When Girls Inc. girls are called upon to take action to defend their rights, they rise to the occasion. That is just what happened after the Department of Education released proposed Title IX regulations that would narrow the definition of sexual harassment, reduce schools’ obligation to address sexual harassment and assault, and create a more complex and intimidating system for reporting and investigating sexual harassment in schools.

Given the acute implications these new regulations would have on the Girls Inc. community, Girls Inc. National hosted a webinar about the proposed regulations and how to offer feedback to the Department of Education. We also sent out campaign-themed postcards for people to write their comments on!

Many of our affiliates engaged girls and community members in sending comments to the Department of Education. For example, Girls Inc. at the YWCA of Minneapolis hosted an event where they encouraged community members to write postcards and submit online comments. And Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, as part of their first-ever Advocacy Forum, worked with Maura McInerney from the Education Law Center to educate girls, family members, and Girls Inc. staff about the impact that the proposed Title IX regulations would have on young people.

These are just two examples of how Girls Inc. girls, families, and staff members got involved in defending girls’ rights to be safe at school. Overall, the Department of Education received more than 100,000 comments, and we are proud to have been an active part of this effort. To learn more about our stance on the proposed Title IX regulations, read Girls Inc. National’s comment on the proposed Title IX regulations.