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NEW FEDERAL RULE WILL HELP FIGHT DISCRIMINATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a move designed to ensure vigorous enforcement of civil rights law, a new regulation has been created to help federal agencies eliminate discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that use federal money or other assistance, the Justice Department announced today.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination based on sex in education and training programs that receive federal funding or other assistance. For example, Title IX prohibits sexual harassment of students and other participants in federally funded education programs, as well as sex discrimination in recruiting, admissions, financial aid, course offerings, and more. The enforcement of Title IX has often been difficult, however, because many individuals in federally funded education programs did not know they were covered by Title IX, and many agencies did not have regulations in place enabling them to efficiently handle Title IX complaints. This new regulation will ensure that recipients of federal funding understand the law. Moreover, it will enable federal funding agencies to better enforce the mandates of Title IX by establishing a method for receiving and resolving discrimination complaints.

Although the Department of Education funds most of the nation's educational institutions, other federal agencies provide financial assistance to recipients that operate education programs or activities. Examples of such programs include state and local courses on disaster planning funded by FEMA, traffic safety courses funded by the Department of Transportation, and forestry workshops at state parks funded by the Department of Interior. The new rule provides for the enforcement of Title IX by the Department of Justice and twenty other participating federal agencies. Currently, the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Energy, and Agriculture are the only federal agencies to have adopted their own implementation regulations.