Amid School Reopening Chaos, DeVos’ Slashed Title IX Protections Go into Effect

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Department of Education’s dangerous new Title IX rule goes into effect. The rule, finalized by Secretary Betsy DeVos in May amid the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, loosens protections for survivors of sexual violence and assault and adds barriers to the processes by which survivors can air grievances and seek redress against perpetrators.

“As schools have started to reopen with little guidance from the Trump administration, students, staff, and entire communities’ health are at acutely high risk. But in the midst of this chaos, Secretary DeVos and Trump’s Department of Education are focused on implementing a new rule that strips protections from survivors of assault and harassment,” said Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US. “Given DeVos’ history, it should come as no surprise that when students and teachers desperately need support, the education secretary is nowhere to be found.”

DeVos’ new rule comes as panic spreads nationwide following the rocky reopening of many schools for in-person learning, despite the ongoing risks posed by COVID-19 — as students, teachers, and school staff convene, the U.S. has blown past five million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the country and over 167,000 deaths, with more reported each day.

COVID-19 SPREADING RAPIDLY IN SCHOOLS THAT HAVE OPENED FOR IN-PERSON LEARNING

• New York Times: 1,193 Quarantined for Covid. Is This a Successful School Reopening?
• Newsweek: Georgia High School With Viral Hallway Photo Reopens Again After 35 Students, Teachers Catch COVID
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• ABC News: Thousands of students, staff sent home nationwide as COVID snarls school reopenings

TEACHERS WORRIED FOR THEIR SAFETY

• CNN: Teachers face Covid-19 fears as school districts decide whether to reopen in person 
• NPR: Teachers Union OKs Strikes If Schools Reopen Without Safety Measures In Place
• USA Today: Teachers are drafting wills along with lesson plans; one even wrote her own obituary

AS PANDEMIC RELIEF DOLLARS FLOWED WITH LITTLE OVERSIGHT, DEVOS ALLIES CASHED IN

• The New Republic: Betsy DeVos’s Plot to Enrich Private Schools Amid the Pandemic
• Salon: Charter schools may have double-dipped as much as $1 billion in PPP small business loans
• Milwaukee Independent: LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE BEING DEPRIVED OF VITAL FEDERAL FUNDING WHILE WISCONSIN SUES BETSY DEVOS

DEVOS M.I.A. AMID THE CHAOS AS ADMIN SPREADS MISINFORMATION

• NBC: Betsy DeVos publicly absent as critical decisions are made on public school reopenings
• ABC News: Trump, DeVos downplay risks of reopening schools, claim children don’t spur transmission

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