A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request for an injunction to prevent Education Secretary Betsy DeVos from moving forward with new Title IX rules set to go into effect on Aug. 14 that impose uniform standards on how colleges handle sexual assault allegations and which will give those accused of assault more protections.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A lawsuit brought by 18 attorneys generals argues the rules would block schools from investigating certain sexual abuse complaints and would discourage students from reporting assault, asking for the effective date to be delayed because it would be too hard for schools and universities to implement complex changes during the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The American Council on Education and 60 higher education associations opposed the new regulations, saying they will \u201cdo more harm than good\u201d and \u201cwill hinder the effort to address sexual assault on campus in a manner that is compassionate and fair to both parties\u201d and multiple organizations filed a brief in support of the attorney generals\u2019 request to delay the implementation date, calling it \u201cas cruel as it is counter-productive\u201d given the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The suit claims fewer sexual harassment complaints will be filed and schools will be \u201cless well equipped to protect their students\u2019 safety and rid their programs and activities of the pernicious effects of sex discrimination.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. District Judge Carl. J. Nichols ruled that the new regulations can go into effect while the lawsuit proceeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent years, dozens of students have won court cases against their colleges for violating their rights under the Obama administration guidelines; DeVos reportedly called hers a \u201chistoric\u201d break from the \u201ckangaroo courts\u201d of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n