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Board to review redlined Title IX policy after federal court ruling; emergency adoption deferred
Summary
The board discussed NHSBA-recommended revisions to Title IX policy after a federal court decision in Kentucky vacated the 2024 federal Title IX regulations; staff will return redlined policy materials at the March meeting rather than pursue an emergency adoption tonight.
The Bedford School Board reviewed recommended updates to the district's Title IX policy following a federal court decision in Kentucky that invalidated the 2024 Title IX regulations and effectively reinstated the 2020 regulatory framework.
Assistant Superintendent Tom Liberty and staff explained that the New Hampshire School Boards Association had issued updated sample policies returning to the 2020 standard. The district had been operating under staggered guidance: the high school had been following the 2020 framework during a related court case while some K'0 implementations used the 2024 language. The recent Kentucky federal-court ruling prompted NHSBA to issue a uniform sample policy reverting to the 2020 version.
Superintendent Mike Fournier told the board he would consult with counsel if any Title IX complaint arises before the board formally adopts revised policy language, because the landscape has changed multiple times in the past 15 months. The administration recommended bringing the redlined revisions to the March meeting for the board to review line-by-line; staff said they could not complete a full redline in time for the Feb. 17 meeting.
Board members declined to emergency-adopt the policy without the redline available for review. Fournier said the district would follow applicable law and seek counsel guidance in any Title IX matter in the interim.
Why it matters: Title IX complaint procedures affect how the district responds to allegations of sexual harassment and how it protects both complainants and respondents during investigations. Frequent regulatory changes make timely and accurate policy adoption important; the board asked for a complete redline before acting.
Next steps: Administration will supply a redlined version of the proposed ACAC (Title IX) policy and related impacted policies for board review at the March meeting.
