Area Report for Board of Trustees

Title IX

Core Theme 1: ACCESS, Reduce Barriers and close equity gaps to access for all community members

On March 6, 2025, the Title IX Office and the Office of Student Conduct received model policy language from our Assistant Attorney General addressing Title IX Investigation Procedures, Title IX Employee Disciplinary Hearing Procedures, and Title IX Student Conduct Procedures. Our offices have begun reviewing this model language in comparison to the recently vacated 2024 Title IX regulations to identify any gaps in protections for students and employees.

The purpose of this review is to compile a list of necessary college-level policies to draft and present to the Policy Development Council. This effort will ensure ongoing support and expanded protections for our community, both within and beyond Title IX. Throughout April and May, we will focus on drafting this policy overhaul and aim to present it to the Board on May 28th. At that meeting, we will request approval to submit an Emergency Rule Change for Title IX Student Conduct Procedures to the state Code Revisor’s Office by May 30th.

Once the emergency rule is adopted, we will begin gathering community feedback on the proposed changes to the student conduct code. Additionally, we will begin educating staff and faculty about updates to the Title IX Investigation Procedures and the Title IX Employee Disciplinary Hearing Procedures.

We deeply appreciate the guidance of our Assistant Attorney General and the Attorney General’s Office in providing the model language. With the Board’s support, we remain committed to maintaining and strengthening protections against sex-based harassment and discrimination at Highline College, both within and beyond the scope of Title IX.

Report submitted by Executive Director and Title IX Coordinator, Danielle K. Slota