Which statement best describes the role of law enforcement in Title IX investigations?

• A. Criminal investigations may occur in parallel and schools coordinate with law enforcement to avoid interfering with investigations, while ensuring safety.
• B. Law enforcement conducts all Title IX investigations and schools do not participate.
• C. Schools must wait for law enforcement to complete any investigation before initiating their own.
• D. Law enforcement is not involved in Title IX cases under any circumstances.

Answer: (B)

In Title IX matters, law enforcement handles criminal investigations, while the school carries out its own Title IX review to determine whether policy violations occurred and what remedies are needed. These processes can run in parallel, with the school coordinating with law enforcement to avoid interfering with any criminal investigation while still ensuring the safety and rights of the parties. The school does not rely exclusively on law enforcement or wait for a criminal inquiry to be finished before acting, and it retains responsibility for addressing Title IX concerns, providing supportive measures, and implementing appropriate remedies. Descriptions that say law enforcement conducts all Title IX investigations and that schools do not participate, or that schools must wait for law enforcement to complete things first, don’t reflect how Title IX responses are typically managed.