Dems Press for Details on Sexual Assault Initiative

February 24, 2015
  • Industry News

A pair of senators wants more information from Education Secretary Arne Duncan on the department’s efforts to combat campus sexual assault. 

"We are writing in support of your continuing efforts to enforce Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Act (Clery Act) and to ask that you provide additional information about the actions your office is taking to ensure schools receiving federal financial assistance take the necessary steps to prevent sexual assault on their campuses, and to respond promptly and effectively when an assault is reported," Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) wrote Friday in a letter to Duncan. 

The senators are asking the department to turn over the number of Title IX complaints it has received during the past five years. They also want to know how many investigations came from those complaints and how many investigations the department started independently during the same time period. 

Boxer and Gillibrand also asked for additional information, including details about how the department decides to conclude investigations, how long, on average, it takes to complete investigations, and, according to the letter, "why some investigations remain open for years." 

Read more at The Hill: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/233354-dems-press-for-details-on-sexual-assault-initiative