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Wesley College to revise sexual misconduct policies

Delaware Public Media

Wesley College has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over issues with its Sexual Misconduct Policy.

A student accused of planning and creating an April 2015 live stream of two fellow students engaged in a sexual act was expelled just seven days after the incident - and just days before his graduation.

 

That student filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights saying he did not participate and claiming the college failed to conduct an equitable investigation.

The Office for Civil Rights found Wesley did not give the student a full opportunity to respond to the charges - in violation of his Title IX rights.  It also said the school failed to provide essential procedural protections in this case - and other sexual misconduct cases between 2013 and 2015.

 

The settlement requires Wesley to send amended policies to the Office for Civil Rights for review and approval by the end of the year.  It also mandates school-wide training on sexual harassment and violence issues and creation of a committee to develop plans to better educate students and employees about them.

Wesley also agrees to reinvestigate sexual misconduct cases from 2013 until now and make files from new cases over the next two years available to the Office for Civil Rights

Wesley College, in a statement, said it appreciates the insights and recommendations provided and will incorporate them into their efforts to keep students safe.