Implementing New Title IX Regulations in K-12 Schools
The U.S. Department of Education announced a new Title IX enforcement initiative, led by the Department’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to fight the rise of sexual assault in K-12 public schools. New regulations were announced in May, and districts now face a compliance deadline of August 14, 2020.
Title IX requires that schools and districts take appropriate steps to address sex discrimination. The requirements of Title IX apply to incidents of sexual misconduct, including incidents that involve both student-on-student misconduct and staff-on-student misconduct.
Title IX Implementation Roadmap
The Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) has published a Title IX Coordinator’s Roadmap for Developing an Implementation Plan for the 2020 Regs by August 14, 2020. Key steps in ATIXA’s recommended roadmap include:
- Learn the regulations. Utilize resources available to district administrators, such as the resources provided by ATIXA, to help understand the new regulations and implementation requirements.
- Brief your supervisors. Inform cabinet/senior officers, and board of trustees/education members on the scale of the compliance task ahead. Set realistic expectations for them in terms of what you can achieve, especially in light of COVID-19, between now and August 14, 2020.
- Develop a stopgap plan. Identify how you will handle cases currently underway and how you will handle cases reported after August 14th where the alleged harassment occurred before August 14th.
- Identify and convene stakeholders. Who will you need to bring together (and how will you do so remotely) to move the policy and procedure revision process forward? Set a timeline for each decision-making step.
- Triage. Take on the key tasks you can in the short term required to get you to compliance.
- Revise/Draft Interim Policy and Procedures. Share drafts with stakeholders for feedback.
- Determine Staffing Needs. Identify if you need to hire staff or promote or assign internal personnel to the Title IX team.
- Get Revised Interim Policies and Procedures Approved. Identify who needs to be on board to streamline the approval process of new policies.
- Implement Interim Policies and Procedures/Communicate New Policies and Procedures to Your Community. Post new policies on your websites and through other communication channels.
- Train your Title IX Team Comprehensively. Ensure that everyone understands new compliance requirements, policies, processes, and responsibilities.
How SafeSchools Can Help Address New Title IX Regulations in K-12 Schools
SafeSchools Training includes a variety of courses to help schools increase the awareness and understanding of issues related to sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and sexual assault for both staff and students. Our training management system makes it easy to assign and track training to help ensure compliance, and deliver and track your new policies with our built in policy acceptance tool.
Staff Courses
- New Course: Title IX Compliance Overview: Topics covered include the role of legal precedent, regulatory and subregulatory guidance related to Title IX; relevant terminology used in Title IX guidance; and guidelines school districts must follow to remain in compliance with the law.
- Sexual Harassment: Staff-to-Staff
- Sexual Harassment: Student Issues & Response
- Sexual Misconduct: Staff-to-Student
- Dating Violence: Identification and Prevention
Student Courses
Webinar Recording: New Rules on Title IX for K-12 Schools
We recently hosted a webinar with our Title IX Compliance Overview course author, Megan C. Farrell, to provide an overview of the most significant changes in these New Rules for K-12 schools and strategies on how best to incorporate these changes before the school year begins.
Contact us at 800.434.0154 or info@safeschools.com to learn more about how our Staff or Student Training can help you understand the new Title IX regulations and address sexual harassment and assault in your district.
