Melinda Kaufmann Quoted in Hartford Courant on 2024 Title IX Final Rule

In a recent article for the Hartford Courant, Pullman and Comley School Law attorney Melinda B. Kaufmann discussed the implications of injunctions affecting the Department of Education's enforcement of Title IX regulations. She noted that these injunctions, the result of litigation brought by parents' rights groups and state attorneys general who oppose the new protection for LGBTQ+ students, have created uncertainty for school districts across the country.

Melinda highlighted the challenges this presents: “The injunctions have launched schools into 'an unprecedented period of turmoil' as some schools move to implement the new federal policies and others follow the injunction.”

Regarding Connecticut’s position, Melinda points out that the state has long had broader definitions of sexual harassment compared to federal rules: “Connecticut has pretty strong protections for the LGBTQ students already," she said. "I’m not sure that (the rulings are) going to change much in the short term, other than that if a school is enjoined from these specific Title IX regulations, they may be processing those discrimination complaints under a state policy instead of a federal policy.”

The article concluded with a note that "On Monday, the Biden administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to narrow the scope of injunctions in a handful of states and green light implementation of portions of the Final Rule that have not been challenged. Attempts to overturn other injunctive orders are pending in three federal appeals courts."

To read the full article, visit the Hartford Courant website.