Harvard Law failed to protect students from sexual assault, report finds

Harvard Law School did not do enough to protect students from sexual assault and sexual harassment, an investigation by the US Department of Education found.

The results of the investigation released on Tuesday highlighted two reports of sexual assault. In one, a student was not allowed to participate in her alleged attacker’s appeal, a process that took more than a year and led to a reversal of the findings against him.

The school was also found to have used what the federal government considers to be an outdated standard of proof. Until July, Harvard Law School required that accusers prove by a “clear and convincing” standard that the attack took place. That standard requires a 75 per cent chance the student was attacked.

As part of an agreement with the Department of Education, Harvard Law has agreed to lower that standard to a 50.1% chance the attack took place, called a “preponderance of the evidence” standard.

“I am very pleased to bring to close one of our longest-running sexual violence investigations, and I congratulate Harvard Law School for now committing to comply with Title IX and immediately implement steps to provide a safe learning environment for its students,” said Department of Education assistant secretary Catherine Lhamon.

The finding comes after months of investigation into the centuries-old Ivy League school. The changes, which are university wide, take effect in the 2014-15 academic year. They do not resolve a separate investigation by the department.

The agreement between regulators and the law school required a number of other provisions be put into place, including implementing a new climate survey, training staff and informing victims of their rights when reporting sexual harassment or assault.