On November 29th, 2018, the Department of Education (“ED”) published a proposed regulation that would dramatically alter schools’ responsibilities under Title IX, a federal law that bars recipients of federal funds from engaging in sex discrimination. The full text of the proposal is here.

The publication of the proposed rule kicks off a formal notice and comment period. Any member of the public -- faculty, staff, teachers, students, and their families -- can submit comments regarding the rule from 12am-11:59pm ET on Friday, February 15, 2019.

The Department of Education is required to take public comment into consideration, so it is essential that as many different comments as possible are submitted during the 60-day Notice and Comment period.

Please participate!

You can guide your students through a hands-on lesson in civic engagement, offer credit to those who submit a comment, or, minimally, submit a comment yourself. To help you, here are:

• A helpful "Notice and Comment 101" guide on how to write an effective comment from Know Your IX.
• A guide on how to write a comment, either online or in a handwritten letter, from the National Women's Law Center.
• A summary of the problems with the proposed rules from Know Your IX, and a longer analysis from the National Women's Law Center.
• A data fact sheet to use as a resource for your comment (from Know Your IX).
• A petition for extension of the comment deadline.
• A page from which you can submit a comment (via Hands Off IX -- if you already have your comment drafted, search for "First Name" to quickly go to the form to paste in your comment).
• NEW! Comment templates created for specific groups of students by Rutgers Law International Human Rights Clinic and the Women’s Rights Law Report:
  • Adolescents (K-12)
  • Black Women
  • LGBTQ+ People
  • Low-Income Students
  • Men
  • Men of Color
  • People Objecting to the Proposed Religious Exemption
  • Women
  • Women of Color

Remember: Faculty, Teachers, and Educators of all kinds can provide a unique voice in the comment period for these proposed rules. We can share what we have seen and experienced in our classrooms and with our students. We also can and should share our research on sexual harassment, gender-based violence, gender discrimination, and related topics with the Department of Education. Remember that Title IX is about protecting and advancing gender equality before the law, and sexual harassment and gender-based violence are inextricably linked with gender inequality. Therefore, all research relevant to gender inequality is relevant to this proceeding-- even if you are unsure of whether your research will be helpful, you can and should submit it to the Department of Education by attaching it to a comment--here's how.

If you have questions about including your research in your comments or about any other commenting-related matter, please email FacultySayHandsOffIX@gmail.com.

All comments must be submitted between 12am-11:59pm ET on Friday, February 15, 2019.