Maryland Title IX Academic Penalties

Schools’ disciplinary boards have broad powers to punish you if they believe that you have violated Title IX. This generally involves harassing, excluding, or even committing a criminal offense against another student because of their sex. Most schools are obligated to investigate these allegations as a condition of receiving federal education funding.

The outcome of these investigations will have a profound impact on your educational future. These boards can expel or suspend students. But even if they do not go this far, a forced change in housing, the imposition of a no-contact order, or even a loss of privileges can have a powerful negative effect on your education.

An attorney could help you to better understand the potential Maryland Title IX academic penalties and work to prevent them from taking effect. Reach out to a dedicated Title IX lawyer today.

Possible Effects on a Student’s Academic Standing

School disciplinary boards have the absolute power to punish any supposed violations of their codes of conduct. Title IX violations certainly fall under this umbrella. The most powerful tool in a disciplinary board’s arsenal is expulsion.

If the board believes that it is more likely than not that a defendant committed a violent sexual offense against another student or a member of staff, they may recommend immediate expulsion, even if a criminal court fails to return a conviction.

Less serious but still a cause for concern is a suspension. Here, the school will mandate that a student leave the institution for a set period of time and may apply for reinstatement when that time period expires. Once again, this punishment is independent of any potential criminal penalties.

Lesser Forms of Discipline

Direct action against a student’s status at school is not the only tool available to Maryland Title IX investigators. For allegations of non-criminal activity, such as exclusion from a club because of a student’s sex, the school may recommend that a defendant be barred from membership in that club.

Other minor accusations may merely result in the issuance of a formal citation that has no real effect but could serve as evidence of poor character in any future proceeding.

Schools may also require a student to cease all contact with an alleged victim. This could have an indirect impact on a student’s status at school by forcing them to withdraw from any shared classes or laboratories, causing them to quit extracurricular activities, or even require them to change housing.

As a result, a Maryland Title IX academic penalty may not directly affect a student’s education but may make their life on campus more difficult and less enjoyable.

Fight Back Against Potential Maryland Title IX Academic Penalties

Receiving notice of any pending Title IX investigation is cause for concern. Even if the allegations are relatively minor, such as excluding a person from membership in a study group because of their sex, the resulting punishments may be harsh.

School disciplinary boards have a wide array of potential punishments for Title IX violations that include issuing formal warning letters, to mandating no contact between the parties, to expulsion.

An attorney could help you to understand the potential consequences for a Title IX conviction before your school’s investigatory board. They can work to craft a defense to protect your academic future and to make your remaining time on campus as enjoyable as possible. If you are facing Maryland Title IX academic penalties, reach out to a lawyer today.