Artificial intelligence has introduced a new category of sexual misconduct that schools and institutions are being asked to navigate with little guidance, limited precedent, and significant legal and reputational risk. AI-generated sexual imagery involving students is no longer a hypothetical threat. It is showing up in K-12 districts and on college campuses right now, and […]
An OCR Reminder: Schools Still Cannot Rely on Law Enforcement Alone Over the past several months, much of the conversation surrounding the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has focused on athletics, parental rights, antisemitism, gender identity, and, more recently, Immediate Action Agreements (IAAs). Those topics have understandably dominated the civil rights […]
The Supreme Court Is Deciding Fewer Cases But Its Influence Continues to Grow Last week, we discussed the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and what it means for Title IX and transgender participation in athletics. This week, we want to step back from any single opinion and look at a broader shift […]
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded its October 2025 Term, issuing several decisions that will shape the legal landscape for schools, colleges, and universities. While not every case directly involved education, many addressed issues that influence civil rights enforcement, federal authority, and institutional compliance. Over the next two weeks, we’ll highlight several of the […]
Most Title IX conversations focus on students. A case the Supreme Court just agreed to hear is a great reminder that the law has never only been about students, and its application to employees has been less settled than many districts and institutions realize. Background On May 18, the Supreme Court accepted Thomas Crowther v. […]
When the federal government opens a Title IX investigation, it is easy to assume that private litigation is not far behind. A May 2026 Eighth Circuit decision says that assumption is worth rethinking. Federal enforcement and private lawsuits operate under different rules, and planning for one does not mean you are prepared for the other. […]
Two significant federal enforcement actions just landed, and taken together they tell a more nuanced story than the headlines suggest. One involves federal findings against four Kansas school districts. The other involves a voluntary resolution agreement with a Massachusetts high school over antisemitism. They are different in nature, but they are connected by a common […]
In Title IX and compliance work, the direction is rarely unclear. We are here to ensure fairness. To protect dignity. To uphold safety. To operate with integrity. That direction does not change. But the path? The path is rarely straight. Policies evolve. Regulations shift. Staffing changes. Cases arrive unexpectedly. Emotions run high. And compliance teams […]
A recent decision from the New Jersey Supreme Court highlights a significant compliance tension many colleges and universities may not have fully appreciated: the intersection of Title IX procedural requirements and collective bargaining grievance procedures embedded in labor agreements. At issue was whether a public university could send a Title IX-related termination to binding arbitration […]
As districts and institutions continue to press on and navigate evolving civil rights expectations, two federal developments are worth paying attention to. Last week, the ED dropped its appeal of a federal court decision that blocked guidance warning schools they could lose federal funding over certain diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. A federal judge had […]
