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Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released a new resource related to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972: Questions and Answers on the Title IX Regulations on Sexual Harassment (July 2021) and a related Appendix.
The Q&A clarifies how OCR interprets schools’ existing obligations under the 2020 amendments to the Department’s Title IX regulations, including the areas in which schools have discretion in their procedures for responding to reports of sexual harassment. The Appendix provides examples of Title IX procedures from a variety of elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools that may be adapted and helpful to schools in implementing the 2020 amendments.
OCR also posted the transcript from the Department’s recent virtual public hearing on Title IX, held from June 7 to June 11, 2021. The hearing provided OCR with the extraordinary opportunity to hear the views of more than 280 students, educators, and other members of the public on a variety of issues related to Title IX.
Here is the OCR blog post, which introduces both of these resources and highlights others.
These resources follow on the commitments outlined in OCR’s April 6, 2021, Letter to Students, Educators, and other Stakeholders, to carry out President Biden’s Executive Order on Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free from Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity. As noted in the letter, after holding our public hearing and issuing the Q&A, OCR anticipates publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register to amend the Department’s Title IX regulations. This notice will provide individuals, organizations, schools, and other members of the public with an additional opportunity to share insights and views through a formal notice-and-comment period.
Originally posted here.