Biden Revises Trump Administration Title IX Regulations
On International Women's Day, President Joe Biden issued an executive order directing the Education Department to reexamine Trump-era policies issued under Title IX that establish guidelines for campuses investigating sexual assault and harassment. Under the previous administration, Secretary of Education Betsy Devos announced regulations last May that narrowed the definition of sexual harassment, limited the liability of investigating institutions, and granted the accused the right to cross-examine their accusers. Many critics argued that the latter would create a chilling effect and make victims reticent about making a formal report. The executive order asks that all orders, guidances, and policies are consistent with his administration's policy to "guarantee education free from sexual violence," which was part of his 2020 campaign platform. Title IX, a federal civil rights law passed in 1972, prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or other education program that receives federal money. Today, we discuss how these changes might be made and their potential impact with Laura Meckler, national education policy reporter for the Washington Post. Guest: Laura Meckler, national education writer at the Washington Post; she tweets @laurameckler Lara Bazelon, Law professor and director of the Criminal & Juvenile Justice and Racial Justice clinics at the University of San Francisco Law School; she tweets @larabazelon