Title IX: What Parents Need to Know For Their College Student
When a university contacts your child about a Title IX complaint, it can feel like the ground has shifted overnight. These are serious federal proceedings that carry real consequences, including suspension, expulsion, and a permanent mark on an academic record, and they often run alongside possible criminal investigations or charges. If your son or daughter is facing this situation, reaching out to a Title IX defense lawyer in Massachusetts early is one of the most important moves your family can make.
Here is what you need to understand about how this process works in this state.
What Title IX Actually Does on a College Campus
Title IX, part of the 1972 Education Amendments, prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded schools and universities nationwide. Under the law, schools are required to investigate complaints of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct through a formal grievance process.
That process matters enormously for accused students. Schools use a lower standard of proof than criminal courts, and campus disciplinary findings do not require proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
How Massachusetts Law Adds Another Layer
Federal Title IX does not operate in a vacuum here. Massachusetts has its own parallel protections under M.G.L. Chapter 151C, the Fair Educational Practices Act, which makes sexual harassment by teachers, staff, or other students an unfair educational practice.
Under M.G.L. Chapter 214, § 1C, students also have a right to be free from sexual harassment, which can be enforced directly in Superior Court.
That means your child’s situation could simultaneously involve:
- A university Title IX investigation with its own investigator and hearing panel
- Possible referral to law enforcement and criminal charges under Massachusetts criminal statutes
- Civil litigation under state law
What Due Process Rights Does Your Child Have
Accused students do have procedural rights, though they are not identical to criminal court protections. Under federal Title IX regulations, a respondent is entitled to written notice of the allegations, the right to review evidence gathered during the investigation, the right to have an advisor, including an attorney, present during meetings and hearings, and the right to cross-examine the complainant through that advisor.
Massachusetts law requires colleges and universities to maintain sexual-misconduct policies that address notice, advisor access, impartial investigation procedures, written outcomes, and equal appeal opportunities where an appeal process is available.
These rights exist on paper. Exercising them effectively is a different matter.
Act Now: Contact Riccio Law
As a Title IX defense lawyer in Massachusetts, Attorney Anthony Riccio brings the perspective of a former prosecutor who understands how these overlapping processes work and how evidence from one can affect the other.
Don’t wait until a hearing date is set. Call Riccio Law at (617) 404-8878 or use the contact form to schedule a consultation today.
Title IX: What Parents Need to Know For Their College Student
