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NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK STATEMENT ON DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PLANS TO REVIEW TITLE IX SEXUAL ASSAULT GUIDANCE

For Immediate Release
September 8, 2017

Contact:
Rachel Noerdlinger, [email protected]
Ross Adair, [email protected]<
Alex Butcher-Nesbitt, [email protected]
Phone: 212-681-1380
NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK STATEMENT ON DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PLANS TO REVIEW TITLE IX SEXUAL ASSAULT GUIDANCE

Secretary Betsy DeVos recently announced that she will began to review Obama-era guidance related to campus sexual assault, stating that the current policy denies accused individuals due process. It is the department’s latest attack on students’ civil rights, and will assuredly silence student survivors of sexual harassment and violence, individuals who all too often refuse to report their assailants.

While yesterday’s announcement revealed no current law changes, there are plans to rewrite key Obama-era protocols which work to address and prevent sexual assault, which demonstrates a gross negligence and a failure by the Secretary to protect the students she was chosen to serve — especially in the face of concrete evidence. One in five female undergraduates have experienced some kind of sexual assault while in college. The majority of these victims will know their assailant.  Campus assailants are often serial offenders.

The National Action Network opposes Secretary DeVos’ decision. Rewriting Title IX should never come at the expense of sexual assault survivors, who all too recently stayed in the shadows. The message from this announcement is clear — this administration will turn its back on those seeking justice. All students have the right to feel safe at their chosen educational institution, and the National Action Network stands with assault survivors across the country.

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About National Action Network

National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality or gender.

For more information go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net<http://www.nationalactionnetwork.net>.