On January 9, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky issued an opinion and order that vacated the 2024 Title IX regulations.
The Department of Education issued guidance on February 4, 2025 confirming that the regulations as amended in 2020 are effective and will be enforced by OCR. The letter said that ongoing and new matters must be addressed consistently with the regulations as amended in 2020.
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RECENT NEWS
U.S. Department of Education Issues (and Re-Issues) Dear Colleague Letter on Title IX
On February 4, the U.S. Department of Education re-issued a Dear Colleague Letter to replace the letter issued on January 31, 2025. Background and Bottom Line Generally, the letter acknowledges the court decision from January 9, 2025 vacating the 2024 Title IX Final...
Biden’s Department of Education Issues A Flurry of Resolutions and Resources Before Inauguration
In what seems like a last-minute scramble to tie up loose ends, the Department of Education has published a number of materials in a very short timeframe. New documents include resources on retaliation and resolving hostile environments under Title VI. Since...
OCR Reaches Resolution of Title IX Sexual Harassment Investigation of Paterson Public School District in New Jersey
In early December, OCR announced the resolution of a Title IX complaint at Paterson Public School District in New Jersey. OCR found the District violated Title IX (as amended in 2020) by failing to offer supportive measures to students, including failing to provide...
Stay Informed with our Complimentary Title IX and Equity Info Sessions
UPCOMING SESSIONS: TBD
RECENT PAST SESSIONS
New Regs, Old Regs, Which Way is up?
Although there is uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the vacatur, the team at Grand River Solutions is here to support you every step of the way. We held a Special Info Session on The River Connect for the latest updates, recommended next steps to help process the confusion, and group therapy. We will get through this together. Start with downloading the 2024 Regs Vacatur Checklist: Prepare for the Return to 2020 Title IX Regs.
What Now? Civil Rights and Campus Safety in the New Administration
The incoming administration has signaled changes to federal laws and regulations affecting campus response to harms that impact students and employees. Experts at Grand River Solutions have been tracking and assessing these possible changes. Join us for a 90-minute webinar as we unpack the potential shifts, share predictions and insights, and outline possible timelines to help your institution stay prepared. Regulation topics covered: Title IX, the Clery Act, as amended by the Stop Campus Hazing Act, Title VI, ADA/504 accessibility, and the VAWA climate survey.
Facilitators: Jody Shipper, Andrea Stagg, Judy Risch, and Joseph Storch
If you missed this or other past events, stay tuned for upcoming complimentary info sessions.
A Message from our Co-Founders about the ever-changing Title IX landscape.
6 STEPS FOR SUCCESS
1) Form a Clear Action Plan
1) Consider sending a message to your community about the recent change and how the work of the office may or may not be impacted.
2) Communicate with Complainants, Respondents and any Advisors if you are planning to modify the procedure for their case.
3) Activate your Title IX stakeholder team. Gather representatives who have a link to the Title IX policy and process, as well as prevention and training teams.
4) Indentify groups to be trained and determine when and how they will be trained. Ensure Title IX personnel recieve updated training.
5) Prepare your timeline for any changes to policy and procedures that you may be making back to 2020 regulations, considering applicable levels of review and approval. For example, who needs to be involved in updating and/or approving policies and procedures?
6) Review your policies, procedures, forms, templates, checklists, and your trainings and make adjustments back to 2020 regulations as needed.
We can help you review and update your policy and procedures. Whether you’re starting from scratch, retro-fitting your 2024 policy, or sprucing up your 2020 policy, our consultants can work with you to create a document that reflects the applicable regulations and your institutional values.
3) Phone a Friend
Our Practioner-experts are here for consulting when you need us. We’ve travelled the route of changing regs and can help steer the path to a smooth transition.
4) Train with Practioners Who've Done the Work
The work is hard. Your training doesn’t need to be. Choose engaging training that is informative, practical, and enjoyable. Our facilitators are experienced practitioners who have done the work. We love our team. We think you will too.
Andrea Stagg
Director of Consulting Services
Joseph Storch
Senior Director of Compliance & Innovation
Jody Shipper
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Kelly Gallagher
Title IX Coordinator Services, Prod. Mgr.
Adam Wolkoff
Assistant Director of Resolution Services
Emma Hempel
Title IX Coordinator Services
and
Contact us for Private or In Person Training
5) Support Your Work with The Right Software
The changing regulations have created heightened expectations for managing caseloads, reminding institutions to provide more transparency and to communicate in a prompt manner with the parties. As practitioners, we’ve seen how easy it is to lose track of a timeline or to conflate various procedures. Working with a software that automates the correct policy is the key to a seamless system.
Case Tracker, our software solution, is simply the premier resource available for meeting the demands of your Title IX & Equity office.
– automatically checks those added expectations off your to-do list, which include the collection of data that you need to fulfill your monitoring obligations
– organizes, defines, and automates the processes for each type of case, based on the applicable policy
– systemizes the timeline so you won’t miss deadlines or communications, employing reminders and alerts when a phase or step that has been set by your policy is due
– offers in-app communications with the parties, including status updates, so you can be prompt, equitable and transparent
– produces the data that demonstrates the effectiveness of your Title IX response processes, engendering trust in the system
