Help for Students Facing Sex Discrimination or Harassment at School

Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in schools, including sex harassment. State and local laws may also help protect students from sex discrimination.

What schools are covered by Title IX?

All schools that receive money from the federal government must follow Title IX. This includes:

• All public K-12 schools
• Some private K-12 schools
• Almost all private or public colleges and universities
• Any school that received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not yet repaid the loan

Request legal help here

If you have experienced any of the following as a student, we can connect you with attorneys.

Sex harassment or sexual assault: You experienced sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking.
Discriminatory discipline: You were dress coded or otherwise punished at school because of your sex (or sex and race).
Discriminatory school policing: You were mistreated by school police because of your sex (or sex and race).
Discrimination based on pregnancy or parenting status: You were mistreated at school because you are pregnant or a parent.

LGBTQ Discrimination: You were mistreated at school because you are LGBTQ.
Athletics Inequity: Your schools is excluding you from athletic opportunities because of your sex or not providing sufficient athletic opportunities for students of your sex.
Retaliation: You were mistreated by your school or by another student after you reported sex discrimination, including sexual harassment.
Defamation lawsuit: You are being sued for defamation after reporting sex harassment or other sex discrimination.
Other sex discrimination: You were mistreated in some other way at school because of your sex.

If you DO NOT fit any of the above categories, here are other resources you may find helpful.

If you DO fit one of the above categories, we can help connect you with attorneys.

Other Resources Request Legal Help

Here is how it works:

1. Fill out this form. Here is more information about the form and our process. Please note that we will not see your form unless you answer all required questions and click “submit” on the last page.

2. If your situation involves sex discrimination or harassment in education, at we will send you the names of three attorneys in the Legal Network for Gender Equity who work in your state (even if they don’t live in your state).

3. You are responsible for reaching out to the attorneys to set up a call or meeting.

4. Attorneys in our network do a first consultation for free with anyone coming through our network. At that consultation you can talk about what happened to you and discuss your options.

5. After the free first call or meeting, you may want to hire the attorney. Some of the attorneys may offer free or low-cost services. Note that the Legal Network for Gender Equity will have provided you with the names and contact information of attorneys in the Legal Network for informational purposes only. By providing contact information of attorneys, the Legal Network, the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, and NWLC are not endorsing, approving, vouching for, or recommending these attorneys or their firms.

6. You can look here for additional resources.

7. If you need help filling out the form or have questions, please contact us at [email protected] or call us at (202) 319-3053.

8. The Legal Network for Gender Equity (Legal Network) is housed and administered by the National Women’s Law Center Fund, LLC , an affiliate of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). NWLC is a legal advocacy organization that fights for gender justice – in the courts, in public policy, and in our society – working across the issues that are central to the lives of women and girls. Your request for legal help will be reviewed by NWLC staff. In some instances, NWLC staff may contact you about your situation to discuss engaging with NWLC in advocacy or litigation. However, NWLC typically only takes on a few matters each year. If NWLC is unable to take your case, as will be the norm, NWLC still may be able to connect you to private attorneys through the Legal Network. Please note that contacting us to request legal assistance does not create an attorney-client relationship with NWLC or with any attorney in the Legal Network.  

Deadlines to Remember

Some legal claims have specific time limits. You are responsible for meeting any filing deadlines associated with your legal claims.

School complaint: You may want to file a complaint at school against the person who mistreated you. Check your school’s policies to see if there is a deadline for filing a complaint.

OCR complaint: You may want to file a complaint against your school with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). An OCR complaint must be filed within 180 days of the date of the discrimination.

Lawsuit: You want to file a lawsuit against your school. In general, the deadline for filing a Title IX lawsuit ranges from 1 to 6 years, depending on your state. Some states have a longer deadline for sexual assault or for other legal claims. An attorney can help you determine whether you have a Title IX claim or another legal claims against your school and the deadlines.

What to Expect When You Reach Out to the Legal Network for Gender Equity and TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund

FAQs About the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund and the Legal Network for Gender Equity

FAQs: Our Process, Your Case, Funding, Troubleshooting, and Resources for Specific Populations

Legal Network for Gender Equity: Additional Resources

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT HOW WE WORK:

The Legal Network for Gender Equity and the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund are housed at and administered by the National Women’s Law Center Fund, LLC.

The Legal Network for Gender Equity provides the names of attorneys for informational purposes only. By providing contact information of attorneys, the Legal Network for Gender Equity, the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, and NWLC are not endorsing, approving, vouching for, or recommending the attorneys or groups listed. Providing information to NWLC or NWLCF will not create an attorney-client relationship unless NWLC/NWLCF expressly agrees to represent you.

The Legal Network for Gender Equity provides the names of attorneys for informational purposes only. By providing contact information of attorneys, the Legal Network for Gender Equity is not endorsing, approving, vouching for, or recommending the attorneys or groups listed. We cannot guarantee that any of the attorneys will agree to represent you or that if they do, you will have a positive result in your case. And it is important to note that just because an attorney was successful in other cases does not guarantee the same outcome for your case.

Please note that many legal matters have deadlines that you are responsible for meeting. You should speak with an attorney to get advice on your specific situation.

You should assume that we will not offer you legal advice or representation unless you hear otherwise from us.  NWLC will not create an attorney-client relationship with you unless NWLC agrees in writing to represent you. 

We will keep the information you provide in the form confidential to the extent allowed by law.

Please use the form to request assistance. Please do not come to our office to request assistance; we do not conduct in-person interviews.

If you have questions, please email us at [email protected] or call (202) 319-3053.