Learn more about ATIXA's role in policy matters that impact our field.

ATIXA’s Policy Platform

Executive Summary

The Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) is a professional organization of 8,600 school and college Title IX coordinators, investigators, and administrators interested in serving their districts and campuses more effectively. It is ATIXA’s mission to address gender equity by bringing Title IX professionals together in collaboration to explore best practices, understand industry standards, share resources, and enhance the profession.

The purpose of this ATIXA policy platform is to identify the core issues and policies that ATIXA values as an organization. It creates a funnel through which ATIXA can determine what advocacy actions to take and what legislation and regulatory initiatives to initiate or support.

The ATIXA policy platform centers on advancing the goal of gender equity in education and, to that end, supports policies and actions in areas including: 

• Title IX
• Civil rights for underserved communities in educational institutions
• Educational equity and school climate

While these are broad areas, our level of engagement on specific issues will vary. ATIXA will also annually establish a smaller set of legislative priorities within these areas that will be the primary focus of ATIXA’s policy work.

__________________

Student Loan Deferment for Sexual Violence Survivors Act

Sponsored by Representative Madeleine Dean (D-PA), the Loan Deferment Bill (H.R. 7980) would create a federal financial aid repayment exception for victims of sexual violence and would have the U.S. Department of Education create a Federal financial aid repayment deferment for victims of sexual violence who temporarily withdraw from college in order to seek treatment and focus on the victim’s mental and physical health rehabilitation.

Many victims of sexual violence are forced to temporarily withdraw from college for more than six months. Under current law, there is no deferment exception for these victims and thus their withdrawals from college triggers repayment and interest accrual after six months. The Federal Student Aid (FSA) process, in its present form, does in fact cause a discriminatory effect for victims of sexual violence. The process as it stands creates a discriminatory effect by financially punishing victims of sexual assault if they have to withdraw or take a pause to deal with the impact of the sexual assault. These financial penalties amount to discrimination on the basis of sex through the accrual of interest and the loss of the six-month grace period on student loans. Click here to view the full submitted Student Loan Deferment for Sexual Violence Survivors Act (H.R. 7980).

Who has sponsored the Loan Deferment Bill so far?

A Message from Senator Mazie K. Hirono

A message from Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) in honor of the 50^th Anniversary of Title IX. Senator Hirono honors the legacy of Title IX and the success of the law which fights for sex and gender equity in education. While looking forward to the next 50 years of Title IX, Senator Hirono reintroduced the Patsy T. Mink and Louise M. Slaughter Gender Equity in Education Act (S. 2186). The bill would support the implementation of Title IX by providing resources, funding, and training to those in higher education and K-12 support sex and gender equity in education and fully implement Title IX.

Detailed Policy Platform Efforts

Want to Help with ATIXA’s Legislative Efforts?