Dear students, parents, Alumni, parents of alumni, and all concerned parties:

We write to you today because we believe survivors and it has become clear that students at Sumner Academy of Arts and Science have faced years of sexual harassment, predatory grooming, and discrimination as well as a school culture that protects and hides abusers from accountability. We believe if you love something—you hold it accountable. If excellence is required, we demand that the only education deemed excellent is one that is obtained free of school-sanctioned harassment and discrimination.

There is clear evidence that several teachers who are employed or who have been employed by the USD 500 school district have not only engaged in predatory behavior, but also have faced no consequences because of a culture of administrative incompetence and negligence. Administrators, staff, and faculty at Sumner Academy have been knowledgeable and indifferent to this harassment and discrimination to the extent that they are also culpable. At Sumner Academy, the preexisting professional development training and policies designed to protect students from this unacceptable behavior are not working. Because students have faced retaliation and barriers to reporting Title IX violations we have no choice but to publicly demand that this no problem be no longer ignored.

We demand that the USD 500 School District:

1. Fire and revoke the benefits of any staff and employees that have contributed to a school culture that has allowed students to be sexually harassed, discriminated against, and otherwise kept from accessing their education.
2. Establish Title IX training to ensure that these policies are upheld in practice and students are allowed access to an education free of discrimination, sexual harassment, and more.
3. Establish a public system of accountability that makes it possible for reporters of Title IX violations to report these violations free of intimidation, retaliation, or continued harassment and discrimination.
4. Make a public statement that addresses this behavior in a swift and appropriate manner due to the fact that many students have already faced threats of isolation, academic retaliation, and other forms of intimidation.
5. Adopt updated language and policies to the handbooks and policy guidelines that makes  students, their parents, and all relevant parties aware of Title IX and how to remain compliant.
6. Will not decrease funding or engage in other forms of solutions that will harm students' equal access to their education.
7. An increase in funding to support the hiring, training, and retention of qualified teachers who can ensure that their students access their right to an education free of sexual harassment, discrimination, and a culture of silence that intimidates students into accepting these conditions.
 

Although it is not our job, we propose the following Bill of Rights, which encourages all relevant parties to understand the rights that students are afforded within public school in this district, state, and country.

KCK Students’ Bill of Rights:

This document is an addendum to the current handbook on student conduct because Sumner Academy of Arts and Science as well as The USD 500 school district has failed to protect students from sexual harassment, sexual violence, hazing, retaliation, and other Title IX protections meant to afford district students at Sumner Academy with an equal opportunity to access their education.

As a student at {school in USD 500}, I have the right to:

1. Be informed of my rights under Title IX.
2. Be taught by educators who are informed about and respect my title IX rights, my culture, and my identity.
3. Stand up for myself and others when we experience our rights being violated.
4. Report inappropriate behavior anonymously and without fear of retaliation, including social psychological, and/or academic retaliation.
5. To have a friend, ally or guardian of my choosing accompany me if I feel uncomfortable being alone with an adult.
6. Have any complaints I make about inappropriate behavior from staff and faculty taken seriously and investigated immediately.
7. Learn in an environment where my physical and mental well-being are protected and nurtured by the adults around me.
8. Resources that I need to help me succeed no matter my circumstances.