At a recent meeting, the Milford School District Board of Education reverted to a previous Title IX policy replacing one that had been approved over the summer months. The Title IX Rights and Responsibilities policy was changed after the district received an updated final ruling from the Biden Administration which clarified sexual and gender identity that was different than the 1972 policy used by the district.
“There was a 1,500-page regulation that the Biden administration put forth and that was scrapped at the end of October this year, including, I think, some very specific things I just want to mention to you,” Dr. Laura Manges, Director of Human Resources, said. “Some of these affected us in the public education system because the new requirement was one we really did not have a choice but to adopt because we are federally funded. One requirement was that we address Title IX complaints even if the reported harassment occurs off campus as well as additional protections for pregnant and parenting students.”
The federal ruling has been retracted, according to Manges, requiring the district to revert back to the previous Title IX policy on advice of the district’s legal counsel.
“I would add something to that,” School Board President Scott Fitzgerald said. “You said it was retracted. It wasn’t necessarily retracted, the courts vacated it and said what the Biden administration did was illegal. I wrote down some notes in case there was a question on it and it says the new policy was based on a regulation that was completely vacated because it was illegally enacted.”
Board Vice-President Matt Bucher asked if the policy the board would vote on that night was current with federal regulations as well as all standing executive orders. Manges replied that “as of that evening” that was correct and that this was the same policy the district had in place for many years. The change in policy was approved unanimously.
Title IX is a federal law enacted in 1972 that prohibit sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal funds. It covers a wide range of issues including athletics, sexual harassment and equal access to education. It is best known for providing equal opportunity for male and female students in athletics, including participation, equipment, facilities and coaching.
