About Title IX

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is responsible for the enforcement of Title IX.

Title IX applies to institutions that receive federal financial assistance from ED, including state and local educational agencies. These agencies include approximately 16,500 local school districts, 7,000 postsecondary institutions, as well as charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries, and museums. Also included are vocational rehabilitation agencies and education agencies of 50 states, the District of Columbia, and territories and possessions of the United States.

Educational programs and activities that receive ED funds must operate in a nondiscriminatory manner. Some key issue areas in which recipients have Title IX obligations are recruitment, admissions, and counseling; financial assistance; athletics; sex-based harassment; treatment of pregnant and parenting students; discipline; single-sex education; and employment. Also, a recipient may not retaliate against any person for opposing an unlawful educational practice or policy, or made charges, testified or participated in any complaint action under Title IX. For a recipient to retaliate in any way is considered a violation of Title IX. The ED Title IX regulations (Volume 34, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 106) provide additional information about the forms of discrimination prohibited by Title IX.

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Title IX Final Rule became effective on Friday, August 14, 2020. On September 4, 2020, OCR issued answers to questions that have been submitted about the new rule, which can be viewed here. OCR may periodically release additional Question and Answer documents addressing the Title IX Rule.

Over the past several months, the Department has worked to ensure that schools have the tools and resources necessary to successfully implement the Rule. The Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued a number of resources including a series of Title IX webinars, blog posts, and technical assistance documents.

An unofficial copy of the Rule, and the Department’s commentary about the Rule, can be viewed here; page references to the Rule or Preamble are to that version of the Rule and commentary found at that link. The official version of the Rule can be found here.

Title IX Technical Assistance:

Title IX Webinars:

Title IX Blog Entries:

If you have questions or require technical assistance, please contact T9questions@ed.gov. Also, please let us know if you have any ideas for additional areas that we might address in future video webinars or technical assistance materials. To stay up to date with the Office for Civil Rights, please visit the OCR Blog.

Title IX Resources

The list of resources and guides have been compiled to help administrators, faculty, staff, and law enforcement professionals have the information needed to fully comply with Title IX regulations.

Student Conduct Administration & Title IX: Gold Standard Practices

This report explains the obligations and recommended practices for institutions of higher education to respond to reports of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault. This resource serves to guide institutions of higher education in understanding the core components of fundamentally fair student conduct procedures, determining institution-specific forms of resolution, and revising policies and procedures to be equitable to all students involved in the resolution process.

Beyond Title IX: Guidelines for Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education

Created by Futures Without Violence with the help of the AVON Foundation for Women, this guide is intended for “teams of campus stakeholders working to develop an integrated and consistent approach to the issue of gender-based violence for their institution.” It promotes a focused and coherent system of supports to create a climate that encourages respectful non-violent relationships and addresses all forms of gender-based violence.

Title IX Conflicts: The Role of Law Enforcement

In Volume 7, Issue 3 of the SAFVIC On the Scene Newsletter, Gary J. Margolis & Steven J. Healy write about the role of law enforcement and Title IX. In this article, Margolis and Healy clarify what the responsibilities of campus and/or local law enforcement in helping schools comply with federal law. They further elaborate on the role of law enforcement in compliance with Title IX.

Dear Colleague Letter from April 2011: Title IX

The now famous Dear Colleague Letter issued by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights on April 4, 2011 is a great starting point for information on higher education institutions’ obligation to prohibit sexual harassment and sexual violence under Title IX. A Q&A Guide is also available.

Q&A on Title IX and Sexual Violence

The Office for Civil Rights has released this new Q&A on Title IX and Sexual Violence. This specific PDF document contains a breakdown on how schools have an obligation to respond to sexual violence, how students are protected by Title IX, Title IX procedural requirements, a breakdown of confidentiality, investigations and hearings, interim measures, Title IX training education and prevention, etc. While there is more information regarding Title IX on this document, there is also more general information regarding sex discrimination on the Office for Civil Rights FAQ page.

Title IX