Education Dept. rescinds Obama-era guidelines on school sexual misconduct

Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Education Department on Friday rescinded guidance on school sexual abuse issues that was formulated during former President Barack Obama's administration.

In place of two guides for schools in dealing with sexual assault -- issued in 2011 and 2014 -- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced an interim guide in a question-and-answer format to help schools investigate and adjudicate allegations of campus sexual misconduct under federal law.

"This interim guidance will help schools as they work to combat sexual misconduct and will treat all students fairly," DeVos said. "Schools must continue to confront these horrific crimes and behaviors head-on.

"There will be no more sweeping them under the rug. But the process also must be fair and impartial, giving everyone more confidence in its outcomes."

DeVos said earlier this month that a new direction was needed to balance rights of victims and the accused.

A statement from the Education Department on Friday said the agency will prepare new rules for school responsibilities that arise from sexual misconduct complaints under Title IX.

The department added that it will take comments from stakeholders and the public, "a legal procedure the prior administration ignored."