SACRAMENTO –In the final week to submit formal comments to Trump Administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s proposed changes to Title IX, State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) ,released the following statement condemning the proposed regulations as dangerous and backward. Her formal letter, submitted to the U.S. Department of Education this week, warns that the proposed regulations would undermine Title IX protections and cause harm to students and survivors.
“Betsy DeVos’s proposed changes to Title IX set our country backward and undermine the progress we have made to protect all students from harassment and assault. The draft regulations will jeopardize the rights and safety of student survivors while discouraging others from reporting abuse,” said Senator Jackson. “Young women and men deserve to feel safe and protected as they pursue an education. These changes will put countless students in danger by disregarding their trauma and putting them face-to-face with their attacker. Regardless of what the Department of Education does, it is critical that educational institutions continue to protect survivors through policies that treat them with dignity and respect.”
Senator Jackson has long worked to implement protections for student survivors of sexual assault. In 2014, she joint-authored Senate Bill 967, which requires institutions of higher education to educate students about affirmative consent and sexual assault, improve response and prevention efforts, provide services for victims, and implement comprehensive prevention and outreach programs addressing sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. She also authored Senate Bill 186 in 2016 to allow community college districts to extend their jurisdictions beyond their campus borders and use their existing disciplinary process to discipline, expel or suspend students for off-campus sexual assault and sexual exploitation.
Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.