Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02), a survivor of sexual assault, released the following statement on the decision by Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos to begin the rulemaking process for the Department of Education’s Title IX guidance. Title IX guarantees women the right to learn in an educational environment free from discrimination and sexual violence. In 2011, the Obama Administration provided guidance to all colleges and universities about how to prevent and respond to sexual assault on their campuses in what is commonly referred to as the 2011 “Dear Colleague Letter.” The Department of Education Office of Civil Rights based this guidance off existing legal precedent and previous guidance released by both Republican and Democratic administrations.

“Sexual violence is far too prevalent on campuses across the country,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “We should be working to strengthen protections for survivors of sexual assault on campus, while at the same time ensuring that due process rights are protected for all. The decision by Secretary DeVos to develop new guidance creates uncertainty for college communities and endangers students. The Secretary should focus on providing technical assistance to colleges and universities to effectively enforce existing guidance. It’s critical that Secretary DeVos seek extensive input from survivors of campus sexual violence as the Department of Education examines policies for college campuses.”

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