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Office for Civil Rights Blog - 20210607

OCR’s VIRTUAL PUBLIC HEARING ON TITLE IX: June 7 – 11, 2021

June 7, 2021

Protecting Students: Sex Discrimination

 

This week—June 7 to June 11, 2021—marks the first-ever virtual public hearing on Title IX to be convened by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). As we work to ensure that all students have access to education programs and activities free from sex discrimination, we look forward to the diverse views, experiences, and insights from students, educators, and other members of the public.

You can visit the hearing webpage to listen to live comments throughout the week. Access to American Sign Language interpretation, closed captioning, and CART services is available from the hearing webpage throughout the hearing. We also welcome your written comments at T9PublicHearing@ed.gov, following the guidelines in the hearing notice.

The hearing takes place on the following dates and times:

  • June 7, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., ET
  • June 8, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., ET
  • June 9, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., ET
  • June 10, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., ET
  • June 11, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., ET

This hearing is part of OCR's comprehensive review of the Department's existing regulations and other actions related to Title IX to implement President Biden's March 8 Executive Order on Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free from Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity. It is also a step toward fulfilling the directives of President Biden's Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.

OCR has asked, in particular, for comments on steps the Department can take to:

  1. Ensure that schools are providing students with educational environments free from discrimination in the form of sexual harassment, which encompasses sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence;  
  2. Ensure that schools have grievance procedures that provide for the fair, prompt, and equitable resolution of reports of sexual harassment and other sex discrimination, cognizant of the sensitive issues that are often involved; and  
  3. Address discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in educational environments.  

Input from the hearing will also support the Department's commitment to ensuring equal and nondiscriminatory access to education for all students, from pre-K-12 to postsecondary education, including in extracurricular activities and other educational settings. OCR also anticipates publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the Department’s Title IX regulations, which will provide students, educators, and others with an additional opportunity to share insights and views through the formal notice-and-comment period.

As Secretary Cardona has said, "The Department is committed to ensuring every student has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive in and out of the classroom, including in extracurricular activities and other educational settings."

We look forward to your participation and thank you for your interest in ensuring equal educational opportunity for all students, including educational environments that are free from sex discrimination.

Suzanne B. Goldberg
Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Operations and Outreach
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education



   
Last Modified: 06/07/2021