Trump administrations Department of Education scraps Biden-era Title IX rules

President Trump’s Department of Education announced Monday that it has scrapped Biden-era Title IX rules that strengthened protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity at schools and universities that receive federal funding.The rules formally rescind regulations put in place by the Biden administration that also expanded the definition of sexual harassment — broadening the number of complaints schools were required to investigate.“Today’s rulemaking clears the Biden Administration’s illegal rewrite of Title IX from the Code of Federal Regulations and restores the commonsense language promulgated in the first Trump Administration, which we have been enforcing since the first days of the Administration,” US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement on Monday.“Thanks to today’s action, the published Title IX regulations faithfully reflects court orders and Congressional intent—reducing confusion for parents, students, and educational institutions,” McMahon said.“We will continue to relentlessly champion equal opportunity for all Americans and hold accountable any school or college that violates the rights, privacy, or athletic opportunities of our women and girls.”Nothing is expected to change in practice for students, parents, and teachers, as the department has enforced its own rules since President Trump took office last year.Title IX is a landmark civil rights law passed in 1972 that banned sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity that receives federal funds.The DOE’s move will return Title IX regulations to match those from Trump’s first presidential term, which established a stricter and narrower definition of what constitutes sexual harassment and gave more due process to those accused of misconduct.The Biden administration’s regulations also axed a requirement to only investigate incidents that occurred on campus and allowed schools to probe alleged sexual misconduct at school ev...