Shaheen, Hassan Urge DeVos to Rescind Harmful Title IX Rule and Focus on Student Safety

(Washington, D.C.) –  U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) – a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee – sent a letter with a group of Democratic Senators to Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos slamming her final Title IX rule, which will weaken protections for student survivors of sexual harassment and assault. In their letter, the Senators stressed that it was inappropriate to ask schools to implement this new rule within 100 days amid the COVID-19 crisis and urged her to rescind the rule and focus on school safety—whether the threat is sexual assault and harassment or COVID-19.

“Not only does your misguided rule make it harder for students to report sexual assault and harassment, and create confusion for schools about their responsibilities, but the timing of the rule is completely inappropriate in light of the COVID-19 crisis. As schools across the country remain closed and struggle to continue supporting students, while also working to understand how to reopen and provide services safely, asking them to implement this rule in 100 days is grossly unfair and unrealistic,” wrote the Senators. “We urge you to prioritize students’ safety, revoke the final rule, and instead work to help make schools across the country safer for all students, whether the threat is sexual assault and harassment or COVID-19.”

Secretary DeVos’ final rule on Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the landmark civil rights law which governs how schools handle allegations of sexual harassment and assault, will weaken protections for survivors by: 

• Narrowing the definition of sexual harassment and assault;
• Preventing schools from investigating instances that occur during a study abroad program, or are outside their programs or activities, including those that occur off-campus or online;
• Requiring schools to dismiss complaints if the complainants are no longer students—even if they dropped out or transferred due to the harassment;
• Allowing schools to avoid liability by claiming they have no knowledge of instances of harassment of assault—even when they reasonably should have known about them;
• Allowing schools to avoid liability if survivors report to the wrong person; and
• Singling out harassment and assault as the only kind of misconduct to require live-hearings with direct cross-examination—even though many survivors have indicated that this would have prevented them from coming forward.

The Senators also stressed the final rule will ultimately lead to challenges for students of color, students with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ students, low-income students, and others who face barriers to education.

“The rule fails to recognize the intersectional nature of many forms of harassment and discrimination, and the rule’s proscriptive policies will be particularly harmful to those without access to resources and legal counsel. By focusing on creating barriers for students to bring claims forward, rather than on what schools must do to actually protect the rights of students, the rule further exacerbates inequities for students already at risk,” wrote the Senators.

The letter, led by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) – ranking member of the HELP Committee – was signed by 37 Senators. It can be read in full here.

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