Education Department Now Investigating 76 Schools for Alleged Title IX Violations
ByWith the addition of four schools in recent weeks, the U.S. Education Department (ED) is now investigating 76 schools for alleged Title IX violations.
According to the Huffington Post, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and UCLA were placed under investigation Aug. 8, Kansas State University (KSU) on Aug. 4 and Stony Brook University (SBU) July 23. The investigations stem from complaints accusing authorities of federal gender equity law Title IX.
In June, the HP reported, a Calif. auditor ruled that UCLA's policies on sexual assault were "adequate," but had room for improvement. A spokesman for the school said administration had received a formal notice from the ED of an investigation.
"UCLA has been informed that the campus has been added to a list of 76 colleges and universities under review by the U.S. Department of Education for Title IX compliance in the handling of allegations of sexual misconduct," UCLA said in a statement. "UCLA is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for our entire campus community. We take every complaint of sexual misconduct seriously, and offer a comprehensive range of care options for survivors. UCLA will work with the Department of Education in reviewing our practices relating to Title IX compliance."
KSU said it would not discuss the details of the complaint that led to its investigation, but confirmed the ED had opened a probe. SBU confirmed it had a pending complaint against it, but was unaware of the ED's investigation.
JHU acknowledged the investigation in an open letter to the campus community from the school' president, Ronald J. Daniels.
"Last May, news media accounts reported that a complaint had been filed with the U.S. Department of Education regarding Johns Hopkins' response to incidents of alleged sexual assault," he wrote. "I want to share with you that we have now received official notification of a complaint. The Department's Office for Civil Rights is pursuing an investigation, and, in a conversation with OCR yesterday, we have pledged our full cooperation."