Women’s Advocates Sue Department of Education Over Handling of Sexual Harassment Data

The National Women’s Law Center, a non-profit group that advocates for women’s rights, has sued the Department of Education in an attempt to gain access to Title IX data related to the agency’s oversight and rule enforcement in regards to sexual harassment in U.S. schools.

The advocacy group filed a complaint Monday in a federal court in Washington, D.C., claiming the Department of Education didn’t meet the standards in line with the a Freedom of Information Act petition in January for data that is considered a “matter of public concern.”

“The records are a matter of public concern,” according to the complaint. “Without their release, students, families, and legal service providers such as NWLC will be kept in the dark about whether and how ED enforces Title IX’s protections for student survivors of sexual harassment, including rape.”

Under former President Barack Obama’s administration, Title IX data was released annually. However, data under President Donald Trump’s administration regarding Title IX hasn’t been released and the NWLC argued that the data is needed in order to understand how the department is handling cases of sexual harassment.

According to the NWLC’s complaint, the Education Department denied the FOIA petition “due to the backlog of requests and the competing demands for the time of staff that are working to respond to [NWLC’s] request.” The department never said when it could reply, and months later, the non-profit group is still left in the dark.

“Radio silence from the Department of Education in response to our simple request to see documents about its enforcement of prohibitions against sexual harassment in schools is totally unacceptable,” Fatima Goss Graves, NWLC President-elect, said in a statement.

The issue gains even more pressure due to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ lack of commitment to keeping the strict Obama-era Title IX enforcement guidelines.

“Despite the clear threat of sexual harassment to students’ educational opportunities, the Department of Education under President Trump’s administration has refused to commit to enforcing federal protections, as Congress charged it to do by statute,” according to the complaint. “In her confirmation hearing, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said it would be ‘premature’ for her to commit to preserving guidance explaining Title IX’s protections for sexual assault survivors.”

The Obama-era rules were set in place in order to prevent campuses from mishandling reports of sexual violence.

Without the release of the data, “it will be harder for victims to hold their schools accountable for their Title IX violations,” Goss Graves said.

Featured Image via Flickr/Marc Nozell