UMaine Vows to Uphold All Students' Rights as Title IX Ruling Throws Wrench in Process

Education attorney Jeffrey Nolan was quoted in an article in the Maine Morning Star regarding the enforcement of updated Title IX rules, which were designed to enhance protections for LGBTQ+ students but are currently blocked by a Kansas court ruling. This leaves Maine's public universities and Bowdoin College following the 2020 version of Title IX, relying on state laws and their own policies for LGBTQ+ protections. The key issues now are procedural, focusing on how discrimination claims are filed and adjudicated under Title IX. Mr. Nolan commented that most universities are following the 2020 version of the policy because the U.S. Department of Education can hold them accountable for those procedures. However, he added, it could be argued that some schools can adopt some of the 2024 regulations as well.

"For schools at a place like Maine... those will just have to wrestle with this procedural piece of whether they feel they want to follow the 2020 regulations," he said.

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