Oh no, not another blog about the Title IX Regulations! I know, how many summaries of the same thing can you read? But here’s the thing: ATIXA’s compliance series is not another summary. It is designed to highlight topics you...more
The “single investigator model” describes a practice by which a single individual investigates allegations of misconduct and the same person also makes the final determination of whether policy was violated. This model became...more
[Revised and updated from my previous blog post in August].
As you know, the Department of Education is empowered to craft regulations to fulfill Congress’ mandate for sex equity under Title IX. The Department (ED),...more
12/12/2023
/ Department of Education ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Educational Institutions ,
Gender-Based Violence ,
OCR ,
OIRA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sexual Violence Policies ,
Students ,
Title IX
If you’re like most of us in the Title IX field, the deeply technocratic nuances of federal regulation bore you to tears. I share your ennui. Please consider this your least complicated primer on how and when we may get the...more
8/30/2023
/ Department of Education ,
Educational Institutions ,
Gender-Based Violence ,
OCR ,
OIRA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sexual Violence Policies ,
Students ,
Title IX
A senior administrator at one of our client college campuses is a 77-year-old man. We’ve received several complaints over the last couple of years because he tends to call all of the women who report to him by the reportedly...more
The “single investigator model” describes a practice by which a single individual investigates allegations of misconduct and the same person also makes the final determination of whether policy was violated. This model became...more
Recently, ATIXA published a blog on charging correctly under Title IX, with respect to the legal requirement to charge respondents with the respective applicable sexual harassment definitions from the Fair Housing Act (FHA)...more
You’re investigating a Title IX complaint and discover evidence of other misconduct involving the respondent. Should the Title IX Coordinator charge them with it? You’ve received a complaint that alleges both stalking and...more
Are private K-12 schools subject to Title IX if they don’t directly accept federal funds? According to Senior Federal District Judge Richard D. Bennett (a Republican, appointed by George Bush), the answer is a resounding yes,...more
Last October, I wrote a column on what my colleagues and I at TNG Consulting had learned from serving as hearing decision-makers in our first fifteen live hearings under Title IX. Since then, we’ve facilitated many more...more
Personally, perhaps you are. Legally, you are not. Neither am I. Why? The reasonable person (RP) does not exist. The reasonable person isn’t a person at all, but rather an idea. And it’s a fascinating idea, though...more
As a professional association, the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) has doubled in size since 2020. We have thousands of new members who have joined our community for an experience that is like drinking from a...more
The inclusion of statutory rape as a form of sexual assault in the 2020 Title IX regulations can be confusing with respect to appropriate application of this rule to sex between minors, especially in jurisdictions with...more
If your partner says, “I’ll have sex with you, but only if we do it hanging upside down from the ceiling while howling like werewolves,” I’d suggest that if you want to have sex, start working on your howling technique. The...more
Another scourge is upon the education field … someone is bringing Yik Yak back. The Chronicle of Higher Education just did a nice analysis on the reinvigorated app, here, for background....more
Years ago, I took heat from activists who thought that TNG’s replacement of the terms “rape” and “sexual assault” with policy-based alternatives in our model policies was minimizing of the severity of the behaviors. Rape is...more
Many in the Title IX field watched last week as two different federal courts denied challenges to the validity of the 2020 Title IX regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The regulations survived these...more
Q: Is there any guidance or best practices concerning sharing information about reports that involve the same respondent? For example, two students have reported being sexually assaulted by the same respondent. Would it be...more
On the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) listserv recently, Title IX experts Brett Sokolow and Ryan Thompson had the following exchange in response to a member question about what would happen in a Title IX...more
Race is always important, even when sex discrimination is the main focus of a complaint. To effectively implement a Title IX resolution process, Title IX administrators must be cognizant of the intersectionality of race and...more
The Title IX risk management space is complex and ever-changing. As such, TNG and ATIXA continue to leverage a non-linear approach to problem-solving to provide the best possible outcomes for our clients and members....more
Dear Brett:
My school needs an external civil rights investigation. We received quotes from a number of firms, and the per-hour cost varied by more than $200 over the various provider quotes. Can you help us understand...more
The following Q&A is reprised from a recent conversation with a client.
Q: Dear Brett, I have a Title IX complaint where the complainant has produced evidence, in the form of text messages, in which the respondent admits...more
Since the 2020 Title IX regulations have taken effect, colleges all across the U.S. are scrambling to find advisors to accompany the parties through the formal resolution process. While many colleges and universities elect to...more
1/25/2021
/ Administrative Hearings ,
Colleges ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Educational Institutions ,
Evidence ,
Gender-Based Violence ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sexual Violence Policies ,
Students ,
Title IX ,
Universities
A recent three-part series “Important Things to Get Right About the Neurobiology of Trauma” released by the organization EVAW-I has interesting implications for training sexual assault investigators. Specifically, the second...more