The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced in an Aug. 28 press release that a resolution has been reached with the Newark, N.J., Public School District to address alleged Title IX violations concerning sexual harassment and discrimination. The district has committed to implementing a comprehensive set of measures to ensure compliance with federal regulations moving forward, the OCR announced.
“Newark Public Schools did not meet its Title IX obligations to protect its students from sexual harassment, including from district employees, but has now committed to robust resolution terms to provide the safe and nondiscriminatory learning environment that Title IX has promised all students,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon.
OCR found that the district had systematically failed to adequately respond to incidents of sexual harassment and assault against students by both employees and other students, the release said. Also, OCR found that the district failed to adequately notify targeted students and their parents about the outcomes of investigations, the release said.
"OCR also found that the Title IX coordinator did not, and currently does not, coordinate the district’s efforts to comply with its responsibilities under Title IX. As a result, the district has no system in place to monitor whether its schools’ responses to reports of sexual harassment and assault comply with Title IX requirements or to identify emergent patterns or systemic problems by school or districtwide," the news release said.
The district had deferred its Title IX obligations to a state agency for several years without ensuring compliance, the release said. The district's grievance procedures were not compliant with Title IX regulations, including amendments made in 2020, and OCR identified gaps in the district's recordkeeping system used to track incidents of sexual harassment across schools, the release said.
The resolution outlines several measures the district will take to ensure nondiscrimination based on sex, OCR said. By entering into this resolution agreement, the Newark Public School District has committed to ensuring a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students, in compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the release said.
