Public comment period opens as proposed Title IX regulations published in the Federal Register

Last month, the Department of Education released an unofficial Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would revise current Title IX regulations. As required by federal law, the department must solicit and consider public feedback before the proposed rules are finalized.

Today, the NPRM was officially published in the Federal Register, allowing the public to submit formal comments to the department. 

We encourage anyone who is concerned about free speech and due process protections in higher education to submit a formal comment.

As we previously wrote, the proposed regulations would roll back fundamental civil liberties, including eliminating students’ right to a live hearing and rejecting the Supreme Court’s definition of sexual harassment in favor of a definition that threatens free speech. FIRE will be submitting a public comment highlighting the detrimental impact the proposed regulations would have on students’ rights.

Additionally, we encourage anyone who is concerned about free speech and due process protections in higher education to submit a formal comment. The 60-day comment period closes at 11:59 pm on September 12, 2022. 

In the coming weeks, FIRE will host a webinar providing information about how to draft a helpful and effective comment. Stay tuned for an announcement of the webinar date.