Senator Hassan Statement on Secretary DeVos’s Decision to Rescind Guidance Protecting Sexual Assault Survivors

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement after Secretary Betsy DeVos announced that the U.S. Department of Education is rescinding guidance put in place by the Obama Administration to protect survivors of campus sexual assault:

 “I am deeply concerned with Secretary Betsy Devos’s decision today to open up a rule making process and threaten protections for campus sexual assault survivors provided under Title IX. The 2011 guidance issued by the Obama Administration outlines how education institutions should not only respond to accusations of sexual assault, but also work to ensure that students feel safe in their living and academic environments. Any effort to change the current guidance under Title IX must first and foremost prioritize the well-being and safety of survivors.”

“I strongly urge Secretary DeVos and the Trump Administration to change course and stop their efforts that would further endanger campus sexual assault survivors. A very good first step would be removing Candice Jackson from the civil rights division at the Department of Education. I will continue to do everything in my power to prevent sexual assault from occurring in the first place and to protect survivors when such tragedy occurs, and I encourage Secretary DeVos to do the same.”