Ms. Magazine: DeVos Threatens Rights of Rape Survivors—But California is Fighting Back

September 21. 2020

ERA Senior Counsel for Workplace Justice & Public Policy Jessica Stender co-authored a piece with student Caroline Doe for Ms. Magazine about the Title IX bill, SB 493.

They write about how Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill to protect California college students from recent changes to Title IX, requiring schools nationwide to respond differently to student reports of sexual assault and harassment.

In direct response to DeVos’s harmful federal changes, SB 493 will make it easier for California students to report; require schools to investigate most off-campus incidents; and prohibit DeVos’s traumatizing courtroom-style direct cross-examination of survivors by the assailant’s “advisor,” friend or attorney. It would also require proper training of the school officials involved, including training on implicit bias, trauma-informed practices, and the history of racial discrimination in school discipline. The bill does not mandate any form of discipline. Rather, it requires fair investigations, transparent procedures, and appropriate training of school officials. — Jessica Stender, Senior Counsel for Workplace Justice & Public Policy and Caroline Doe

Read the full article here.