In May 2020, Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education announced a final Title IX rule weakening protections against sexual harassment in schools, including protections against sexual assault. If it goes into effect, this rule will make schools more dangerous for all students. This is why it was opposed not only by survivors’ advocates and women’s rights organizations, but also by colleges and universities, superintendents, principals, mental health professionals, and many other stakeholders. The new rule, which is scheduled to take effect on August 14, 2020, explicitly seeks “a reduction in the number of Title IX investigations” schools undertake by making it harder for sexual harassment victims to come forward, requiring schools to ignore victims in many instances when they do ask for help, and denying victims fair treatment when they try to use the system that is supposed to protect them. That’s why the National Women’s Law Center is fighting in court to ensure the new rule never takes effect.
Download this fact sheet for a step-by-step walkthrough that sets out what the new rule means and how it departs from the Department’s previous policy.