Clinton Touts Title IX

Clinton Touts Title IX

amaxwell@govexec.com

President Clinton this week instructed department and agency heads to develop measures to ensure effective enforcement of Title IX, a 1972 Education Amendment prohibiting discrimination based on sex.

"Title IX has broken down barriers and expanded opportunities -- opening classroom doors, playing fields, and even the frontiers of space to women and girls across this country . . . and we must recommit ourselves to the goals of this important legislation," Clinton said in the memo.

Clinton directed heads of agencies providing financial assistance to educational programs or activities to develop vigorous new Title IX enforcement plans. Within 60 days of the memo, agencies must identify and describe educational programs or activities they conduct. Each agency must also approximate the budget and size of each program.

Those agencies providing educational programs must also describe any "substantive or procedural issues" that might arise under these activities related to prohibiting discrimination based on sex in the program.

After Clinton receives the reports, he plans to issue an executive order preventing sex, race and color discrimination in federal education programs.

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