Citation

Knipp H. Sch. Soc. Work J. 2022; 47(1): 72-87.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Lyceum Books)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article explores how school social workers can strategically utilize Title IX, the federal mandate banning sex discrimination in educational settings receiving federal funding, to address sexual harassment in the school setting. Although Title IX was not originally conceptualized to explicitly apply to sexual harassment, a series of key Supreme Court decisions in the 1990s established sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination. Since then, various political administrations and social movements have modified the extent to which sexual harassment is addressed under Title IX. Despite the fifty-year history of Title IX, recent empirical studies have concluded that K-12 schools are largely noncompliant with Title IX. Further, the understaffing and underfunding of the Office for Civil Rights paired with the strict liability standard set by the Supreme Court means that few students find recourse for sexual harassment in schools. Despite these challenges, this article considers how school social workers can use Title IX to advocate for more comprehensive prevention efforts and effective responses to sexual harassment in the school system.

Language: en

Keywords

12 SCHOOLS; K–; SEX DISCRIMINATION; SEXUAL HARASSMENT; TITLE IX