Title IX 101

WHAT IS TITLE IX?

A federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education.  

WHAT ARE THE TITLE IX REQUIREMENTS?

Title IX law states that no person shall: be excluded from participation; be denied benefits; or be subject to discrimination with respect to any education program or activity on the basis of sex.

WHO MUST COMPLY?

Title IX appleis to any school that receives federal money.  It was passed as a federal law in 1972.

WHAT SPECIFICS DOES TITLE IX ADDRESS?

1- Sexual Harrassment

2- Gender fairness in athletics

3- Vocational opportunities

4- Counseling opportunities

5- Access to course offerings

6- Treatment of pregnant or parenting students

7- Admissions and recruitment

8- Financial Aid

etc...

WHO ENFORCES TITLE IX?

Educational institutions, individuals (though private law suits), Office for Civil Rights investigations, Office for Civil Rights lawsuits, Office for Civil Rights compliance reviews.  

IS NON-COMPLIANCE AN OPTION?

No. Schools must comply or risk losing federal funds.

WHY IS SEXUAL ASSAULT AND RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE COVERED UNDER TITLE IX?

Sexual and relationship violence IS discrimination.  In other words, "but for" an individual's gender, she would not have been sexually harrassed, sexually assaulted, stalked, or battered.  This violence limits a student's opportunities because of a person's sex.  Title IX exists to promote student opportunity.  

HOW ARE COMPLAINTS FILED?

Any complaint of sex discrimination must be in writing and filed with the OCR no later than 180 days after the alleged discrimination.  The complaint must be submitted to OCR's regional office for that area.  

WHO MAY FILE A COMPLAINT?

Any individual over the age of 18 may file a complaint.  The individual that files does not have to be the victim.

HOW MIGHT A SCHOOL VIOLATE TITLE IX, AS IT RELATES TO SEXUAL/RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE?

A school may violate Title IX if it requires a sexual assault complainant to confront her alleged assailant, but does not have the same requirement for other victims of abusive behavior.  A school may be in violation if it handles dating vioelnce matters internally though judicial servics, but requires all other violence to go through the court system.  A school may violate Title IX if it reports dating violence as disorderly conduct.  

THE ABOVE INFORMATION WAS GIVEN TO THE BRIDGE PROJECT IN A TRAINING PROVIDED BY SYLVIA CEDILLO, J.D. - P.O. BOX 416, PRAIRE VIEW, TEXAS, PHONE: 936-857-5964, EMAIL: SYLVIACEDILLO@JUSTICE.COM

COMPLAINTS OR QUESTIONS ON CAMPUS CAN BE DIRECTED TO:

Robertha Abney - (724)738-2769 on campus x 2769

The Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity - (724)738-2016 on campus x 2016

or by calling The Bridge Project - (724) 738-2121 on campus x 2121

Bridge Project

Strain Behavioral Science Building

(724) 738-2121

Fax: (724) 738-4412

This project was supportd by Grant No. 2004-WX-AX-0011 awareded by the Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.  Points of view in ths document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official postion or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.