Stamford Title IX Lawyer
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is the piece of federal legislation that requires federally funded schools to provide equal opportunities for both male and female student-athletes. In addition, Title IX also extends to and requires schools to protect students and faculty from all other forms of sex-based discrimination, including acts of sexual harassment, misconduct, and/or criminal abuse.
If you need help enforcing your Title IX rights or are facing allegations that you violated someone else’s Title IX rights, you should make contacting a seasoned defense attorney one of your top priorities. Unlike criminal cases, where the constitution guarantees the right to legal representation, whether retained or appointed, Title IX cases do not constitutionally guarantee the same rights. Support from a dependable and knowledgeable Stamford Title IX lawyer is essential to achieving the best possible result from your proceeding.
Possible Grounds for a Title IX Investigation
It is worth emphasizing that Title IX investigations are not the same as criminal investigations. If school authorities receive a report that someone has been subjected to criminal sexual misconduct on their campus, the school will typically conduct their own internal investigation and also notify police of the report. In addition to felony offenses like sexual assault, Title IX also covers other forms of sex-based mistreatment such as:
- Harassment and/or stalking.
- Intimate partner violence.
- Date rape and other situations which involve non-consensual sex.
- Discriminatory exclusion from participation in on-campus activities.
- Failure by school authorities to provide appropriate services and remedies to prevent sexual misconduct from negatively impacting students and faculty.
A Stamford Title IX attorney can also help enforce more recently updated Title IX protections specifically designed for LBGTQ+ students.
Basic Steps in a Title IX Case
After a school’s designated Title IX coordinator receives an informal report alleging a Title IX violation, that coordinator will typically set up a meeting with the complainant to ask the complainant preliminary questions and determine whether the complainant would want to file a formal complaint. If the complainant does and the school then decides to open a formal investigation, the school will notify the respondent—the person accused by the complainant of misconduct—of the impending investigation. They may also provide interim measures like class rescheduling and no-contact orders to ensure the complainant’s short-term safety, while the investigation is pending.
At the end of their investigation, school authorities will present a summary statement of their findings to all parties involved. Each party will then have a few days to respond to that statement, and then the school will issue an investigation report. Following the issuance of the investigation reports, there may be either a formal hearing or some form of alternative resolution proceeding to establish whether the respondent violated Title IX and, if so, what disciplinary action they may face from their school as a result. A Title IX lawyer in Stamford can provide vital assistance through each stage of this process, as well as through the process of appealing an unfavorable decision at the end of a Title IX hearing.
Speak With a Stamford Title IX Attorney Today
Being involved in a Title IX investigation at school can be an intensely stressful experience. You should know, though, that you have support from a dependable legal professional with years of experience helping people like you through situations like yours.
A confidential conversation with a Stamford Title IX lawyer can give you answers to pressing questions and confidence about the next steps to take toward proactively enforcing your rights. Call Mark Sherman Law today to schedule a meeting, and see what past clients have said about us on our Avvo.com profile by clicking here.