How schools will treat sexual misconduct is changing. Who's saying what about Title IX?

• The Biden administration is one step closer to reversing polarizing rules about how schools and colleges should handle accusations of sexual misconduct and gender-based discrimination crafted by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
• The Education Department will soon review more than 235,000 comments shared about its proposed replacement, which would improve the rights of student survivors of sexual assault and harassment and create protections for transgender and nonbinary students.
• Advocates for student survivors of sexual misconduct argued the current rules turned back years of protection while conservative groups applauded the expansion of due process.

The Biden administration is one step closer to reversing polarizing rules about how schools and colleges should handle accusations of sexual misconduct and gender-based discrimination crafted by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

The Education Department will soon review more than 235,000 comments shared about its proposed replacement, which would expand the rights of student survivors of sexual assault and harassment and create protections for transgender and nonbinary students. The proposal drew tens of thousands of comments beyond what DeVos' original rule generated – about 124,000. 

“It shows, No. 1, how important it is for us to have public comments, and to listen to what folks are saying. And for us, the Title IX rules reflect the value that every child belongs, every child’s education matters, and it’s our responsibility to provide inclusive environments in all of our schools,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told reporters earlier this month. “Inclusivity is something that we should not even question. All students belong. All students should be seen.”