This summer the Biden administration and the Department of Education announced its overhaul of the 2020 Title IX changes implemented by then Secretary Betsy DeVos that went into effect in August 2020. These regulations, as Symplicity previously wrote about, marked the first time the Dept. of Education interpreted the federal Title IX gender equity portion of the law on how to handle allegations of sexual assault and harassment on campus. At the time, critics argued that students would be less likely to come forward as the regulations allowed for individuals to cross examine their accusers. Advocates of the change said it provided more due process for those accused. All this came as institutions continued to grapple with the changes to of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April 2021, Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona and the department announced plans to review the Title IX rules enforced by then Secretary Betsy DeVos with plans to overhaul the rules, alongside the Department’s Office of Civil Rights. This review process includes public hearings, a comprehensive review of sex and gender discrimination in schools, soliciting feedback, and more. However, proposed changes won’t be out until May 2022 and 59 members of Congress have sent a letter to urging them to complete the review process quicker so that rollbacks can begin soon.
As the Department of Education and the Office of Civil Rights review process continues, in July 2021 the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Education released a Q&A document to provide institutions with resources on how to comply with the Betsy DeVos rules of 2020 while waiting for new regulations to come that will likely again, change how institutions handle Title IX cases.
No matter what changes occur in the months to come, Symplicity Advocate is the trusted solution for student conduct, Title IX, and behavioral intervention. As changes are made, Advocate continues to update to support its clients needs. Advocate allows users to streamline cases management reporting, detect and address students concerns proactively, consolidate data for key data in real-time to help with key decision-making, and allow for you to create a workflow to route cases based on the type of case, the student involved, or any other information needed. This streamlined system can help community colleges save both money and time by removing the need for storage, shredding, and training staff on how to intake. You can instead record, track, and train all within the Advocate platform.
New Title IX regulations will require student conduct offices to put in places systems that are easily manageable and effective. Symplicity Advocate helps institutions avoid liability issues by ensuring compliance with DOE and OCR.
For those interested in learning more about Advocate, schedule a conversation with us or email info@symplicity.com.