Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is set to revamp an Obama-era directive on how colleges and universities handle sexual assault to create a system that better protects the accused, according to The Washington Post.
DeVos cited examples of survivors and falsely accused alike during her speech at the George Mason University’s Arlington campus where she announced this policy shift today.
She said the Obama-era directives were created with good intentions, but good intentions in this case are not enough. Her vision, she said, is to return to a system that prioritizes due process rights for students that are accused. She said this was in an attempt to uncover “the whole truth.”
She claimed that the Obama administration failed too many survivors and falsely accused because of the absence of due process.
The Obama-era directive, which was praised by many women’s rights groups, said college, university, and school district leaders were required to combat sexual harassment and violence under Title IX, a federal law that protects discrimination based on sex. This directive was praised by many women’s rights groups and criticized by people who claimed it was unfair for the accused.
DeVos encouraged institutions to take sexual misconduct seriously and wants to create a system where all students are protected fairly.
The Department of Education will launch a public notice with a comment period about this matter to understand the public’s view of Title IX with hopes to improve it.
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