# Understanding the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2025

This bill requires colleges and universities to create stronger policies and programs to prevent harassment of students based on race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, or religion. The bill is named after Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student who died by suicide in 2010 after being harassed by roommates who secretly recorded him in intimate situations.

The main requirement is that every college receiving federal financial aid must now include a detailed anti-harassment policy in the information they give to students. This policy needs to spell out what harassment is, where it's prohibited (including online through school email and social media), what programs the school offers to prevent it, and what students should do if they experience it. Schools also have to describe the procedures they'll follow when investigating harassment complaints and explain what consequences harassers might face. Additionally, colleges must identify a specific person or office responsible for receiving and tracking all harassment reports, and they need to tell students about counseling and support services available to both victims and accused students.

To help colleges implement these protections, the bill creates a competitive grant program offering up to $50 million per year from 2026 through 2031. Schools can use these grants to start new programs or expand existing ones focused on preventing harassment, providing counseling to affected students, or training staff and students to recognize and respond to harassment. The bill also requires colleges to report on how well their programs work, and the Department of Education will compile this information into a guide of best practices that all schools can use.

The bill doesn't replace existing civil rights protections—it adds to them. Students still have all the same rights they had under Title IX (which covers sex discrimination) and other federal civil rights laws. This bill simply ensures that every college has clear, consistent policies about harassment and takes active steps to prevent it.