Twenty-nine U.S. Senators have signed onto an open letter urging Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education to keep the current Title IX guidelines on campus sexual assault.
On September 7, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced that she is working to replace the current Title IX guidelines that address campus sexual assault and gender-based violence. The existing guidelines were outlined the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter, which serves as a guidance document on how schools must address the epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses.
The letter, sent on September 14, states that DeVos’s promise to rescind the current guidelines “shows neither a dedication to a fully transparent process including robust stakeholder engagement, nor a commitment to supporting survivors in obtaining justice and ensuring they are safe on campus.
The letter also states that “the current guidance is critical to ensuring that schools understand and take seriously their responsibilities under the law, and we urge you to leave the current guidance in place. Rescinding the guidance would be a step in the wrong direction in addressing the national epidemic of campus sexual assault.”
The letter was signed by twenty-eight Democrats and one Independent.
Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 9/8/17, 9/12/17; Huffington Post 9/15/17
