Notice of Prohibited Discrimination
It is the policy of the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office that all individuals have the right to participate in employment, programs, and activities operated by the office regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in the delivery of services and which entails taking reasonable steps to ensure that persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) have meaningful access to funded programs or activities. An LEP person is one whose first language is not English and who has a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. (42 U.S.C. § 2000d), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) implementing regulations at 28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart C;
• Section 1407 of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or disability (42 U.S.C. § 10604 et seq.);
• Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 13925(b)(13) (prohibiting discrimination in programs either funded under the statute or administered by the Office on Violence Against Women, both in employment and in the delivery of services or benefits, based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity) (referring to the Safe Streets Act for enforcement).
• The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, or sex in the delivery of services and employment practices (42 U.S.C. § 3789d(c)(1)), and the DOJ implementing regulations at 28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart D;
• The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office will report to the Office of Civil Rights and the Kansas Governor’s Grants Program findings of discrimination issued by the federal or state court or federal or state administrative agency on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.
• The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office civil rights liaison will provide written acknowledgement of receiving the complaint, will coordinate the complaint process, and will urge the charging party to file a complaint with the Kansas Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and/or for employment discrimination claims, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Additionally, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office civil rights liaison will advise the charging party that a complaint must be filed with KHRC and EEOC within either 180 days or one year from the date of the alleged violation, depending on the relevant statute, in order to protect the charging party’s rights.
The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office civil rights liaison will request the charging party to provide the following information when making a complaint:
1. Date of alleged discrimination;
2. Protected class claimed;
3. Written detail of the alleged discrimination; and
4. A signature attesting to the facts alleged.
In no later than five business days after receiving a complaint in the form described above, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office civil rights liaison will refer the complaint in writing on to the KHRC and/or for employment discrimination claims, the EEOC, and/or the OCR depending on the nature of the complaint. The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office civil rights liaison will, along with the submission of the complaint, submit a request to be notified of the findings of the relevant agency/agencies. The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office will not conduct an independent investigation, but will assist the relevant investigative agency/agencies in the investigation.
How to File a Complaint
If anyone believes the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office has discriminated against an employee, a client, a customer, a program participant, or anyone else, and/or if an employee receives a complaint of alleged discrimination, you have the following complaint/notification options by e-mail, letter, telephone, or fax:
Douglas County District Attorney’s Office
Cheryl Wright Kunard-Civil Rights Liaison and Assistant to the District Attorney
111 East 11th Street Unit, Unit 100
Lawrence, Kansas 66044
Telephone: 785-841-0211
Fax: 785-832-8202
E-mail: ckunard@douglascountyks.org
Kansas Governor’s Grants Program
Civil rights liaison: Erica Haas
900 SW Jackson St.
Landon State Office Building, Room 304 N
Topeka, KS 66612
Telephone: 785-291-3205
Fax: 785-291-3204
E-mail: erica.haas@ks.gov
Office of Justice Programs
Office of Civil Rights
810 Seventh Street NW
Washington, DC 20531
Telephone: 202-307-0690
Fax: 202-616-9865
TTY: 202-307-2027
(Rev 02.07.20)
