DOE, DOJ Announce Title IX Special Investigations Team
“Amid a staggering volume of Title IX complaints,” the U.S Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday the “Title IX Special Investigations Team” (SIT) to “ensure timely, consistent resolutions to protect students, and especially female athletes, from the pernicious effects of gender ideology in school programs and activities.”
The Title IX SIT “will streamline” Title IX investigations by creating a specialized team of investigators from across ED and DOJ offices. The establishment of the Title IX SIT “will allow personnel to apply a rapid resolution investigation process to the increasing volume of Title IX cases and also enable ED and DOJ to work together to conduct investigations that are fully prepared for ultimate DOJ enforcement.”
“Today’s establishment of the Title IX SIT will benefit women and girls across this nation who have been subjected to discrimination and indignity in their educational activities,”said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “From day one, the Trump Administration has prioritized enforcing Title IX to protect female students and athletes. Traditionally, our Office for Civil Rights (OCR) takes months, even years, to complete Title IX investigations. OCR under this Administration has moved faster than it ever has, and the Title IX SIT will ensure even more rapid and consistent investigations. To all the entities that continue to allow men to compete in women’s sports and use women’s intimate facilities: there’s a new sheriff in town. We will not allow you to get away with denying women’s civil rights any longer.”
“Protecting women and women’s sports is a key priority for this Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This collaborative effort with the Department of Education will enable our attorneys to take comprehensive action when women’s sports or spaces are threatened and use the full power of the law to remedy any violation of women’s civil rights.”
The Title IX SIT includes:
- ED Office for Civil Rights investigators and attorneys
- DOJ Civil Rights Division attorneys
- ED Office of General Counsel attorneys
- ED Student Privacy and Protection Office case workers and an FSA Enforcement investigator