What is Title IX?
Title IX is a federal civil rights law in the United States that prohibits discrimination based on sex in any educational institution that receives federal funding. Title IX protects individuals from gender-based discrimination in education, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and sexual assault.
Title IX requires educational institutions to address reports of sexual violence and support survivors. This includes conducting investigations, protecting the safety of the survivor and campus community, and offering resources such as counseling and medical services. By providing these protections and resources, Title IX aims to create a safer and more equitable learning environment for all students.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, obligations are required in “recruitment, admissions, and counseling; financial assistance; athletics; sex-based harassment, which encompasses sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence; treatment of pregnant and parenting students; treatment of LGBTQI+ students; discipline; single-sex education; and employment.” In addition, it is prohibited for individuals accused of violating Title IX or who have assisted or participated in such a violation to intimidate, threaten, coerce, or discriminate against any individual involved in the complaint or investigation.
Title IX protects individuals from sex-based discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal funding. This protection applies to ALL students, faculty and staff, including, but not limited to, students with disabilities, international or undocumented students, including English learners.
The U.S. Department of Education enforces Title IX at all schools, local and state educational agencies, and other institutions that receive federal financial assistance in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and territories of the United States.
Seeking Remedies under Title IX
Contact your school’s Title IX Coordinator. Any person can report incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault, abuse, or other gender-based violence, even if they are not the victim. Title IX requires schools and school districts to have a Title IX Coordinator, and a process for complaints, prompt investigation, and hearing/resolution.
If you believe your school has violated Title IX, you can file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). In most cases, a complaint must be filed within 180 days of the last act of sexual harassment, assault, discrimination, abuse, or other gender-based violence. If you live in Texas, you should send your complaint to the OCR enforcement office in Dallas. You can do this online using the OCR’s electronic complaint form. You can also send your complaint by mail, fax, or email.
To read more about Title IX, visit Texas Law Help’s Resource: Sexual Assault, Harassment, and Discrimination at School. If you or a loved one have suffered a violation of Title IX and need assistance, you can apply for free legal help at our office by visiting www.LoneStarLegal.org. If you want to explore other legal and non-legal resources, you can visit the Texas Crime Victim Legal Assistance Network.
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. LSLA focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety, stability, health, and wellbeing; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, the aging, survivors of crime and disasters, the unemployed and underemployed, the unhoused, those with limited English language skills, and the LGBTQIA+ community. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org.
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