U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) recently urged the U.S. Department of Education to delay the effective date for new changes to Title IX campus sexual assault and discrimination regulations that are set to take effect on Aug. 14.
“Colleges and universities already face unprecedented challenges in keeping students safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rep. Katko said. “It is critical that the Department of Education work to maintain stable protections for survivors of sexual assault and harassment during this crisis.”
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos published on May 19 new Title IX regulations, which make changes to the way schools must respond to instances of sex-based discrimination. The law prohibits sex-based discrimination in any educational programming that receives federal funding.
Subsequently, local domestic violence advocates and school administrators expressed concern to Rep. Katko about implementing the procedural changes to Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, while simultaneously implementing COVID-19 safety protocols at U.S. campuses, according to the congressman’s office.
“Despite the strong commitment from educators to keep their students safe and ensure the robust enforcement of protections against sex-based discrimination, the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19 make it nearly impossible for schools to implement any significant changes to Title IX proceedings at this time,” Rep. Katko wrote to DeVos. “With colleges and universities already being forced to rethink nearly every aspect of their operations, implementing the proposed changes to response procedures for sexual assault and harassment would only create further confusion and erode the strong enforcement mechanisms that many schools already have in place.”
Rep. Katko also wrote that it is critical for both students and educators that the federal government work to avoid further disruptions to higher education during the pandemic, especially in matters as critical as sex-based discrimination and campus safety.
“With the dire circumstances brought on by this pandemic in mind, I respectfully request that the Department of Education thoroughly evaluate the overall impact [of] the current plan for the implementation of proposed regulations under Title IX,” he wrote.
The letter has been endorsed by Tiffany Brec, campus project coordinator for Vera House Inc.; Linda LeMura, president of Le Moyne College; and Casey Crabill, president of Onondaga Community College.