In response to mounting pressure from a body of U.S. congressional members, the Department of Education has announced a new deadline for the finalization of its latest Title IX regulations. Now anticipated for release in March, speculations are rife on the final shape these regulations might take.
The proposed Title IX changes, initially released by the Department of Education in June 2022, spurred a lively exchange, racking up over 240,000 comments. Released on the golden anniversary of the original Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, these draft changes saw robust debate during the open public comment period.
In a subsequent proposal in April 2023, the department laid out possible alterations to Title IX athletics regulations, drawing another 150,000 comments. Protecting students who encounter sexual harassment and assault at schools and shielding LGBTQI+ students from discrimination were amongst the potential changes.
Despite the shift in deadline, there hangs a shroud of uncertainty over the date of release of the final regulations. This delay was addressed by 66 members of Congress in a letter addressed to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, stating, “It is our understanding that these proposed rules were scheduled to be finalized last month, and we are concerned about the delay.”
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