Department of Education releases final Title IX rules

The U.S. Department of Education on April 19 released its final Title IX rules, which will take effect Aug. 1, 2024.

According to the department’s summary and fact sheet, the new rules prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, strengthen protections against all forms of sex-based harassment, protect students from discrimination based on pregnancy and childbirth, protect students who seek to avail their Title IX rights from retaliation, and require schools to promptly address all complaints of sex discrimination with a “fair, transparent and reliable process.”

Colorado law and Regent policy already protect against discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy and related retaliation.

The university is reviewing the regulations and related university policies – Sexual Misconduct, Intimate Partner Violence, and Stalking Policy (APS 5014) and draft Nondiscrimination Policy (APS 5065) – through a systemwide working group led by Valerie Simons, vice president of compliance and equity and system Title IX coordinator, to ensure engagement with campus stakeholders and compliance with the new rules by Aug. 1.