Complainants and Respondents have the right to have an advisor present during the investigation and resolution process, including when filing a complaint, interviewing the Investigative Authority, and attending any other meetings or hearings related to the investigation and resolution process. Contact a Title IX advisor in Florida in case you require one.
The mission of this law was to eliminate sexual discrimination in all federally supported educational programs, including high schools and universities. Though initially intended to police schools, it has become the primary mechanism through which schools police their students during the previous fifty years.
What is Title IX for?
Title IX is a federal civil rights statute that forbids discrimination in federally financed education programs or activities based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Title IX prohibits sexual harassment, sexual violence, or gender-based discrimination that would prevent a person from receiving educational benefits and opportunities.
Under Title IX, schools must ensure that all students and staff have equal access to education and educational facilities regardless of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Title IX prohibits sexual harassment and sexual violence as forms of gender discrimination.
Role of an advisor
The primary function of the Advisor is to provide assistance to the party. The Advisor may also sit in on the proceedings and offer advice to the client. On the other hand, the Advisor does not take part in any of the proceedings. If an Advisor violates the Office for Accessibility and Gender Equity’s rules of etiquette, they may be prohibited from attending.
An advisor may not speak or ask questions on behalf of a party.
Prior to conversations with the Investigator or Title IX Coordinator, an Advisor can advise the party on what to say and what questions to ask. Civil procedure and evidence rules do not apply to the investigation and resolution process.
Who is eligible to serve as an advisor?
The Advisor can be whomever a party chooses (legal counsel, a parent, a roommate, etc. ). Still, the Advisor cannot be another party or a witness in the case under inquiry.
What happens if you don’t have access to an Advisor?
If no Advisor has been hired before the hearing phase of a formal investigation, the Office for Accessibility and Gender Equity will supply both Complainants and Respondents with one.
Conclusion:
Schools must take proactive measures to avoid and respond to allegations of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other types of gender-based violence, retaliation, and discrimination and have an impartial and timely process for reviewing and adjudicating reported incidents.
