June 8, 2021 Department of Education (ED) Publishes Covid-19 Handbook for Institutions of Higher EducationED recently announced the release of a COVID-19 handbook entitled “Strategies for Safe Operation and Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education Students, Faculty, and Staff.” The handbook provides strategies for higher education institutions (IHEs) and communities as they work to reopen for in-person instruction safely and equitably. The handbook and additional resources can be found on ACCT’s Federal COVID-19 Guidance for Community Colleges. Title IX Hearings ReminderThe Department of Education's (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is hosting a five-day virtual public hearing on Title IX this week, from June 7, 2021 to June 11, 2021. The purpose of the hearing is to gather information for improving the enforcement of Title IX regulations. The hearing provides an opportunity for students, parents, educators, school staff, administrators and other members of the public to provide input on Title IX and schools' responsibilities to address sexual harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Registration to provide live comments at the hearing has closed. However, written comments can still be submitted before 5 PM on June 11, 2021. Instructions to submit written comments can be found here (page 8 of the document). You can also watch the hearing live here. Registration is not required to watch the hearing live. Secretary of Labor Testifying in Front of the House Education and Labor CommitteeThe House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing entitled "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Labor" at 12:00 PM ET on Wednesday June 9, 2021. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh will testify at the hearing, which will take place via Zoom. For more information and to watch the hearing live, click here. ACCT NOW is the go-to resource for issues affecting community colleges. Our new website features original reporting and research, as well as of-the-moment legislative updates. ACCT NOW also includes articles, reports, and research from outside sources that benefit the ACCT community. Spread the word. Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) E-Alert network. To join, simply e-mail publicpolicy@acct.org with 'LAW Alert' in the subject of the e-mail. For more community college news from inside the beltway, follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/CCTrustees) or like us Facebook (facebook.com/CCTrustees). Have questions? Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts are sent to interested ACCT members to keep you up to date on important legislative activities that impact community colleges. If you no longer wish to receive ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. |