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. This means that the 2024 regulations will likely no longer apply. There may be an appeal. The Department of Ed has not yet released guidance.
The Grand River Solutions subject matter experts are doing all the hard work, so you don’t have to. We will monitor the updates and keep you informed, making available practitioner-driven analyses and recommendations for how to move forward.
See our News Page for an article and view a copy of the decision.
INFO SESSION
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. Join us on The River Connect for our special info session for the latest updates, recommended next steps to help process the confusion, and group therapy. We will get through this together.
A Message from our Co-Founders about the ever-changing Title IX landscape.
6 STEPS FOR SUCCESS
1) Form a Clear Action Plan
2) 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.
3) Indentify groups to be trained and determine when and how they will be trained. Ensure Title IX personnel recieve updated training.
4) 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?
5) 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 past new 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
A NOTE FROM OUR TEAM
The frequent news regarding legal updates is leaving many searching for clear answers for what lies ahead at a time where there are none. If you are a Title IX Coordinator serving an institution who currently follows the 2024 regulations, remember to stay in touch with your leadership and legal counsel when determining the institution’s next steps.
For those wanting to do more than just wait for legal cases to resolve, you might consider whether your institution is comfortable taking steps that align with the 2024 regulations and do not conflict with the 2020 regulations; for example, offering lactation spaces for students, or reminding pregnant students that the Title IX Coordinator may be able to assist with modifications due to pregnancy.
RECENT NEWS
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...
2024 Title IX Regulations Vacated—Back to 2020 on a National Level
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. This means that the 2024 regulations will likely no longer apply. Recall that since the August 1 effective date of...
OCR Issues FAQ On Privacy When Filing a Complaint
In November 2024, the Department of Education issued a new document: “Frequently Asked Privacy-Related Questions About Filing a Complaint with OCR.” The title is apt, and the document attempts to address the questions commonly received by OCR concerning how the...