Two new internal reports by the United States Department of Education show that complaints of sexual violence to the department have increased significantly since 2009. Charges of sexual assault to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights rose from just 20 in 2009 to 123 last year.
That’s astounding.
Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan
But what makes the report sting is the length of time that students have to wait to seek a resolution to their concern. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) tries to close all complaints within 180 days. Because of the increase in complaints and lack of staffing, that time frame has stretched to four years.
Also–because claims of sexual harassment, sexual assault as well as gender equality problems all fall under Title IX, the OCR has to dedicate the same time and resources to each charge, so claims of sexual assault aren’t given top precedence.
The OCR hasn’t been staffed properly since 1980, so one can imagine the issues that may create. According to the Huffington Post’s review of the report, staffing levels at the OCR went from a high of 1,148 in 1980 to a low of 544 in 2014.
The report is certainly revealing but it wasn’t completed because the department wanted to bring attention to sexual violence. Back in February, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) requested information from Secretary Arne Duncan on what the department was doing to prevent sexual violence. The U.S. Department of Education is also required to give an annual report to Congress.
What followed was a breakdown of sexual violence complaints between 2009 and 2014 at elementary and secondary education (ESE) as well as postsecondary education (PSE) schools. While the majority of the complaints came from college students, a disturbing amount emerged from elementary and postsecondary schools. In 2010 and 2011, 47 complaints were made from students at the ESE level.
To try to combat the problem, an increase in funding would help. President Obama’s 2016 budget has funding of $131 for the OCR inserted but it has to be approved first. If it does move forward, the department may then increase staffing to better manage its case load.
Sexual violence and sexual assault have entered the purview of the national lexicon due to high profile cases of domestic violence involving athletes. The new found attention will hopefully push members of Congress to extend their vision towards sexual violence as well and to increase OCR’s funding.
-JH
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photo credit: AD at Education Commission States Event with Secretary Tom Vilsack 04182012 2 via photopin (license)
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