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Southwest District CES Civil Rights Plan (Otero County)

Plan Goal

Civil Rights compliance by New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service is mandated by federal laws and is directly related to Extension’s receipt of federal funding.

Situation Statement

Otero County Extension Service recognizes the constitutionality and human rights of inclusion of all peoples regardless of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the development, implementation, and reception of Extension programs. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that no person on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex or national origin will be excluded from selection, trainings, advancement, and other benefits of employment. Otero County Extension Service recognizes it’s legal and moral responsibility to provide programming to all residents of Otero County. These Extension programs must be implemented in a manner that treats every customer and employee with fairness, equality, and respect. This applies to all aspects of Extension programs including identifying needs, setting priorities, allocating resources, selecting and assigning staff, conducting programs, and receiving feedback.

As of the U.S. census of 2000, there were 62,298 people in Otero County with approximately 14,803 being youth ages 5 to 19 (NM Kids County Data Book 2005), the 4-H participatory age range. The racial makeup of the county was 73.71% White, 3.92% Black or African American, 5.80% Native American, 1.17% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, and 11.67% from other races. 32.16% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Target Audience and Actions

Civil rights compliance work is ongoing. Otero County Extension Agents will use county demographic data, the public notification steps of programs, and demographic data collection of program attendance to determine gaps in outreach efforts and potential needs of underserved audiences. Otero County Extension will target and serve all residents of Otero County with specific attention paid to under-served and under-represented audiences.

Short-Term Objectives

County Extension Agent will be able to discuss the importance of Extension Service civil rights compliance and will be able to place compliance records in appropriate files.

County Extension Agent will participate in equal opportunity/diversity training provided.

County Extension Agent will report the significance of training in her annual performance evaluation document.

County Extension Agent will participate in staff meeting discussions regarding civil rights compliance and civil rights planning.

County Extension Agent will solicit the input of Otero County Extension Advisory Committee members to better target groups which might not have been sufficiently reached in the past.

Program methods and content will be planned to reach potential Limited English Proficiency (LEP) persons for participation in Extension programs.

All reasonable efforts will be made to ensure equal access and integration of clubs.

County Extension Agent will be able to define and explain civil rights parity.

County Extension Agent will be able to define "all reasonable efforts" and cite examples

Medium-Term Objectives

Internal and external advisory boards and committees are diverse with respect to gender, ethnicity, and community representation and are representative of the population in the geographic areas being served.

Plans to solicit diverse nominations for committees and advisory boards are established and practiced.

County Extension Agent knows where to locate procedures for handling program and employment complaints from clientele and office personnel.

County Extension Agent understands the complaint process and those issues of compliance and noncompliance.

County Extension Agent, staff and volunteers understand the basis on which program discrimination is prohibited in Extension programs.

The USDA “…And Justice for All” poster showing the nondiscrimination policy statement and how to file a civil rights complaint is prominently displayed in office areas visited by the public.

Office entrances, routing of clients are such that discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability does not occur.

Support resources are available on a nondiscriminatory basis.

All reasonable efforts are carried out to ensure equal access and integration of clubs. Where program delivery methods are by club:

• In cooperation with County Extension Agent, clubs are responsible for their own public notification efforts, i.e., existence of the club, dates, time, and location of organizational meetings.

• In cooperation with County Extension Agent, clubs are responsible for inviting all potential members without regard to race, ethnicity, or gender.

• County Extension Agent, has communication with club members, officers, leaders, and volunteers regarding the value of diversity and the expectations for equal opportunity requirements.

• Equal opportunity requirements will apply to any setting where clubs meet collectively within a county, region, state, or nationally.

• Club officers and volunteer leaders are provided training and written guidelines on civil rights and equal opportunity requirements. Volunteers are expected to affirm and note an assurance statement of nondiscrimination.

• The membership of all clubs operating in interracial and non-interracial communities is open to all individuals regardless of race and gender.

• Geographic boundaries established for program planning and implementation are done in a nondiscriminatory manner.

• Membership in all clubs is open to both males and females.

• 4-H recruitment committees are diverse by race and gender.

Work facilities are consistent with rehabilitation regulations and are fully accessible to disabled people.

Work facilities and programs are accessible to disabled employees, volunteers, customers, clients, and visitors.

Formulated Civil Rights/Equal Opportunity plans ensure that Extension education benefits are provided to the citizens of Otero County on a nondiscriminatory basis.

Data collection system provides for the identification of eligible population and ensures delivery of program benefits to minority and non-minority customers.

A system for collecting and reporting data on potential and actual clientele participation in Extension programs is established and maintained.

A public notification policy is in use informing the public, particularly underrepresented/underserved audiences of all Extension program benefits and of the protection against discrimination.

A nondiscrimination statement is used on Extension printed publications, including bulletins, leaflets, circulars, fact sheets, program announcements, and miscellaneous publications.

A public notification policy informing the public of the availability of reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities is established.

Established written instructions to guide staff members on the maintenance, protection and use of clientele mailing lists is established and maintained.

The various mailing lists are representative of the diversity of the population in the geographic areas being served.

Extension programs, methods, content, and places of services are implemented in a manner that ensures nondiscrimination on the basis of sex for all participants in compliance with Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Long-Term Objectives

A county civil rights plan identifies the frequency of conducting internal civil rights reviews with all program units, including plans for taking appropriate corrective measures, and Extension’s recognition of staff members’ successes for addressing equal opportunity issues.

Otero County Extension Service will provide information to all persons informing them of where and when appropriate, educational materials are published in a language other than English.

Established procedures are in place to guide staff in ensuring that education assistance is not provided to any organization or group that excludes individuals because of their race, ethnicity or gender.

There is equality, fairness and respect in the use of Extension work facilities, including support for educators, paraprofessionals, secretarial and support staff.

Office quarters and related facilities, supplies, educational materials, electronic technology (computers, telephone, etc.) are assigned and available to all staff on a nondiscriminatory basis.

Procedures are in place to mainstream participants into other Extension programs to ensure total inclusion.

Internal civil rights review plans are in place for assuring program compliance by Extension staff members, on an equal opportunity basis.

All CES employees will understand the NMSU CES file guide system.

Evaluation Plan

Every five years the Otero County Extension Service is required to conduct a civil rights review. Civil rights program efforts will be reviewed by a team of trained reviewers representing different program areas and areas of expertise. The evaluation will consist of an examination of the completeness of office civil rights compliance files, discussions on successes and problems in carrying out civil rights compliance and reviewing the importance of the task.

In addition 4-H Agent will solicite the input of the Otero Couty Cooperative Extension Advisory Committee as to how to better serve all peoples in Otero County.