Stiffer Title IX Policies Rolled Out by Ed. Dept.

Reversal of Bush-Era Stance Part of Push on Civil Rights

The U.S. Department of Education is repealing a Bush-era policy that some critics argue was a way to avoid complying with federal law in providing equal opportunities for female athletes.

Under the move, schools and colleges must now provide stronger evidence that they offer equal opportunities for athletic participation under the federal Title IX gender-equity law.

The move reverses a 2005 policy adopted under President George W. Bush that allowed schools to use just a survey to prove a lack of interest in starting a new women’s sport and encouraged schools to consider a nonresponse to the questionnaire as...