by Neetu Chandak
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is receiving push back after suggesting a U.S. Department of Education proposal for Title IX reform “inappropriately” favored the accused, on Twitter Friday.
The DOE released a proposal Friday with sweeping changes to Title IX, a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs receiving government financial assistance. Changes ranged from narrowing the definition of “sexual harassment” to stronger protections for the accused.
It promotes an unfair process, inappropriately favoring the accused and letting schools ignore their responsibility under Title IX to respond promptly and fairly to complaints of sexual violence.
— ACLU (@ACLU) November 16, 2018
“It promotes an unfair process, inappropriately favoring the accused and letting schools ignore their responsibility under Title IX to respond promptly and fairly to complaints of sexual violence,” the ACLU tweeted Friday.
Title IX is a federal statute passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972.
“Far too many students have been forced to go to court to ensure their rights are protected because the Department has not set out legally binding rules that hold schools accountable for responding to allegations of sexual harassment in a supportive, fair manner,” Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said in a statement.
The ACLU claimed in a thread of tweets that DeVos’s proposed rule would also “tip the scales against those who raise their voices” and make schools less safe for sexual assault survivors.
Not everybody approved of the ACLU’s stance, however.
https://twitter.com/marcscribner/status/1063489793131196416
“So, not only did we get to see the ACLU abandon its core mission/letters in real time today, but we’re about to see it get ratio’d? Twitter is great!” Competitive Enterprise Institute senior fellow Marc Scribdner tweeted.
The ACLU works “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties” in the U.S., according to the organization’s website.
DeVos’s proposal received push back from other people and organizations as well, including Planned Parenthood Action Fund, former aide to President Barack Obama Valerie Jarrett, and former Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama Tina Tchen to name a few.
🆘 The Trump Administration and @BetsyDeVosED want to keep silencing survivors. We'll be able to tell the @usedgov to keep their #HandsOffIX once the comment period opens. https://t.co/yWxyZJgEta
— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) November 16, 2018
Title IX ensures all students the legal right to equal education access, free from violence or trauma. 1 in 5 women, 1 in 16 men, experience sexual assault in college. The new DOE rules will reduce the number of survivors who come forward #handsoffix. https://t.co/r7tRXA3C8X
— Valerie Jarrett (@ValerieJarrett) November 16, 2018
Every parent, like me, with a child in school should pay attention to this and speak out now as this will make all our students, girls and boys alike, unsafe DeVos knows it’s wrong so she is tying to sneak these through with only a 60 day comment period during holidays #TitleIX https://t.co/FfKcViswlv
— Tina Tchen (@TinaTchen) November 16, 2018
The ACLU did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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Neetu Chandak is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Neetu on Twitter.
