Are you ready for the next school year, or will compliance catch you off guard? In this episode of The Law and Education Podcast, Courtney Bullard is joined by Erica D'Agostino, Senior Title IX and Equity Specialist and team lead at Institutional Compliance Solutions (ICS). Erica's diverse experience spans K-12 education, higher education, disability services, school leadership, investigations, hearings, informal resolution, and work as an external Title IX coordinator. Together, Courtney and Erica walk through ICS's summer compliance checklist and explain why it is such a valuable planning tool for Title IX, Title VI, training, data review, prevention, and policy work. They discuss how compliance teams can create time for meaningful reflection, identify common gaps, prioritize what needs attention, and make sure their procedures and reporting systems are ready before the start of the school year. Erica also explains the importance of partnership across compliance roles, where the responsibilities of Title IX and Title VI overlap, and why progress matters more than perfection. Tune in to learn how schools can use the summer months to build their compliance foundation and enter the next academic year with greater clarity, focus, and confidence.

Key Points From This Episode:

• A brief update on recent federal agency changes affecting education compliance.
• Erica's career background and the different Title IX roles she now serves in at ICS.
• Discover why summer is a critical time for schools to prepare for the year ahead.
• Examine why compliance teams need to schedule focused time for checklist work.
• Explore why proactive planning helps schools avoid future compliance issues.
• Learn how the ICS summer compliance checklist stands out from other approaches.
• Hear about the common review gaps around policies, staffing, procedures, and data.
• How Title IX and Title VI coordinators can partner together on policies and procedures.
• Uncover how summer planning can shape prevention, compliance, and education work.
• Advice on how schools can start with the checklist, identify gaps, and prioritize the next steps.
• Understand why athletics compliance should remain part of Title IX summer planning.

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

K-12 Summer Compliance Checklist

Higher Ed Summer Compliance Checklist

Erica D'Agostino on LinkedIn

Episode 82: Inside the Role of a K-12 Title IX Coordinator

ICS

Higher Ed Community Access

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Virtual Certified IX Training

K-12 Virtual Certified Title IX Training

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on X

Learn about Becoming a Community Partner

Title IX coordination requires a different approach in K-12 and higher education settings, and understanding those distinctions is essential for effective compliance and student support. During this episode, we are joined by Amy Buck, a Senior Title IX and Equity Specialist at ICS. Together, we discuss the difference between serving in higher ed versus K-12 in Title IX. Amy shares insights into why burnout is so common among coordinators, how reporting processes differ between K-12 and college environments, and what school leaders need to understand about Title IX compliance. We also explore the definition of sexual harassment in school districts, navigating teacher misconduct claims, and the qualities that make an effective Title IX coordinator. This episode provides a thoughtful look at the responsibilities, challenges, and impact of those entrusted with creating equitable learning environments.

Key Points From This Episode:

• New trainings from ICS.
• Amy Buck's background in Title IX at K-12 districts and higher ed institutions.
• How to respond to those who claim there is no need for Title IX intervention.
• The definition of sexual harassment in school districts.
• How reporting typically differs between K-12 and higher ed.
• Navigating teacher misconduct claims.
• Recommendations for anyone moving among higher ed and K-12 coordination.
• Aspects that make a great Title IX coordinator.
• What school leaders should understand about Title IX and compliance.

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

ICS

K-12 Summer Checklist

Higher Ed Summer Checklist

K-12 Trainings & Webinars Higher Ed Trainings & Webinars

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Community Access

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on X

Learn about Becoming a Community Partner

Compliance work is uniquely heavy by nature, and burnout is inevitable without sustainable practices. Every compliance team can have balance by creating a better rhythm. In this episode of The Law and Education Podcast, we are discussing some lessons we learned from the recent ICS retreat. Tuning in, you'll hear all about the importance of finding a good rhythm for your compliance team, the power of restoration, real work, and fun, and why all three need to exist within a team, and so much more! We delve into what causes burnout before discussing the importance of sustainable compliance practices. Our host even breaks down three simple 'retreat' ideas that are cost-effective and short, and will have the same impact as our retreat did. Finally, you'll be challenged to find one thing to implement for your team that can create more balance. Thanks for listening!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today's topic: a recap of the recent ICS retreat.
• The importance of finding balance within compliance teams.
• Why your compliance team needs rhythm.
• Three elements of a successful retreat: restoration, real work, and fun.
• Why restoration is protective for compliance workers.
• How doing hard, structural work reduces the weight of burnout.
• The power of fun as a tool for building trust within teams.
• Why burnout isn't always about workload and what sustainable compliance is.
• A breakdown of simple, budget-friendly, and short 'retreat' ideas.

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

ICS Lawyer

Higher Ed Community Access

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Virtual Certified IX Training

K-12 Virtual Certified Title IX Training

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on X

Learn about Becoming a Community Partner

The year 2025 was a reset, not a pause. There are some narratives floating around that 2025 was a slowdown year for civil rights enforcement, but that narrative is wrong. What 2025 actually showed is that enforcement didn't retreat; it restructured. During this episode, we explore the priorities that defined 2025, the decentralization of civil rights enforcement, and what this meant for compliance over the past year. We also dive into the five enforcement realities that emerged and the implications of each of these for the future. The real compliance question for 2026 isn't whether you have policies and procedures; it's whether your compliance house is in order. In 2025, siloed compliance models broke down. Join us as we discuss the impact of this, what centralization truly means, and what to ensure you have on your risk radar as we enter a new year.

Key Points From This Episode:

• A new community partner benefit that ICS is rolling out in 2026.
• The restructuring that defined 2025 in civil rights compliance.
• Which priorities led enforcement politics over the past year.
• Understanding that civil rights enforcement is no longer centralized and the implications of this.
• The five enforcement realities that became impossible to ignore over the past year.
• Assessing whether or not your compliance house is in order.
• Why siloed compliance models broke down in 2025 and what this means for the future.
• What centralization actually means for us.
• Elements to keep on your risk radar in 2026.
• Topics included in the first ICS webinar of the year.

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Register for the 2025 Year-End Compliance Review Webinar Steven Richard on LinkedIn

ICS

Higher Ed Community Access

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Virtual Certified IX Training

K-12 Virtual Certified Title IX Training

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on X

Learn about Becoming a Community Partner

This year has been unlike any other in the compliance world. Across every school district and institution that we support, we have seen the same pattern emerge: expectations rising and responsibilities expanding, and the compliance landscape shifting faster than ever before under this new administration. At ICS, we've tried to offer some real clarity and practical pathways forward to help you stay ahead over the course of the year. During this episode, we unpack the newly released Title IX Student Bystander Training. The goal of this training is to equip students with real skills and to help schools build safer communities from the ground up. Joining us to discuss this topic is Betsy Smith, our Chief Innovation Officer, who led the development of this training. She walks us through what the training covers, why it matters, how to implement the training on the ground, and how schools can bring it to life at their district or school. We're always looking for change in small and big ways, and we are so grateful to be a part of this training. Tune in to hear more.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Looking back at the compliance world in 2025.
• How ICS has worked to meet the needs that have emerged in the past year.
• The new community partner benefit that ICS has launched.
• What the new Title IX Student Bystander Training for K-12 entails.
• What Chief Innovation Officer Betsy Smith has been focused on this year.
• Background on our new Title IX Student Bystander Training and why it is specifically for K-12 students.
• Challenges schools are currently facing that warrant the need for such a training.
• What is most important about this training.
• Content design and an overview of the training.
• Why a choice was made to approach this as bystander training.
• The role of the facilitator guide.
• How the work of Title IX Coordinators makes an impact, even if they can't see it.
• What the broader goal of this training is: culture change through intervention.

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

ICS on YouTubeBetsy Smith on LinkedIn

ICS Title IX Student Bystander Training

Watch the Replay – World Premiere! ICS K-12 Title IX Student Bystander Training

ICS Lawyer

Higher Ed Community Access

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Virtual Certified IX Training

K-12 Virtual Certified Title IX Training

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on X

Learn about Becoming a Community Partner

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is a critical part of the US Department of Education, and today on the Law and Education Podcast, we are discussing the ins and outs of the OCR. We are joined by a partner at Evergreen Education Solutions and former regional director at the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, Beth Gellman-Beer. Tuning in, you'll hear all about the OCR, what they do, what Beth worked on during her 18 years in the OCR, and more. We delve into how the OCR has changed since Beth's time there before discussing how resolution agreements have changed over the last year. Beth even walks us through steps to take if you find out you're under investigation, how schools can figure out what civil rights areas to focus on, and where she sees OCR in the near future. Finally, our guest tells us about what's been going on recently with the OCR and what she's been doing since she left. Thanks for listening!

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Beth Gellman-Beer on LinkedIn

OCR Recent Resolutions

Office for Civil Rights (OCR)

ICS Lawyer

Higher Ed Community Access

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Virtual Certified IX Training

K-12 Virtual Certified Title IX Training

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on X

Learn about Becoming a Community Partner

Artificial intelligence is transforming education, and compliance is no exception. In this episode, we discuss how AI is influencing Title IX and Title VI work, from investigations and training to how students search for information about their rights. We begin with a look behind the scenes at ICS, including updates on community partner renewals, new training opportunities, and upcoming Title VI Coordinator courses. From there, we explore three key questions: How is AI changing where students and staff find compliance resources? Can AI tools safely support Coordinators and investigators in their daily work? And how might parties or advisors use AI in Title IX cases? Throughout, we emphasize the importance of accuracy, accessibility, and oversight, reminding listeners that human judgment and empathy must remain at the core of every compliance process. Tune in for practical ways to navigate AI's growing role in education.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Behind the scenes: The busy renewal season for ICS and Community Partners.
• Popular resources and tools available to ICS Community Partners.
• Details of our spring training calendar, including the "Compliance Core Four" courses.
• Live training in Dallas covering compliance essentials for K–12.
• The growing relevance of AI in Title IX and Title VI compliance.
• Three focus areas: opportunity and risk, student access, and advisor use.
• How AI is changing where students and staff search for resources.
• The risk of misinformation when AI can't locate school policies.
• Steps for improving website accessibility and plain-language content.
• How AI tools can support coordinators through transcription and summarization.
• Guardrails for safe and ethical AI use in compliance work.
• Risks of bias, overgeneralization, inaccuracy, and loss of context in AI outputs.
• How parties and advisors may be using AI to prepare Title IX cases.
• Potential fairness and confidentiality challenges posed by AI-assisted work.
• Why human judgment, empathy, and expertise remain central to compliance.
• Practical takeaways for preparing your institution for AI's growing role.

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Tuesday Takeaways on LinkedIn

Tuesday Takeaways Archive

ICS Lawyer

Higher Ed Community Access

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Virtual Certified IX Training

K-12 Virtual Certified Title IX Training

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on X

Learn about Becoming a Community Partner

The Department of Justice is more active than ever before. At the launch of the new academic school year, we are joined by two formidable legal minds from Salvatore Prescott Porter & Porter. Whitney Pellegrino is a seasoned architect of educational civil rights enforcement and strategic counsel for institutions nationwide. Veronica Percia is a dynamic litigator and former DOJ leader behind some of the most impactful Title IX and discrimination settlements in the country. Both of them bring deep experience and a profound dedication to advancing equity and education. Our conversation kicks off with two DEI updates from the DOJ before we share updates from ICS. Then, we launch into the experiences that have shaped Whitney and Veronica's paths to working in civil rights, what makes working at the DOJ special, and insights into the current landscape and the changes we are seeing today. Next, we discuss what it looks like to be proactive in this space, distinguish between the abstract and specific implications, and look beyond the immediate implications of a complaint to understand what it is symptomatic of. Join us today to hear all this and more.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Background on Whitney Pellegrino and Veronica Percia from Salvatore Prescott Porter & Porter.
• The Bondi Memo issued to federal agencies responsible for enforcing civil rights laws.
• Stephanie Gallagher's recent ruling and the impact it will have on DEI.
• ICS updates including new higher ed and K-12 trainings and the Title VI policy blueprint.
• Whitney's journey to the DOJ.
• Veronica's path to civil rights law.
• What is unique about working at DOJ and what makes the job special.
• The UMBC investigation that Veronica worked on.
• Differences between OCR and DOJ enforcement tools and authority.
• Insights on the current landscape, Title IX, and Title VI.
• Why this is the time to be proactive and supply more civil rights compliance to students.
• Distinguishing between the law in the abstract and the law as it applies to you.
• Understanding that complaints relate to experiences and broader issues.
• What the best defenses to chaos actually are.
• How Whitney and Veronica are supporting schools today.

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Whitney Pellegrino on LinkedIn

Veronica Percia Salvatore Prescott Porter & Porter ICS Title IX Policy Blueprint

ICS Lawyer

Higher Ed Community Access

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Virtual Certified IX Training

K-12 Virtual Certified Title IX Training

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on X

Learn about Becoming a Community Partner

Charlotte McLendon is passionate about supporting community colleges in their Title IX compliance efforts. She joins us today to discuss the Title IX work being done at the Alabama Community College System (ACCS). We unpack the work of ACCS, what Charlotte's role as Student Success Compliance Officer entails, and how her efforts impact each college. Charlotte's Title IX training began in a four-year institution, and she leans on her experience on both sides of the fence to explain the biggest differences between community colleges and four-year colleges, why some three-year and community colleges believe they are exempt from Title IX matters, and her approach to prevention education and Title IX awareness at community colleges. She also shares advice for supporting dual enrollment programs, what to expect at ACCS' upcoming dual enrollment conference, her training protocol for Title IX coordinators and colleges in general, and the ins and outs of pregnancy support in community colleges. Charlotte closes the conversation with a powerful reminder: despite the challenges, this work matters!

Key Points From This Episode:

• What to look forward to in July with ICS.
• Student Success Compliance Officer Charlotte McLendon describes the work of ACCS.
• A closer look at her role at ACCS and how it manifests when supporting each college.
• The biggest differences between community colleges and a four-year institution.
• Why some community colleges believe they don't have any Title IX-related issues.
• Charlotte's approach to prevention education and Title IX visibility at community colleges.
• Her advice for supporting dual enrollment programs and ACCS' dual enrollment conference.
• Unpacking her training protocol for Title IX coordinators.
• Pregnancy support in community colleges and how it differs in four-year institutions.
• Our guest's final thoughts for listeners: keep up the important work!

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Charlotte McLendon at ACCS

Alabama Community College System

ICS Advanced Higher Education Title IX Symposium (Fairfax, VA)

ICS Lawyer

Higher Ed Community Access

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Virtual Certified IX Training

K-12 Virtual Certified Title IX Training

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on X

Learn about Becoming a Community Partner

It is hard to believe that we're already zooming into summer! It's been a wild few months, and this is an informational episode to recap some of what has happened. We start by giving you a peek behind the scenes at ICS, from training planned to a newly launched LinkedIn newsletter. Next, we touch on the May 22nd injunction, the events of May 23rd, and what the newly introduced Civil Rights Fraud Initiative stands to do. Our discussion also explores multiple new executive orders that have emerged recently and delves into Harvard's fight and defense strategy with the administration and the timeline of events. Lastly, we unpack what you can gain from the ICS summer prep worksheets. Thanks for listening!

Key Points From This Episode:

• In-person and live virtual trainings ICS is offering for K-12 and Higher Ed.
• The newly launched Tuesday Takeaways newsletter on LinkedIn.
• Unpacking the implications of the preliminary injunction of May 22nd on Title VII.
• The Supreme Court's recent blocking of its first religious charter school.
• Introduction of a new unit: The Civil Rights Fraud Initiative.
• The new executive order banning disparate impact analysis in civil rights enforcement.
• Another new executive order focused on strengthening and investing in HBCUs.
• A timeline of what Harvard sees as the administration's escalating retaliation campaign.
• What is covered in the 2025 summer prep worksheets from ICS.

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

K-12 Worksheet Higher Ed WorksheetICS Lawyer BlogICS on LinkedInTuesday Takeaways LinkedIn NewsletterHigher Ed Trainings and Webinars'Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy'Title IX, Mental Health and School Safety Symposium

ICS Lawyer

Higher Ed Community Access

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Virtual Certified IX Training

K-12 Virtual Certified Title IX Training

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on LinkedIn

Courtney Bullard on X

Learn about Becoming a Community Partner