Take action now to create safe, welcoming schools
Posted: August 25, 2022
The U.S. Department of Education is re-examining how Title IX works for students and is accepting public comments about two new important rules the National Education Association has long championed support and resources for safe and welcoming learning environments.
- The first rule rolls back the previous administration’s guidance about what constitutes sexual harassment and how justice should be served.
- The other rule will ensure LGBTQ+ students are included in Title IX’s definition so all students can be free to learn.
The HSTA and NEA call on educators to speak out in supporting new protections in Title IX.
Fifty years ago, Title IX, a landmark civil rights law, transformed how women and girls learn, play, and move through society. Now, the federal Department of Education is considering those new rules that would help ensure all students have the opportunity to learn and thrive, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
The new changes would:
- Strengthen protections against sexual harassment making it easier to hold schools accountable;
- Require schools to develop procedures for addressing all claims of sex discrimination;
- Strengthen protections for pregnant students and educators; and
- Clarify that Title IX’s prohibition of sex discrimination includes discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, and gender identity and that schools have a responsibility to prevent and address all forms of sex-based harassment.
Please submit your comments to support restoring and expanding Title IX regulations to ensure that everyone feels safe and welcome at school. Public comments for Title IX end Sept. 12.