It’s time to stand up for Title IX. The new Secretary of Education was recently confirmed and we must ensure that the Department of Education does not weaken protections for students survivors of sexual harassment and assault.
If you can, please call Secretary DeVos' office at 202-401-3000 [NOTE: I could not get through on this number, the mailbox is full]. If you can't get through on that line, you can use the main Department of Education number: 1-800-872-5327 (press 3). [NOTE: I did get through on this number after pressing 3, but i was on hold for quite a while]
Here is a suggested script to tell Secretary DeVos to keep Title IX strong and ensure that schools are safe and supportive so survivors can continue their education:
Point 1: Hi, my name is [your name] and I am from [State].
I am calling because I care about Title IX’s protection of students’ rights to go to school in a safe environment, free from discrimination and violence.
Please tell Secretary DeVos that I want the Department to keep in place Title IX guidance on preventing and addressing sexual harassment and assault and protecting transgender students from discrimination. I also want the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to continue its strong enforcement of Title IX and to keep publishing the list of schools under investigation for Title IX violations.
[If you have any additional comments, you can add them here].