For more than 50 years, Title IX regulations have worked to promote equity, accountability, and resources in educational programs and activities throughout the United States. While many people have heard of Title IX in the context of equity in women’s sports, Title IX is the federal regulation that addresses all forms of sexual misconduct on campus, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, and stalking. It is a federal policy that applies to all educational programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.
The U.S. Department of Education recently released Final Title IX Regulations, which replace the existing 2020 regulations. This blog is intended to provide information about the 2024 Title IX Final Rule and is not a positionality statement.
The U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, an alumnus of Central Connecticut State University, states that “these final regulations build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that our nations’ students can access schools that are safe, welcoming, and respect their rights.” In an effort to end sex-based discrimination in educational programs and activities, the new Title IX regulations:
- Provide full protection from sex-based harassment.
- Require schools to take prompt and effective action to end any sex discrimination in their education programs and activities—and to prevent its recurrence and remedy its effects.
- Require schools to provide supportive measures to complainants and respondents.
- Require schools to respond promptly and effectively to all complaints of sex discrimination with a fair, transparent, and reliable process facilitated by trained, unbiased decision-makers.
- Provide schools with the flexibility to adapt the regulations’ grievance procedure requirements to their educational communities.
- Protect students, employees, and applicants from discrimination based on pregnancy or related conditions.
- Prohibit discrimination against LGBTQI+ students, employees, and others.
- Protect people from harm when they are separated or treated differently based on sex in school.
- Protect students, employees, and others from retaliation.
- Support the right of parents and guardians to act on behalf of their K-12 school children.
- Ensure that schools communicate their nondiscrimination policies and procedures.
- Prohibit schools from sharing personal information unless consent is granted.
It is important to note that the new Title IX Final Rule does not address transgender athletes’ rights related to competing on women’s and girls’ teams, despite prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQI+ students and staff.
The Alliance is reviewing the documents provided by the U.S. Department of Education to better understand how the Final Rule will shape individuals’ experiences in educational programs and activities; we will continue to advocate for increased legal protections to empower survivors of sexual violence with pathways toward safety, healing, and justice.
To learn more about the new Title IX regulations, explore these resources:
- U.S Department of Education Fact Sheet – 2024 Title IX Final Rule Overview
- U.S. Department of Education – A Summary of Key Provisions in the 2024 Title IX Final Rule
- U.S. Department of Education – A Resource for Drafting Nondiscrimination Policies, Notices of Discrimination, and Grievance Procedures
- Know Your IX: A Survivor-Led Project that Aims to Empower Students
- Advocates for Gender Justice, Civil Rights, and Student Rights Respond to Biden Administration’s Finalization of New Title IX Rule