Announcement of Public Hearing; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 27429-27430 [2021-10629]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 96 (Thursday, May 20, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27429-27430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-10629]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Announcement of Public Hearing; Title IX of the Education 
Amendments of 1972

AGENCY: Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights 
(OCR) announces a virtual public hearing to gather information for the 
purpose of improving enforcement of Title IX of the Education 
Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). OCR seeks comments from the public at 
the hearing on steps the Department can take to ensure that schools are 
providing students with educational environments free from 
discrimination in the form of sexual harassment, which encompasses 
sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence; to ensure that 
schools have grievance procedures that provide for the fair, prompt, 
and equitable resolution of reports of sexual harassment and other sex 
discrimination, cognizant of the sensitive issues that are often 
involved; and to address discrimination based on sexual orientation and 
gender identity in educational environments. This notice provides 
information to members of the public regarding the hearing and OCR's 
request for live and written comments, and sets forth the dates and 
times, agenda, and instructions for attending this public hearing.

DATES: The dates and times when the public hearing will take place are 
listed under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

ADDRESSES: The Title IX public hearing will be held virtually. See the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for information on how to 
register to provide live comments during the hearing, how to submit 
written comments, and how to attend the hearing to listen to comments 
from others.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alejandro Reyes, Director, Program 
Legal Group, Office for Civil Rights. Telephone: (202) 245-7272. Email: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: OCR is conducting this hearing pursuant to Executive 
Order 14021, Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free from 
Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation or 
Gender Identity, published in the Federal Register on March 11, 2021 
(86 FR 13803), which directs the Secretary of Education to review the 
rule entitled ``Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education 
Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance,'' 
published in the Federal Register on May 19, 2020 (85 FR 30026), and 
other agency actions that are or may be inconsistent with governing 
law, including Title IX, and the Executive order. This hearing is also 
a step toward fulfilling the directives of Executive Order 13988, 
Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity 
or Sexual Orientation, published in the Federal Register on January 25, 
2021 (86 FR 7023).
    This section describes the agenda for the hearing, participation 
opportunities for members of the public, the format of the hearing, and 
information about the registration process to provide a live comment 
during the hearing, to submit a written comment, and to attend the 
hearing to listen to the comments of others.
    Agenda: This public hearing is part of OCR's review of the Title IX 
regulations, including the 2020 amendments to the regulations, and 
other agency actions related to discrimination in the form of sexual 
harassment, including sexual violence, in educational environments, and 
including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender 
identity in educational environments.
    OCR has a particular interest in receiving live comments through 
the virtual hearing platform and written comments through the email 
address provided below on the Title IX regulations related to sexual 
harassment, including the 2020 amendments to the regulations. We also 
have a particular interest in receiving comments on discrimination 
based on sexual orientation and gender identity in educational 
environments. For participants who choose to address the 2020 
amendments to the Title IX regulations related to sexual harassment or 
other topics, OCR encourages commenters to be as specific and detailed 
as possible regarding the regulatory provisions they are commenting on 
and the proposals they would like OCR to consider. Although OCR has a 
particular interest in receiving comments on the two topics identified 
above, participants may choose to address any topic regarding Title IX.
    For more information about Title IX, please see www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html.
    Dates and Times: The public hearing will be held on the following 
dates and times:

June 7, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern time
June 8, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern time
June 9, 2021, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern time
June 10, 2021, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern time
June 11, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern time

    Participation Opportunities: Individuals and organizations have two 
options for participating in this hearing and may choose one or both 
options: (1) Provide a live comment of up to three minutes during the 
virtual hearing; and (2) Submit a written comment.
    Individuals may also attend the hearing to listen to comments from 
others. Please note that the transcript of the hearing will be posted 
to the OCR website as described below.
    Format: The hearing will be held in an audio format. Commenters and 
attendees will not be visible. The hearing will be made available 
simultaneously in additional formats to enable access for individuals 
who are deaf or hard of hearing. For those needing additional 
reasonable accommodations, please see below for further details about 
how to make such a request. OCR staff members will be present for the 
entire hearing.
    How to Attend the Hearing and Provide Comments: Individuals may (1) 
register to provide a live comment during the hearing; (2) submit a 
written comment; and (3) attend the hearing to listen to comments from 
others.
    Live Comments: To request to provide a live comment of three 
minutes or less during the June 7, 2021 to June 11, 2021 hearing, 
please use the registration link below to register to provide a live 
comment on a particular day. The registration form will allow you to 
indicate the topic on which you wish to offer a live comment and 
request a specific two-hour window on the particular day during which 
you would like to offer your comment.


[[Page 27430]]


Registration link--https://cvent.me/1w5YWo

    Individuals may provide only one live comment. OCR is interested in 
receiving comments that reflect a wide diversity of viewpoints and 
experiences. For this reason, we ask that those who are working 
together on comments avoid duplication of live comments to the extent 
possible. In recognition that some commenters may want to limit the 
disclosure of their personal information, the registration form will 
include instructions for registrants to provide a comment without 
providing their name.
    The registration link is now open. We strongly encourage those who 
wish to provide a live comment to register promptly. Slots for 
providing a live comment will be assigned in the order in which 
requests are received until they are filled. Please note that we have 
reserved some slots for students and educators, as described below. 
Even after all slots are filled, we anticipate that a small number of 
slots may become available prior to or during each day of the hearing 
as a result of cancellations. We encourage those who do not register in 
time to receive a hearing slot to recheck the registration link for 
slots that become available in this way.
    If you are assigned a slot to provide a live comment, you will 
receive an email containing personalized dial-in information, an access 
code, meeting web link, and the approximate time at which you will have 
your turn to comment. Commenters may use either the dial-in information 
or the hearing web link to provide their live comment. Commenters can 
then rejoin the hearing to listen to comments from others by using the 
attendee-only link below.
    Throughout the hearing, OCR has designated slots for students, 
educators, and other commenters. We particularly encourage students who 
wish to provide live comments to register for day two (June 8, 2021) or 
day three (June 9, 2021) of the hearing. We have reserved a greater 
number of slots for students on these days. This will help to ensure 
that students have adequate opportunity to offer their insights and 
perspectives. We also encourage students whose class schedules impede 
participation during the hours of the hearing and others who have 
similar scheduling constraints to participate in the hearing by 
submitting written comments.
    For those who need a reasonable accommodation in order to provide a 
live comment during the hearing, please see the ``Reasonable 
Accommodations'' section below for information about how to make such a 
request.
    American Sign Language translation and closed captioning will be 
provided to all who attend the hearing using the attendee-only link 
below.
    To Attend the Hearing: If you wish to attend the hearing to listen 
to comments from others, please visit the link listed below. No 
registration is required to use this attendee-only link. The attendee-
only link will also be posted in OCR's Newsroom each day of the 
hearing, available at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/newsroom.html.

Attendee-only link--https://cvent.me/8wkwkv.

    For those who wish to attend the hearing but do not have access to 
the internet, please request the dial-in information from the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in this notice.
    To Submit Written Comments: OCR welcomes written comments on the 
topics for this public hearing. You may send your comments by email to 
[email protected]. Please do not send comments or other material 
to other email addresses for OCR or the Department as those materials 
will not be considered part of the record for this hearing.
    Written comments must be received at [email protected] by 5:00 
p.m. Eastern time on June 11, 2021, and include the subject line 
``Written Comment: Title IX Public Hearing (topic of the comment).'' 
The email may include the name(s), occupation, city and State, 
organization/affiliation (if any), and email address of the person(s) 
submitting the written comment, along with the comment. Those wishing 
to maintain their privacy can submit a comment without including 
personally identifiable information.
    Written comments submitted for this hearing are solely for the 
purpose of informing the Department's review of its regulations, 
guidance, and other agency actions under Title IX. Written comments 
will not be treated by OCR as complaints against a school or other 
recipient of Federal funding. To file a complaint of discrimination 
with OCR, please visit ocrcas.ed.gov/contact-ocr, or you may file a 
discrimination complaint by using OCR's online complaint form, 
available at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html. 
OCR also will not notify law enforcement about alleged violations of 
criminal laws. For assistance with reporting child abuse, sexual 
violence, or other crimes, please visit www.usa.gov/report-crime.
    Access to Records of the Hearing: The Department will post a 
transcript of this hearing on the OCR website, at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/newsroom.html, within 30 days of the hearing's 
completion or as soon thereafter as possible. OCR will not make a 
recording of the hearing in light of the potential sensitivity of some 
of the topics under discussion and the Department's interest in 
reducing barriers to participation. If OCR refers in the future to any 
comment that it receives through this process, it will not share any of 
the commenter's personally identifiable information without obtaining 
the commenter's prior consent.
    Reasonable Accommodations: The hearing will be accessible to 
individuals with disabilities. Information for contacting the 
Department to request auxiliary aids or services to provide a live 
comment will be included in the registration process for providing a 
live comment during the hearing. If you will need an auxiliary aid or 
service to provide your comment, please notify the person listed under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in this notice at least two weeks 
before the scheduled meeting date so that OCR can ensure that all have 
access to the hearing, consistent with our Nation's civil rights laws.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site, you can view this 
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published 
in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format 
(PDF). To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 
available free at the site. You also may access documents of the 
Department published in the Federal Register by using the article 
search feature at: www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the 
advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to 
documents published by the Department.

Suzanne B. Goldberg,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. 2021-10629 Filed 5-19-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P