Sexual harassment of students is illegal. A federal law, "Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972" ("Title IX"), prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment, in education programs and activities. All public and private education institutions that receive any federal funds must comply with "Title IX." "Title IX" protects students from harassment connected to any of the academic, educational, extracurricular, athletic, and other programs or activities of schools, regardless of the location. "Title IX" protects both male and female students from sexual harassment by any school employee, another student, or a non-employee third party. Preventing and remedying sexual harassment in schools is essential to ensure a nondiscriminatory, safe environment in which students can learn. Unfortunately, students, parents, and school staff may not know what sexual harassment is, how to stop it, and what can be done to prevent it from happening. This pamphlet uses a question-and-answer format to provide students, parents, school administrators, school employees, and others with fundamental information on recognizing and addressing sexual harassment under "Title IX" as it is interpreted by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR is the federal agency responsible for enforcing "Title IX" in schools that receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education. This pamphlet is comprised of three parts. Part One: Defining Sexual Harassment, contains: (1) What is sexual harassment? (2) What are some examples of sexual conduct? (3) Is all physical contact sexual in nature? (4) What is the sexual contact is criminal in nature" (5) Must the sexual conduct be unwelcome? (7) When does sexual conduct deny or limit a student's ability to participate in or benefit from a school's education program? (7) Can young school children engage in sexual harassment? and (8) Are gay and lesbian students protected from sexual harassment? Part Two: Responding to Sexual Harassment, contains: (9) How should a school respond when it receives information about alleged sexual harassment? (10) What if the victim requests confidentiality or asks that the complaint not be pursued? (11) Does a school have to do anything about sexual harassment if a particular incident is not reported to the school? (12) What actions, if any, should schools take while investigating a complaint? (13) What does a school have to do once the investigation is complete? (14) What are some examples of the steps a school should take to end harassment and prevent it from happening again? and (15) What are some examples of how a school can remedy the effects of sexual harassment? Part Three: Reporting and Preventing Sexual Harassment, contains: (16) Who should report incidents of sexual harassment? (17) To whom should a victim or other individual report the harassment? (18) What if the harasser threatens to retaliate against the victim if he or she reports the incident? (19) What procedures must a school have in place to prevent sexual harassment and resolve complaints? (20) What are grievance procedures? (21) What does the "Title IX" coordinator do? (21) How do I know who my school's "Title IX" coordinator is? (22) What other steps can a school take to prevent sexual harassment? (23) What is the OCR, and how do I report incidents of sexual harassment to that office? and (24) Where can I get more information about a school's responsibilities to address and prevent sexual harassment?