Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' plan to revamp Title IX regulations could save more than $400 million over the next decade, Education Department analysis obtained by The New York Times reveals. But it would also mean colleges could slash sexual harassment inquiries by 39 percent — and they don't conduct too many investigations to begin with.
As it stands, colleges formally investigate an average of 1.18 sexual harassment allegations each year, department stats show. DeVos' new plans, which are formally unpublished but the Times obtained in August, skew campus policies in favor of those accused of sexual misconduct. They would require schools to only look into allegations that happened on campus and were filed with the correct school officials, slicing the annual average to 0.72 investigations per year, per Education Department analysis. Incidents at off-campus events or anything reported to a dorm residence adviser don't make the cut.
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