Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance…
20 U.S.C. § 1681
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a Federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination at educational institutions that receive federal funding. Under Title IX, sexual discrimination includes harassment on the basis of sex. This can take many forms including:
- Verbal or written harassment
- Sexual assault, including rape and other unwanted sexual touching
- Stalking (when done on the basis of sex)
- Dating or domestic violence
- Treatment of pregnant students
- Treatment of parenting students
Schools are legally required to respond to and remedy hostile educational environments. Failure to do so means a school could risk losing federal funding.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) ensures compliance with Title IX.
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