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Board reverts to prior Title IX policies following federal guidance change
Summary
The Tolland Board voted to revert student and personnel nondiscrimination policies to earlier Title IX–era versions, citing changes in federal administration guidance and a directive to follow the prior iteration of the policies.
The Tolland Board of Education voted on Feb. 12 to revert the district’s nondiscrimination and harassment policies for students and staff to prior iterations tied to earlier Title IX guidance.
Superintendent Dr. Willett told the board the change followed a communication instructing districts to revert to the prior Title IX policy language when federal administrative guidance changed. He said the district would follow the prior versions and asked the board to formally codify the reversal.
Why this matters: Reverting to the earlier policies changes how the district describes and investigates allegations of sex‑based discrimination and harassment. The policies set timelines, investigation protocols, coordinator roles and thresholds for formal inquiries into alleged discrimination for students and staff; reverting affects the district’s official procedures until new or amended policy is adopted.
What the board approved The board approved motions to “revert to and approve” the prior versions of the student policy and the personnel policy as provided in the Feb. 12, 2025 meeting materials. The superintendent said the specific prior iteration referenced for the student policy was dated Sept. 22, 2020.
Board comments and vote Board members asked for clarification about whether the posted policy language was identical to the prior edition; Dr. Willett confirmed it was. A board member asked for a concise summary of the most significant differences; Dr. Willett said gender-protection language and related provisions were the primary distinctions, and that the prior version reestablished “traditional understandings” and thresholds tied to Title IX investigations.
One board member said they respected the legal requirement to revert to the prior version but could not support removing protections and said they would abstain. The motions carried by board vote and were announced as passed.
Next steps The district will implement the prior policy language immediately as required, send the approved policy language to relevant staff, and proceed with any necessary administrative coordination for investigators and coordinators named in the policy.
Ending Board members said they would revisit policy language if federal guidance changes again and noted the personnel and student policies are similar in protocol but tailored for employees or students.
