Henrico School Board to vote on undoing recent changes to Title IX policies

Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision on Aug. 16 that struck down new federal Title IX protections, the Henrico School Board will likely have to repeal recent changes made to the district’s Title IX policies back in June.

Policy changes made in June put Henrico Schools in alignment with new federal Title IX guidelines released in April, which aimed to provide more protections against sexual discrimination to students and school employees. These changes expanded the definition of sexual harassment to include “quid pro harassment” and “hostile environment harassment” and eliminated the distinction between formal and informal complaints.

At a meeting this Thursday, the school board is slated to vote on repealing those changes, along with revisions that would have allowed school principals to conduct sexual discrimination investigations as an alternative to the district’s Title IX coordinator.

In light of the Supreme Court decision, the school board will have to revert back to federal Title IX policies established in 2020, according to HCPS Assistant Director of Communications Ken Blackstone.

“This is currently being litigated at the U.S. Supreme Court level and so any proposed revisions are on hold,” Blackstone said. “We have to revert back to the prior version until the matter is resolved by the Feds.”

The school board will also vote on several new policies this Thursday, including a new “Educational Equity” policy that states HCPS’ commitment to advancing equity in the district’s schools by promoting a “culture of inclusion and belonging” and removing barriers that prevent all students from accessing the same opportunities. New “Family and Community Engagement” policies would also list the district's family engagement initiatives and commitment to working with community groups and organizations.

Another new policy, “Prohibition of Firearms and Other Weapons,” would list the HCPS facilities designated as gun-free zones, with exceptions made for current and retired law enforcement officers.

School board members will also vote on changes to employee drug testing policies and employee drug regulations. New revisions would add marijuana and cannabis oil to the list of substances that are prohibited, but allow employees who are prescribed marijuana or cannabis-based products to meet with the Chief Human Resources Officer, who would make the ultimate decision on whether taking such prescriptions would be allowed.

The school board will also discuss the expansion of HCPS’ Career Ladder program, which provides certain staff with professional learning opportunities, some of which can lead to salary increases. Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, parts of the program will be expanded to school principals, associate and assistant principals, bus drivers, instructional assistants, and office professionals.

The meeting will not include an opportunity for public comment, however, members of the public can submit written comments for the school board's next meeting on Sept. 26.