadened and supplemented by related statutes, regulations, and executive orders, which CUSEC complies with. These include:
- Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education or training program receiving federal financial assistance, with a limited number of defined exceptions;
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), which forbids discrimination on the basis of an individual’s disability by all federal agencies and in all federally funded activities;
- The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, which prohibits discrimination in federally supported activities on the basis of age.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulation 6 C.F.R. Part 19, which prohibits discrimination based on religion in social service programs.
It is also the policy of CUSEC to take steps to ensure reasonable accommodations to all services provided by CUSEC by all people, including those with limited English speaking proficiency.
CUSEC maintains procedures to receive and investigate allegations of discrimination in any of these areas. The following notices provide overview of CUSEC’s nondiscrimination and reasonable accommodations policies.
NOTICE OF REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS
If an individual believes they have suffered from discrimination under a CUSEC program, they may contact the Executive Director, Chairperson, or any other member the CUSEC Board of Directors, either in writing or verbally, to seek informal resolution. If the matter cannot be resolved informally, the steps outlined below should be followed:
- Within 180 days of the alleged discrimination, complainants may submit a written complaint to the CUSEC Nondiscrimination Program Coordinator at cusec@cusec.org. Complaints shall include the complainant’s name, nature of the complaint, the dates of the alleged discrimination, requested action, and contact information.
- The NPC and other Agency personnel as necessary will review the complaint and may solicit additional information from the complainant as needed. If additional information is requested and not received within 30 days, the case may be closed. The case may also be closed if the complainant no longer wishes to pursue their case.
- If the complaint is outside the jurisdiction of CUSEC, the complainant shall be notified of the name and contact information for the appropriate agency with jurisdiction, if known.
Complaints may also be filed with any member of the CUSEC Board of Directors, the State of Tennessee, Department of Justice, or the United States Department of Homeland Security, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
So they may be addressed in a timely manner, all complaints should be filed no later than 180 of the alleged discriminatory act.
