Meet Omar Torres
In Uncategorized onRead moreWe are pleased to announce our newest Director of Strategic Partnerships and Client Relations, Dr. Omar Torres. Dr. Torres will work with schools and collectives across the southeast region in his role at Grand River Solutions. Managing Director Jody Shipper shares, “Omar brings a remarkable breadth of experience to our…
Federal Judge Blocks LGBTQI+ Protections In 20 States
In Title IX onRead moreOn July 15, 2022 a federal judge in Tennessee blocked enforcement of some federal agency guidance in twenty states* whose attorneys general had sued the agencies. Those documents, issued by the Department of Education and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, clarified that the nondiscrimination laws enforced by their agencies prohibit discrimination…
OCR Publishes Revised Questions and Answers on the 2020 Title IX Regulations on Sexual Harassment on June 28, 2022
In Title IX onRead moreOn Tuesday June 28, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) updated the Questions and Answers on the Title IX Regulations on Sexual Harassment, which was originally issued in July 2021. The update reflects the court ruling in Victim Rights Law Center et al. v. Cardona,…
OCR Announces Resolution of Pregnancy Discrimination Investigation of Salt Lake Community College
In DEI, Disability onRead moreOn June 14, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced they reached a resolution agreement with Salt Lake Community College regarding a student’s complaint of pregnancy discrimination. At the crux of OCR’s finding was that the College violated Title IX when it did not: (1) respond…
Executive Order on Advancing Equality for LGBTQI+ Individuals
In DEI onRead moreOn June 15th, 2022, the Biden Administration issued an Executive Order (EO) on Advancing Equality for LGBTQI+ individuals, as well as a fact sheet about the EO. The EO outlines a series of plans and policies to address the systemic discrimination and barriers that the LGBTQI+ community face, including in…
Department of Justice Weighs in on School District’s Potential Liability for Alleged Discrimination by Outsourced School Resource Officers
In DEI, Disability onRead moreThe Department of Justice (DOJ) recently filed a statement of interest in a pending federal court case on disability discrimination. The DOJ files a brief like this when the government has an interest in clarifying the law at issue, or how the law is applied. Here the parent of a…
New York Education Law 129-B Certification Reminder: A Message from Andrea and Joe for New York Schools
Read moreAn important reminder for New York schools: July 1 is the annual deadline for certification submission to the New York State Education Department (SED). This year is a “basic” certification year, requiring only the signed form certifying compliance with 129-A and 129-B. The next year that will require full policy…
Grand River Solutions Welcomes Kateeka Harris
Read moreGrand River Solutions is thrilled to announce that nationally recognized expert Kateeka Harris will be joining our team as a Senior Solutions Specialist. Kateeka is the previous past president for the Association for Student Conduct Administration, where she also oversaw their diversity and inclusion efforts. She has nearly two decades…
Meet Andrea Stagg, Grand River Solutions’ New Director of Consulting Services
Read moreGrand River Solutions is excited to introduce Andrea Stagg, Director of Consulting Services. Andrea has extensive experience in higher education in–house legal settings at public and private colleges and universities, and brings proven expertise on issues relating to best practices in campus safety and sexual misconduct prevention, Clery Act Compliance,…
Taking Stock of the Survey – Advantages and Challenges of a National Climate Survey
In Campus Climate Surveys, Title IX onRead moreRecent legislation will require that the U.S. Department of Education create a national climate survey for college and university students. This major requirement was included as a part of theViolence Against Women Act reauthorization and has largely flown under the radar. The mandate mayseem straightforward; however, questions abound. Our Senior…
U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruling in Cummings will Impact Valuation of Title IX Cases
In Title IX, U.S. Supreme Court onRead moreIn Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller PLLC, the Supreme Court applied contracting principles to four federal laws under which aggrieved people can sue for damages. In doing so, the Court found that emotional distress damages were not foreseeable by recipients of federal funds—including educational institutions that receive federal funds and…
