March 9, 2021
President Biden issued an executive order on March 8, 2021 guaranteeing an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual orientation or gender identity. The order requires a review of all agency actions that may be inconsistent with this guarantee and specifically references the Title IX regulations that were issued by the Trump administration in 2020.
The Executive Order further requires that the review occur within 100 days and that the Secretary of Education shall consider suspending, revising, or rescinding—or publishing for notice and comment proposed rules suspending, revising, or rescinding—these regulations and other agency actions that may be inconsistent with the guarantee of an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment, which encompasses sexual violence.
The March 8 executive order and 100 day review are the first steps toward potential changes to the 2020 Title IX federal regulations. The Office of the Title IX Coordinator will be monitoring this process closely. As information becomes available that may affect UW policy or practice, we will provide updates to this post.