AG Miyares joins 22 attorney generals in lawsuit against US agency’s new LGBTQ school guidance
More than 20 Republican attorneys general filed a lawsuit Tuesday against President Joe Biden's administration over a Department of Agriculture school meal program that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
‘Very arrogant’: Students react to Liberty University’s announcement for Title IX investigation
Days after Liberty University leaders announced a third-party investigation into Title IX violations, advocates for policy reform and justice for sexual assault survivors are speaking out -- saying the school is not taking it as seriously as they would like.
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In AP survey, ADs raise worries about women's college sports
A new AP survey of athletic directors and conversations with ADs and conference commissioners during March Madness show concern about what would happen to women's college sports under proposals that would put more money in the pockets of some athletes.
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Bill seeks to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports in Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Bills have been filed in 25 states across the country, including Florida, seeking to ban transgender women from competing in women’s school sports. The legislation, which would prevent transgender women from competing in women’s sports, follows multiple instances of transgender athletes winning titles in state and national competitions. The House version of the bill would ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports outright, whereas the Senate version would allow transgender athletes to compete provided they maintain a low testosterone level. AdEskamani said even though there are some restrictions in place for transgender athletes on the professional stage, she believes policies concerning children and student-athletes should be treated differently. In Connecticut, there is an ongoing federal lawsuit challenging whether allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports violates Title IX, a federal civil rights law that aims to shield people from gender-based discrimination.
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AP study: Nearly 90% of esports scholarships going to men
Colleges and universities rushing to invest in the booming arena of varsity esports are overwhelmingly committing opportunities and scholarships to male players, according to data collected by The Associated Press. Boise State was among the more equal schools in the AP's survey, with 16 male players, five female players and three who identified as nonbinary. (AP Photo/Otto Kitsinger)Colleges and universities rushing to invest in the booming arena of varsity esports are overwhelmingly committing opportunities and scholarships to male players, according to data collected by The Associated Press. Many schools, intentionally or not, have sidestepped those restrictions by housing their esports program outside of the athletic department. AdBoise State was among the more equal schools in the AP's survey, with 16 male players, five female players and three who identified as nonbinary.
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Biden order could change how colleges handle sex misconduct
Biden also signed a second executive order formally establishing the White House Gender Policy Council, which his transition team had announced before he took office. Any effort to rewrite DeVos’ rules would have to go through a federal rulemaking process that can take years to complete. AdRepublicans slammed Biden’s move and defended DeVos’ rules. The scope of cases that colleges must address is also likely to be expanded again under the Biden administration, he said. Biden is starting the process even as DeVos' policy faces ongoing legal challenges.
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Dean and baseball coach out at Roanoke College after Title IX investigation
SALEM, Va. – Change is coming to Roanoke College as the result of a Title IX investigation. On Tuesday, the college announced that both Dean of Students Bian Chisom and interim head baseball coach Cam Cassady are no longer with the school. Chisom has resigned, while Cassady is simply no longer with Roanoke College. Roanoke College leaders announced earlier this year they would open an investigation into concerns alleging misconduct by the school’s former Title IX Coordinator. While the report stated that Roanoke College’s Title IX written policy itself meets legal standards, aspects of its implementation did not meet the College’s expectations or standards for the treatment of its students.
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Roanoke College leaders reviewing final report from Title IX investigation before sharing action plan
SALEM, Va. – Leaders at Roanoke College shared an update Wednesday regarding the school’s Title IX investigation. In a letter to the Roanoke College community, president Michael Maxey said the independent third-party investigator, Karen Michael Esq., submitted the final investigative report last week. Roanoke College leaders announced earlier this year they would open an investigation into concerns alleging conduct by the school’s former Title IX Coordinator. Maxey said Michael, who has no prior affiliation with Roanoke College, interviewed roughly 80 witnesses. Michael shared the report with Roanoke College’s executive committee of the Board of Trustees, including the chairman of the Board.
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States sue to block DeVos' campus sexual assault overhaul
Democratic attorneys general in more than a dozen states filed a federal lawsuit Thursday attempting to block Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' new policy guiding schools and colleges in the handling of sexual assault cases. The lawsuit alleges that DeVos' policy undercuts existing mandates in Title IX, the 1972 law barring discrimination based on sex in education. It also challenges DeVos' order to implement the rules by Aug. 14, saying the deadline is impracticable during a pandemic. DeVos' new policy bolsters the rights of the accused, narrows the definition of sexual harassment and allows students to question one another at live hearings, among other changes. It says the policy forbids schools from addressing isolated cases of abuse because the new definition of sexual harassment is limited to pervasive cases.
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Connecticut transgender policy found to violate Title IX
HARTFORD, Conn. A Connecticut policy that allows transgender athletes to compete in girls sports violates the civil rights of female athletes, the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has ruled. The office said in a 45-page letter that it may seek to withhold federal funding over the policy, which allows transgender athletes to participate as the gender with which they identify. It said the policy is a violation of Title IX, the federal civil rights law that guarantees equal education opportunities for women, including in athletics. They were also seeking to erase all records set by the transgender athletes. Several other states have polices barring the participation of transgender athletes and Idaho recently became the first state to pass a law banning transgender women from competing in womens sports.
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Transgender bathroom ban heard by federal appeals court
Grimm's lawsuit alleged that the school board violated Grimm's equal protection rights as well as Title IX, the federal policy that protects against gender-based discrimination. He graduated in 2017 from Gloucester High School, located in a mostly rural area about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Richmond. (T)here is no question that the Boards policy discriminates against transgender students on the basis of their gender noncomformity, Allen wrote. Under the policy, all students except for transgender students may use restrooms corresponding with their gender identity, she continued. Transgender students are singled out, subjected to discriminatory treatment, and excluded from spaces where similarly situated students are permitted to go.
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Federal court to hear appeal from Virginia school board sued over transgender bathroom ban
A judge ruled last year that the Gloucester County School Board discriminated against Gavin Grimm. The school board has appealed that ruling to the 4th U.S. Attorneys for the school board have argued that the lower court judge wrongly interpreted federal protections. The board says the law protects against discrimination based on gender, not gender identity. He graduated from high school in 2017.