Biden Administration Releases Proposed Changes to Trump's Anti-Survivor Title IX Rule: 'An Importan

Biden Administration Releases Proposed Changes to Trump’s Anti-Survivor Title IX Rule: ‘An Important Step Towards Restoring Vital Protections for Students’
6/30/2022 by Carrie N. Baker and Hannah Phelps



On Oct. 6, 2021, survivor advocates delivered 55,000 signatures to the Department of Education demanding #EDActNow to rescind the Trump rules and support student survivors. (Courtesy)

Marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX on June 23, the Biden administration proposed new rules on sexual harassment and assault in education, reversing the Trump administration’s 2020 rollback of survivors’ rights. The new rules restore the Obama administration’s broad definition of sexual harassment and require schools to take prompt and effective action to end sexual harassment and assault. The proposed rules also extend discrimination protection to LGBTQ students and clarify protections for pregnant and parenting students. “The Department of Education’s proposed regulations will return Title IX to its original purpose: holding institutions accountable for preventing sexual violence and ensuring students who are sexually assaulted can continue their education,” said Tracey Vitchers, executive director of It’s On Us, a grassroots student organizing initiative to combat campus sexual assault. “These changes are a critical step towards reversing the devastating impact of the prior administration’s Title IX changes on student survivor rights and campus safety.”

In 2021, It’s On Us joined with Know Your IX, End Rape on Campus and other survivor groups to organize the ED ACT NOW campaign, which gathered 55,000 signatures calling on the Biden-Harris administration to act quickly to reverse the harmful Trump administration rules. Earlier this month, the coalition sent a letter to President Biden urging his administration to release new rules ahead of the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
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Know Your IX surveyed students and published a report on the adverse impacts of sexual assault on survivors, including educational, financial, career and health impacts. The report also details forms of perpetrator backlash, including retaliatory cross-filing and defamation lawsuits. (Know Your IX)




Between May 1-18, End Rape on Campus tracked 291 protests, rallies, vigils and other public gatherings related to sexual violence in schools in 169 different cities and towns across the U.S. with more than 20,000 participants.
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Once the proposed rules are published in the Federal Register, the public will have 60 days to review the rules and submit comments to the Department of Education for changes or improvements to the proposed rules. Know Your IX plans to hold listening sessions with students to ensure that their experiences and needs are centered during the notice and comment process. Following these listening sessions, Know Your IX will draft a collective comment that will be signed by student survivors and submitted to the Department of Education. “These necessary revisions will help restore the efficacy of Title IX as a crucial tool for combatting campus sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other forms of sex-based discrimination on college campuses. Campus sexual assault is a public health crisis that needs to be addressed swiftly and intentionally,” said Kenyora Parham, executive director of End Rape On Campus. “As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, it is vital that Title IX live up to its promise,” said ACLU Deputy Legal Director Louise Melling. “No student, whether in grade school, high school, or university, should be denied or limited educational opportunities because of sex. And no student should be denied fair procedures when complaints arise. The government can and must further both ends.”

The Department of Education has a fact sheet on the proposed rules and an easy-to-read chart comparing the Trump rules to the proposed rules. It’s On Us and End Rape on Campus has a petition in support of the proposed rules to be delivered to the Department of Education.


https://msmagazine.com/2022/06/30/biden-administration-changes-title-ix-sexual-assault-college/