HEC/Alert: Vice President Biden Announces New Sexual Violence Prevention Guidance

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The sexual harassment of students, including sexual violence, interferes with students’ right to receive an education free from discrimination and, in the case of sexual violence, is a crime. On April 4, 2011, Vice President Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan introduced comprehensive guidance to help schools, including colleges and universities, better understand their obligations to prevent and respond to the problem of campus sexual assault. Under Title IX, a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination in educational programs and activities on the basis of sex, discrimination can include sexual violence—such as rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, and sexual coercion.

Yesterday’s announcement offers new guidance and also details enforcement strategies that schools and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) may use to end sexual violence, prevent its recurrence, and remedy its effects.

OCR offers technical assistance to help schools achieve voluntary compliance with the civil rights laws it enforces and collaborates to develop approaches to preventing and addressing discrimination. Please visit OCR’s Web site for more information about these and other services. The Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention also provides assistance and training to institutions of higher education seeking to address sexual violence.

The complete announcement regarding efforts to help the nation’s schools address sexual violence, as well as fact sheets and additional resources, is available online.