Education Department Rescinds 2024 Title IX Regulation

The U.S. Department of Education has formally rescinded the Biden administration’s 2024 Title IX regulation and restored the 2020 regulatory text, putting into the federal rulebook standards the department says it has already been enforcing. The final rule was issued Monday, September 28, and was scheduled for formal publication Tuesday, September 29. The 2024 regulation expanded Title IX’s sex-discrimination protections to cover sexual orientation and gender identity and changed how schools handle complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination. The restored 2020 framework governs schools’ responses to such complaints and provides procedural rights for students accused of misconduct, including the ability to call witnesses, have representation and appear at a hearing, according to reports on the rule. A federal judge vacated the 2024 regulation nationwide in January 2025. The Education Department then said it would enforce the 2020 rules. The department said remaining litigation over the 2024 rule was dismissed in August, allowing it to formally remove that text from the Code of Federal Regulations.