ELC Files Comments with the US Department of Education Concerning Proposed Title IX Regulations

The Education Law Center (ELC) filed comments strongly opposing the Department of Education’s (DOE) proposed rules regarding Title IX investigations. The proposed rules would protect schools from liability at the expense of the students who are most likely to experience sexual harassment: 78% of LGBTQ K–12 students in Pennsylvania are harassed on the basis of their sexual orientation, 58% on the basis of their gender expression, and 52% on the basis of their gender;  60% of Black girls are sexually harassed before the age of 18;  56% of students ages 14-18 who are pregnant or parenting are kissed or touched without their consent;  and students with disabilities are 2.9 times more likely than their peers to be sexually assaulted.

 

“Unfortunately, the Education Law Center often has to push schools to take any action in the face of a student’s harassment allegations,” said Lizzy Wingfield, ELC’s Stoneleigh Foundation Emerging Leader Fellow. “These proposed rules would actually lower schools’ obligations under Title IX and make it harder for advocates to ensure student safety is taken seriously. ELC urges the Department of Education to withdraw the proposed rules and instead focus its energies on enforcing the existing Title IX requirements to ensure schools promptly and effectively respond to sexual harassment.”

 

You can read our comments here.