Last June, the U.S. Department of Education issued new proposed rules governing how schools receiving federal funding must respond to sex-based discrimination last June.
The proposed rules would rescind harmful provisions added by the Trump Administration, improve Title IX protections for student survivors, and explicitly includes LGBTQIA+ students. The proposed rules roll back an expansive rule issued under the Trump Administration that narrowed liability for schools and created burdensome processes that favored students accused of sexual misconduct.
Last year, President Biden promised to finalize the new rules by May, 2023.
Meanwhile, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teen girls are experiencing the highest levels of sexual violence, sadness, and hopelessness ever reported to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey. CDC data shows that 1 in 5 teen girls experienced sexual violence in the past year—a 20% increase since 2017.
As advocates for survivors, we must ensure that the White House and the Department of Education take the necessary action to actualize Title IX’s mandate that all students access an education free from gender-based violence and discrimination.
That’s why we proudly joined a collective of 124 organizations and sent a letter to President Biden calling on the administration to fulfill its promise to finalize their 2022 proposed Title IX regulations by May.
Students can’t wait. We will keep you posted.
Women’s Law Project is a non-profit public interest law center in Pennsylvania devoted to advancing and defending the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people in Pennsylvania and beyond.
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