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Dear Colleague Letter

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY


Rescinded: This document has been formally rescinded by the Department and remains available on the web for historical purposes only.




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    • what the school will do to respond to allegations of sexual harassment or violence, including the interim measures that can be taken
  • requiring the Title IX coordinator to communicate regularly with the school’s law enforcement unit investigating cases and to provide information to law enforcement unit personnel regarding Title IX requirements;44
  • requiring the Title IX coordinator to review all evidence in a sexual harassment or sexual violence case brought before the school’s disciplinary committee to determine whether the complainant is entitled to a remedy under Title IX that was not available through the disciplinary committee;45
  • requiring the school to create a committee of students and school officials to identify strategies for ensuring that students:
    • know the school’s prohibition against sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and violence
    • recognize sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual violence when they occur
    • understand how and to whom to report any incidents
    • know the connection between alcohol and drug abuse and sexual harassment or violence
    • feel comfortable that school officials will respond promptly and equitably to reports of sexual harassment or violence;
  • issuing new policy statements or other steps that clearly communicate that the school does not tolerate sexual harassment and violence and will respond to any incidents and to any student who reports such incidents; and
  • revising grievance procedures used to handle sexual harassment and violence complaints to ensure that they are prompt and equitable, as required by Title IX.

School Investigations and Reports to OCR

  • conducting periodic assessments of student activities to ensure that the practices and behavior of students do not violate the school’s policies against sexual harassment and violence;
  • investigating whether any other students also may have been subjected to sexual harassment or violence;
  • investigating whether school employees with knowledge of allegations of sexual harassment or violence failed to carry out their duties in responding to those allegations;
  • conducting, in conjunction with student leaders, a school or campus “climate check” to assess the effectiveness of efforts to ensure that the school is free from sexual harassment and violence, and using the resulting information to inform future proactive steps that will be taken by the school; and

44 Any personally identifiable information from a student’s education record that the Title IX coordinator provides to the school’s law enforcement unit is subject to FERPA’s nondisclosure requirements.
45 For example, the disciplinary committee may lack the power to implement changes to the complainant’s class schedule or living situation so that he or she does not come in contact with the alleged perpetrator.



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Last Modified: 01/05/2021