Schools throughout the country are preparing to implement the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights’ (“OCR”) long-awaited final 2024 Title IX regulations. These new regulations, which replace the 2020 regulations, took effect today. In the wake of their release, legal challenges have now surfaced throughout the country, aiming to halt enforcement of the 2024 regulations. We have talked with several clients about these lawsuits’ impact on their individual schools, particularly regarding one court order referencing various schools nationwide. We provide general information about this order below relevant to Illinois schools, but we continue to recommend schools contact legal counsel for advice regarding the impact of these challenges on their particular schools. Continue Reading Legal Challenges to the 2024 Title IX Regulations – What’s Next for Illinois Schools?
Franczek P.C. Releases New 2024 Title IX Toolkit with Comprehensive Resources to Promote Compliance with the 2024 Title IX Regulations
As we previously reported, the new 2024 Title IX Regulations are now in effect as of August 1, 2024. To support compliance with the new 2024 Title IX regulations, Franczek P.C. has created a comprehensive Title IX Toolkit for K-12 Institutions. This Toolkit provides forms and guidance documents to help ensure K-12 Institutions comply with the new requirements during the Title IX grievance process. Specifically, the Toolkit includes template notices, forms, flowcharts, checklists for K-12 Institutions and Title IX Coordinators, and helpful resources for students and families. Continue Reading Franczek P.C. Releases New 2024 Title IX Toolkit with Comprehensive Resources to Promote Compliance with the 2024 Title IX Regulations
Final Title IX Rule on Sexual Harassment Released Today
Earlier this morning, the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights released its long-awaited final Title IX regulations on sexual harassment. These new regulations, which replace the 2020 rules, will take effect on August 1, 2024. Until then, the 2020 rules continue to be in effect. Continue Reading Final Title IX Rule on Sexual Harassment Released Today
New Staff or New Roles? Franczek P.C. Offers Title IX Training for K-12 Administrators
New school year, new roles, new personnel—these are just some of the reasons to schedule training on the Title IX requirements. While revisions to the Title IX regulations are pending, the 2020 Title IX regulations continue to apply and will for at least the first semester of the 2023-2024 school year. Read below for descriptions of our upcoming training options and click the links for pricing information. Continue Reading New Staff or New Roles? Franczek P.C. Offers Title IX Training for K-12 Administrators
Title IX Final Rules –Anticipated Release Date Moved to October 2023
As we head into the long weekend, we wanted to share a quick Title IX update from the Department of Education. The Department just announced through a blog post that due to the large number of public comments it received regarding its proposed rules to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, it is
Title IX Updates in Athletics: Recent OCR Guidance, Complaint Resolution
Athletics is poised to be a major topic in Title IX this year. The participation of transgender athletes in school sports continues to dominate headlines, as we reported earlier on this blog, while gender inequity remains a key concern in school sports programs 50 years after the passage of Title IX, despite major gains for female athletes and women’s sports. In this post, we provide updates on recent OCR resources and a complaint resolution that address Title IX issues related to school athletic programs. Continue Reading Title IX Updates in Athletics: Recent OCR Guidance, Complaint Resolution
Title IX Updates: Recent Moves by Biden Administration, Congress to Address Sexual Violence on Campus
In this post, we continue our recap of recent Title IX-related news that you might have missed and noteworthy items to keep an eye on in 2023 (you can read updates from our last post here). Below, we cover recent federal government actions and proposals to bolster protections for students against sexual violence. Continue Reading Title IX Updates: Recent Moves by Biden Administration, Congress to Address Sexual Violence on Campus
Franczek’s Title IX Team Published in Illinois Association of School Business Officials UPDATE Magazine
An article by Franczek’s Title IX team—partners Kaitlin Atlas, Amy Dickerson, Jennifer Smith, attorney Emily Tulloch, and law clerk Jenny Lee*—was published in the Winter 2022 Risk Management issue of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO) UPDATE magazine. The article, titled “Title IX Investigations: How Do You Manage Complaints?”, featured the authors’ top
OCR Releases Revised Case Processing Manual with New Updates to Complaint Process
On July 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released its revised Case Processing Manual (CPM), which was last updated in August 2020. The CPM outlines the procedures OCR uses to investigate and resolve complaints under the civil rights laws it enforces, including Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The revised manual contains several noteworthy changes schools and colleges should be aware of, including the following highlighted below.
Definition of “complaint”
- Defines “complaint” as “a written statement to the Department [of Education] alleging that the rights of one or more persons have been violated and requesting that the Department take action.”
- Expressly states that the following are not considered complaints: oral allegations, anonymous correspondence, courtesy copies of correspondence or a complaint filed or submitted somewhere else, and inquiries that seek advice/information but not action/intervention. Previously, OCR was permitted to determine on a case-by-case basis whether to process such correspondence or inquiries as a complaint.
- Clarifies that OCR may investigate Title IX complaints filed by employees as well as by students, parents, and applicants.
Continue Reading OCR Releases Revised Case Processing Manual with New Updates to Complaint Process
New Staff or New Roles? Franczek P.C. Offers Title IX Training for K-12 Administrators
Franczek’s Education Law Team is pleased to offer Title IX Compliance training to prepare your team for the 2022-2023 school year. As our trainees have come to expect from the Franczek team, we will engage participants with the material through live polling, discussion, theoretical problems, and role-playing scenarios. If you are interested in Title IX training scheduled specifically for your school or district, please contact TitleIX@franczek.com.
Continue Reading New Staff or New Roles? Franczek P.C. Offers Title IX Training for K-12 Administrators