[Federal Register: January 19, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 13)]
[Notices]               
[Page 5512]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19ja01-39]                         


[[Page 5512]]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Revised Sexual Harassment Guidance: Harassment of Students by 
School Employees, Other Students, or Third Parties

AGENCY: Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of 
Education (Department), announces the availability of a document 
(revised sexual harassment guidance) that replaces the 1997 document 
entitled ``Sexual Harassment Guidance: Harassment of Students by School 
Employees, Other Students, or Third Parties,'' issued by the Office for 
Civil Rights (OCR) on March 13, 1997 (1997 guidance). We revised the 
guidance in limited respects in light of subsequent Supreme Court cases 
relating to sexual harassment in schools.
    The revised guidance reaffirms the compliance standards that OCR 
applies in investigations and administrative enforcement of Title IX of 
the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) regarding sexual 
harassment. The revised guidance re-grounds these standards in the 
Title IX regulations, distinguishing them from the standards applicable 
to private litigation for money damages and clarifying their regulatory 
basis as distinct from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 agency 
law. In most other respects the revised guidance is identical to the 
1997 guidance. Thus, we intend the revised guidance to serve the same 
purpose as the 1997 guidance. It continues to provide the principles 
that a school should use to recognize and effectively respond to sexual 
harassment of students in its program as a condition of receiving 
Federal financial assistance.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Address requests for copies of the 
revised sexual harassment guidance to Jeanette J. Lim, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5212 Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20202-1100. Telephone: (202) 205-5557 or 1-800-421-3481. 
For all requests submitted by letter, you must include the term 
``Revised Sexual Harassment Guidance.''
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the TDD number at (202) 260-0471. The document is also available 
through the Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/ocr/
shguide
    If you prefer to send your request through the Internet, use the 
following address: ocr@ed.gov
    You must include the term ``Revised Sexual Harassment Guidance'' in 
the subject line of your electronic message.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) by contacting the OCR Customer Service Team at 1-800-421-
3481.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this notice, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free 
at either of the previous sites. If you have questions about using PDF, 
call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-
293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this notice is the notice 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: January 16, 2001.
Norma V. Cantu,
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. 01-1606 Filed 1-18-01; 8:45 am]
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