VRLC Responds to the 2024 Final Title IX Rule

April 19, 2024

VRLC Responds to the 2024 Final Title IX Rule

We are relieved to see the release of the Biden Administration’s Final Title IX Rule, which was issued today and will be implemented by schools starting August 1, 2024. Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC), survivors, advocates and allies across the country have waited for the Department of Education to correct course since the release of the harmful 2020 Title IX regulations, which created even greater barriers to reporting sexual assault than survivors already experience. For nearly four years, student-survivors, including VRLC’s clients, have navigated re-traumatizing, protracted, and confusing processes when they seek to stabilize their education by reporting sex-based harassment to their school.  

The new rule restores the promise of Title IX – to guarantee equal access to educational opportunities. In particular, we are glad that the updated Title IX Rule returns to a hostile environment analysis, no longer requires a live hearing in postsecondary cases, removes the requirement that advisors be permitted to conduct cross-examination, and offers even more opportunities for complaints to be resolved informally, if the survivor wishes. Our sincerest hope is that these changes help student-survivors once again trust that Title IX will provide an effective remedy.  

VRLC will provide a 30-minute Title IX Rule briefing, including what legal advocates and attorneys should know, on Tuesday, May 7 at 12 PT/3pm ET. A registration link will be available on VRLC’s website and sent via email next week. To join our newsletter, please use the sign-up form below. For survivors seeking full and equal access to education, please know that we remain committed to advocating for your civil rights; indeed, this work is as crucial as ever.