OCR Will Now Dismiss Complaints By "Frequent Flyers"

The Department of Education has recently revised its Case Processing Manual to permit OCR to dismiss complaints in the interest of efficiency. Section 108 of the Manual lists the grounds on which the agency can dismiss a complaint in lieu of, or an any point during, an investigation. These grounds have long included things like: lack of jurisdiction, failure to state a violation of law, insufficient factual allegations, and duplication of an ongoing enforcement action in a state or local agency. But the Department now also permits OCR to dismiss a complaint that is "a continuation of a pattern of complaints previously filed with OCR by an individual or group against multiple recipients" as well as complaints filed for the first time against multiple recipients that "viewed as a whole, places an unreasonable burden on OCR’s resources."  According to the New York times report on this change, the agency justifies this new policy on grounds that it permits them to set priorities for enforcement and to use resources efficiently, by addressing the problem of activists, so-called "frequent flyers," clogging up the enforcement docket with routine filings and mass complaints. 

While this may be new language in the Manual, OCR's aversion to routine and mass complaints is not new in practice. I've seen examples in which OCR dismissed complaints by routine filers on grounds that wouldn't have applied to other complaints. For instance, the agency has dismissed Title IX complaints filed by individuals who routinely challenge inequitable distribution of athletic opportunities in public schools.  In my observation, the rationale for these dismissals -- particularly, in requiring complainants to produce an unreasonable and illogical amount of evidence of unmet interest -- are not consistent with the agency's overall practice.

I suppose it is better that the agency has added a provision expressly permitting the dismissal or mass complaints than to distort the legal standard in ways that could create harmful precedent for all complaints. But I still find it troubling. Because of the way that Title IX and other civil rights laws are structured, the only penalty OCR can impose or threaten is the loss of federal funding -- but it must provide the institution notice of its noncompliance and an opportunity to correct the problem before any funding is withdrawn. As a result, the threat of administrative enforcement does very little to inspire institutions to proactively comply. Why would they?  Compliance is often expensive and unpopular. If you have the choice between doing it now, or maybe having to do it later because OCR has shown up and said, "this is what you have to do in order to comply," why would anyone choose now? Thus, activists filed mass complaints not to be annoying, but because they are the only thing that gets institutions to focus on their compliance obligations.

So while I see the agency's point of view about efficiency and maintaining control over their own enforcement priorities, I am concerned that this new enforcement policy simply makes it even easier for institutions to put off compliance. By cutting off enforcement at the knees, it sustains the persistent gap between what the law clearly requires and what educational institutions actually do in practice.

For Now 4-H Rodeo May Continue to Label Events for Boys and Girls

In South Dakota, 4-H rodeo is under Title IX scrutiny because of its practice of labeling events for boys and girls. Boys' events include riding bulls and broncs, while girls compete in goat-roping and ribbon-roping.  The USDA, which administers federal funding to 4-H programs*, has apparently taken issue with this practice since the 1970s, so it's unclear why the practice has persisted until now, nor is it clear what prompted the agency to reach out last year with a request to remove the labels "boys" and "girls" from the respective events or risk ineligibility for federal funds.

It's also unclear why 4-H has been resisting the agency's request, given that the "boys" and "girls" labels conflict with the organization's reported actual practice of permitting participants of either sex to compete in all events.  If the labels aren't signalling actual exclusion, what purpose do they even serve?  The only purpose I can see is norm-setting. 4-H is effectively telling girls, "we won't tell you you can't ride a bull, but we can tell you 4-H doesn't think that's appropriate feminine behavior." And the same goes for boys and goat- and ribbon-roping (which Wikipedia explains here).  Sex-stereotyping is a well established aspect of sex discrimination that is prohibited by statutes like Title IX.

For now, however, the Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has temporarily halted the USDA's enforcement efforts. Yesterday it was reported that the agency will embark on a "broader review" of its Title IX regulations, and the Secretary says it would not be "appropriate" to upend decades of tradition in South Dakota while this review is pending. South Dakota is one of two states that has 4-H rodeo; and New Mexico's 4-H rodeo reportedly does not label its events by gender.

*This is the first time we've blogged about 4-H and Title IX. Because it is an educational program that receives federal funds, it is subject to Title IX.  However, it must comply with the USDA's interpretation of the statute rather than the Department of Education's, because the USDA is the agency that administers its funds. 

Big Payouts--Not to Victims

A few weeks ago I wrote about the costs of Title IX violations focusing on the money schools are spending to defend themselves against lawsuits. I mentioned, in that post, that the costs Baylor has incurred are unknown; only that they continue to litigate several cases involving multiple plaintiffs and that they have settled one case.

But Baylor has not just been negotiating settlements with plaintiffs. This week we found out what Baylor paid a lot of money to get rid of former football coach Art Briles and former president, Kenneth Starr. In June 2016, the school reached agreements with both men. Briles received $15.1 million and Starr's severance was $4.5 million.

Baylor's settlement with one victim in the fall of 2017 was confidential. My educated guess is that it was not even close to what these men received.

I want to also note the difference in the amount of the settlements. Coaches get bought out of contracts all the time--a practice which I find infuriating but almost unbearable when the coach is being released because of bad behavior. Briles is just the latest of this group. (Technically not the latest. Rick Pitino is being paid very well for his role in the college basketball bribery scandal. The information about Briles's severance is the newest, however.)

Look at the payouts and figure out who had power and influence on that campus and think about how Baylor continues to deny there was a culture of sexual hostility on campus. Football players were not the only perpetrators, but they were definitely protected by the system. The system, if we are going based on payouts, that Briles ruled over--even more so than the university's president.

Another former president may also be rewarded for her complicity in the sexual abuse of gymnasts scandal. Lou Anna Simon, who stepped down as the president of Michigan State University could get over $1million easily if she comes back as a faculty member in addition to a slew of other perks and benefits. There was some outrage over the conditions stipulated in her contract but I have nor heard any more about whether she will be returning and under what conditions.