Article Discussing Title IX And The Workplace.

Dr. Bernice Sandler, a prominent activist for gender equality, passed away on January 5, 2019, at the age of 90. Dr. Sandler is well known for her efforts to increase gender equality in education. She was also a vital figure in the development and implementation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

On November 16, 2018, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) published proposed rules, which “clarify and modify Title IX regulatory requirements” for colleges and universities that receive federal funding. This alert, written by HRW’s Higher Education Team, describes the key terms and requirements of the proposed rules.

On Friday, November 16, 2018, the Department of Education (DOE) released proposed Title IX regulations dictating the process by which colleges and universities must handle allegations of sexual misconduct.

The Department of Education (DOE) reportedly has drafted proposed Title IX regulations on sexual misconduct on college and university campuses. Although the Department has yet to officially publish the proposed regulations, on August 29, 2018, The New York Times reported on the unofficial draft. The draft, which subsequently began to circulate on the internet, provides a preview of what the official proposed regulations may include.

In a recent ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that in conducting Title IX investigations, colleges and universities are required to provide parties an opportunity to cross-examine witnesses in the presence of a neutral fact-finder in cases hinging on the credibility of such witnesses. Doe v. Baum, et al., Case No. 17-2213 (6th Cir. Sept. 7, 2018). By affirming that these rights apply in Title IX cases, the Doe decision calls into question the single-investigator model used by many educational institutions and suggests that institutions subject to Title IX in the Sixth Circuit may need to reconsider their Title IX policies and procedures in light of this ruling.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit’s recent decision in Doe v. Miami University, No. 17-3396, 2018 WL 797451 (6th Cir. Feb. 9, 2018), provides both comfort and caution for universities facing claims of discrimination or bias in the conduct of their disciplinary proceedings relating to sexual misconduct.

On September 22, 2017, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) rescinded its April 4, 2011 Dear Colleague Letter regarding sexual assault and its April 29, 2014 Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence.1 This is the fourth time the DOE has rescinded guidance regarding Title IX in 2017.2

On September 22, 2017, the United States Department of Education issued new interim guidance applicable to colleges, universities, and school districts pertaining to Title IX and the process for handling allegations of sexual misconduct. This follows United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ earlier indication that the Department of Education would be rescinding the Obama-era Title IX guidance in favor of developing new regulations on the subject after accepting comments from the public. The new interim document, in the form of a “Q&A on Campus Sexual Misconduct,” takes effect immediately, but does not affect any existing resolution agreements between schools and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

On Friday, U.S. Department of Education’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Candice Jackson, withdrew the “Dear Colleague Letter on Sexual Violence,” dated April 4, 2011, and the “Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence,” dated April 29, 2014.

The Trump Administration believes that Obama-era guidance regarding sexual assault on college campuses created a “failed system” that was a “disservice to everyone involved,” Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said on September 7, 2017. According to DeVos, “There must be a better way forward.”

Candice Jackson has been named Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office for Civil Rights. Jackson will also serve as Acting Assistant Secretary until that position is filled.

In late February, the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) entered into a Resolution Agreement with the University of Alaska System related to a compliance review initiated by OCR to investigate the System’s handling of sexual harassment complaints. The OCR determined that the System, which includes its three largest hubs – University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and University of Alaska Southeast and their satellite campuses, was in violation of Title IX with regard to its responses to sexual harassment complaints. Of particular note, the terms of the Resolution Agreement include a requirement for the System to designate a senior Title IX administrator, in addition to the Title IX coordinators at each university, to oversee System-wide compliance with the requirements of Title IX.

For the first time, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals found that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. 1681, et seq., applies to medical residency programs.1

An Illinois school district has violated anti-discrimination laws by not allowing a transgender student who identifies as female and is on her high school’s girls’ sports team to change and shower in the girls’ locker room, the United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) has held.