New Title IX Regulations (ME Session)

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

On April 19, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education released its long-anticipated final Title IX regulations. While the rules maintain some fundamental principles of the current rules, there are a number of significant changes in the new regulations such as:

• Establishing core procedural requirements for addressing allegations of sex-based discrimination generally, not just instances of sexual harassment;

• Defining sex-based discrimination under Title IX to explicitly include discrimination on the basis of sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity;

• Enumerating specific obligations for accommodating students due to pregnancy or related conditions;

• Re-defining hostile environment sexual harassment to include unwelcome, offensive, sex-based conduct that is either severe or pervasive so as to limit an individual’s participation in their education; and

• Providing greater flexibility in a school’s sexual harassment grievance process, including fewer procedural requirements and reverting to the single-investigator/decision-maker model in some circumstances.

The new Title IX regulations go into effect on August 1, 2024. With several adjustments to the regulations being made, this workshop is intended to help schools navigate the shifts.