Immediate Release
July 13, 2017
Contact: Marcus Mrowka
202-879-4733
www.aft.org
AFT on Education
Department’s Actions on Campus Sexual Assault
WASHINGTON—Statement by American Federation of
Teachers President Randi Weingarten on Title IX investigations of campus sexual
assaults, including statements and actions by the Department of Education and its
acting assistant secretary for the Office of Civil Rights, Candice Jackson, who
said she disavows most accusers’ claims:
"Sexual assault is nothing to be
flippant about. It is irresponsible and downright dangerous for the top
enforcer of Title IX to make such an unsubstantiated statement that minimizes
the very real crisis of campus sexual violence.
"Jackson’s statement is the
latest in a troubling history of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her
department abandoning their responsibility to uphold the civil rights
protections of all students. Our duty to protect students from campus sexual
assault and to stand up for victims and survivors should never be up for
debate. But for months, DeVos’ Education Department has sent a chilling message
to students and survivors by openly questioning Obama-era rules to protect
students. DeVos’ meetings today with so-called men’s rights groups, and other
fringe groups that want to silence sexual assault survivors’ voices,
legitimatize those efforts. As a survivor of sexual violence, I will not sit
back in silence while Betsy DeVos pretends that rape deniers have something
useful to say about this topic.”
Follow
AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
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