By Ellen Miller, IOA Executive Director
On June 23, the US Department of Education issued proposed revisions to US Title IX. Once the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking has been issued in the US Federal Register, all stakeholders will have 60 days to comment.
Per the press release, the proposed new regulations would:
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Clearly protect students and employees from all forms of sex discrimination.
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Provide full protection from sex-based harassment.
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Protect the right of parents and guardians to support their elementary and secondary school children.
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Require schools to take prompt and effective action to end any sex discrimination in their education programs or activities – and to prevent its recurrence and remedy its effects.
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Protect students and employees who are pregnant or have pregnancy-related conditions.
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Require schools to respond promptly to all complaints of sex discrimination with a fair and reliable process that includes trained, unbiased decision-makers to evaluate the evidence.
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Require schools to provide supportive measures to students and employees affected by conduct that may constitute sex discrimination, including students who have brought complaints or been accused of sex-based harassment.
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Protect LGBTQI+ students from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.
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Clarify and confirm protection from retaliation for students, employees, and others who exercise their Title IX rights.
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Improve the adaptability of the regulations' grievance procedure requirements so that all recipients can implement Title IX's promise of nondiscrimination fully and fairly in their educational environments.
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Ensure that schools share their nondiscrimination policies with all students, employees, and other participants in their education programs or activities.
Read More from the Department of Ed.
IOA’s Advocacy Committee is on it. They have been prepped and we are ready to meet to discuss the scope of IOA’s comments. We will keep everyone updated. In the meantime, please be sure to watch my Good Day IOA interview with Advocacy Committee co-chairs Sarah Klapler and Mark Patterson as they detailed the EO meeting we had with members of the US Department of Education in anticipation of the US Title IX revisions.