about us department of education office of civil rights 400 maryland avenue, sw washington, d.c. 20202-1328 Revised August 2021
title ix
united states the department of education’s office for civil rights (ocr) enforces, among other statutes, title ix of the educational amendments of 1972. title ix protects individuals from discrimination based on sex in programs or educational activities that receive federal financial assistance. title ix states:
scope of title ix
Title IX applies to schools, state and local educational agencies, and other institutions that receive federal financial assistance from the department. These grantees include approximately 17,600 local school districts, more than 5,000 community colleges and charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries and museums. Vocational rehabilitation agencies and education agencies from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and United States Territories are also included.
A recipient institution receiving funds from the department must operate its educational program or activity in a nondiscriminatory manner free from discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity. Some key areas in which recipients have Title IX obligations are: Recruitment, Admissions, and Counseling; financial assistance; athletics; sex-based harassment, which encompasses sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence; treatment of pregnant and parenting students; treatment of lgbtqi+ students; discipline; differentiated education; and employment furthermore, no recipient or other person may intimidate, threaten, coerce, or discriminate against any person for the purpose of interfering with any right or privilege guaranteed by title ix or its implementing regulations, or because the person has filed a report or complained, testified, assisted, participated, or refused to participate in a proceeding under Title IX. Retaliation by a recipient in any way is considered a violation of Title IX. The Department’s Title IX Regulations (Volume 34, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 106) provide additional information on the forms of discrimination prohibited by Title IX.
application of title ix by the ocr
ocr vigorously enforces title ix to ensure that institutions receiving federal financial assistance from the department comply with the law. ocr evaluates, investigates, and resolves complaints alleging sex discrimination. ocr also conducts proactive investigations, through targeted investigations or compliance reviews, to examine potential systemic violations based on sources of information other than complaints.
In addition to its enforcement activities, OCR provides information and guidance to schools, universities, and other educational institutions and agencies to help them voluntarily comply with the law.
For more information on how to file a complaint with OCR, visit https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html. For assistance related to Title IX or other civil rights laws, contact OCR at ocr@ed.gov or 800-421-3481, TDD 800-877-8339.
Upon request, this publication is available in alternative formats, such as braille or large print. For more information, contact the department’s alternate format center at 202-260-0818 or by email at alternateformatcenter@ed.gov. If you have difficulty understanding English, you can request language assistance services to obtain information from the department that is available to the public. These language assistance services are available free of charge. If you need more information about interpretation or translation services, call 1-800-usa-learn (1-800-872-5327) (tty: 1-800-877-8339), email us at ed.language .assistance@ed.gov, or write to us at u.s. Department of Education, Information Resource Center, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20202.
