Under Title IX, schools that get federal funding must investigate sexual violence reports comprehensively. This federal law considers sexual misconduct as a form of discrimination that is serious enough to prevent the accused student from taking part in educational programs and getting benefits from this participation. If your child has been accused of sexual misconduct in their college or university, you need to hire an education lawyer in California to defend them. This allegation can ruin your child’s academic and future professional career, so you want to seek the best help available.
What to Know About Title IX
As Title IX has been broadly interpreted since its inception, school districts need to hunt down accused students and investigate claims. This is particularly hard due to the political pressure school administration faces from student activists, medical attention, and external political activists. School administrators have no choice but to peruse sexual misconduct accusations and believe the accusers. This is especially true if the accused is a male and the accuser is a female.
As schools assess claims associated with students and their alleged sexual misconduct, they should engage in extensive investigations. These include interviewing the accused, getting statements from witnesses, collecting evidence, and offering the accused a fair hearing before they appear before a neutral tribunal.
A neutral tribunal’s results can have far-reaching implications for the college student accused of sexual misconduct. These include suspension, expulsion, criminal charges, and university admission denial. In fact, the accused can find it hard to land a suitable job in the future.
These proceedings have some issues. Some colleges and universities have legal representatives without giving the accused student the same protection. The student may not be given the due process protection that the constitution guarantees. Unfortunately, if the student’s rights are not protected during these proceedings, they may find it harder to win an appeal. Thankfully, a good Title IX attorney can protect the accused student’s due process rights.
What a Title IX Attorney Can Do
A Title IX investigation can have long-term implications. If your child is facing sexual misconduct accusations, they may need to go through investigations, appear in hearings, and undergo other disciplinary procedures that could take at least a year. Plus, the student-defendant may have to deal with an emotional burden that may be too much for them to bear. Because of the complex and confusing nature of this type of case, the assistance of a skilled attorney is indispensable to make sure the rights of the student are upheld throughout.
