More than 250 ACCS employees across Alabama’s 24 community colleges completed months of Title IX compliance training ahead of the fall semester in partnership with Institutional Compliance Solutions (ICS). The move marked the first in which ICS provided training systemwide.
The Title IX training, which amounted to ACCS teams collectively completing more than 1,300 online and live courses, gave each team the tools and resources needed to be successful in complying with the new Title IX of the Higher Education Act regulations.
Title IX is a federal law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities. Title IX states that “no person enrolled in college, that receives federal financial assistance, shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity.”
New Title IX regulations were published in May 2020 and took effect in August of last year. Among the changes were the requirement for colleges to offer clear, accessible options for any person to report sexual harassment. Title IX not only covers offenses related to sexual harassment but other areas like pregnancy and parenting.
Shawra Rainer, Student Success Compliance Officer for the Alabama Community College System, said “it was critical that Alabama’s community college employees were knowledgeable on how to implement the updates into current practices. Our goal was to ensure across the board that every college received high quality training.”
Employees were trained through Institutional Compliance Solution (ICS) who developed Title IX University for our colleges. ICS is a consulting firm that specializes in Title IX compliance.
Title IX University benefitted ACCS employees by ensuring colleges are compliant with the law. Title IX University includes access to recorded trainings, live trainings, articles, templates, access to a user community of over 5,000 professionals, and more. In addition to training employees, Rainer said the ACCS developed and published a systemwide Title IX policy that ensures compliance with the new federal regulations.
Residents who work at or attend Alabama’s community colleges can access information for their Title IX coordinators on their college’s Title IX website.