San Francisco (Oct. 12, 2022) - As part of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD)’s committment to increase education and awareness about the reporting processes for sexual harassment and assault, Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne announced the district’s intention to implement revisions to district policies based on new federal Title IX regulations which are anticipated to be in place in time for the 2023-2024 school year. 

The proposed regulations, which are currently in a months-long process of public review and comment, are expected to be ratified and released by the Office of Civil Rights in spring 2023 and will likely go into effect for the 2023-2024 school year.

“As a school district we are committed to ensuring our students know their rights and receive the support they need. Our students are important partners in this endeavor, and we are excited to get their input on how we can cultivate safe learning environments where they can thrive,” said Dr. Matt Wayne, SFUSD Superintendent.

The new Title IX Regulations, a draft of which were released in June 2022, propose changes, including:

• A broader definition of sexual harassment and now explicitly covers all forms of gender-based harassment.
• Wider jurisdiction for Title IX oversight.
• Greater opportunities for the district to intervene if harassment occurs off-campus.
• Explicit protections for students based on gender identity and sexual preference. 

The proposed regulations also allow for greater discretion for school districts like SFUSD to outline procedures centering the needs of students within the K-12 context. Once the Office of Civil Rights releases a final version of the new federal regulations, SFUSD will have the opportunity to interpret them in a way that centers SFUSD students and is responsive to the context in SFUSD.

“We believe these federal revisions align with the demands SFUSD students and community members have made over the past year and, furthermore, that they will allow district officials to collaborate with stakeholders across SFUSD to draft policies for our schools that reflect our values and priorities,” said Eva Kellogg, Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equity.

This fall, the SFUSD Office of Equity is partnering closely with the SFUSD Title IX Student Advisory Group (TIXSAG) for the second year. TIXSAG is a cohort of SFUSD students in grades 10 to 12 who collaborate with the Office of Equity in service of the development of more effective policies and practices across SFUSD.

TIXSAG meets monthly to:

• Focus on helping district leaders understand student perspectives.
• Establishing 1, 2, and 5-year goals for addressing sexual harassment in schools.
• Informing the development of student-facing communications, supports, and resources. 
• Providing input on the design of training materials for school staff.
• Collaboratively designing age-appropriate preventive education strategies for students. 
• Influencing the development of Board policies and regulations for future school years, including implementation of the new regulations for the 2023-24 school year.

This year, the Office of Equity has added an additional staff member to help investigate formal Title IX complaints at the district level and has enhanced practices and resources that prevent and mitigate the effects of sexual harassment. The added capacity will bolster the Office of Equity in directly supporting students, as well as the Office’s abilty to provide real time advice and counseling to school sites who are investigating Education Code Sexual Harassment under the District’s Bullying & Harassment Policy.

Learn more about the SFUSD Office of Equity.

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