Too often, students who are sexually abused or harassed by their peers, teachers, or coaches at school receive little help from their educational institutions. Worse still, when confronted with allegations of sexual abuse, school administrators sometimes side with the abuser. Title IX gives victims a chance for justice. The law allows abuse victims to sue and recover money damages from educational institutions that show indifference to allegations of sexual abuse or harassment. More than forty years ago, Congress passed Title IX as part of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972. The law was originally meant to break the glass ceiling women faced at American institutions of higher learning. Over time, though, Title IX has evolved into a powerful weapon for victims of sexual abuse and harassment. Title IX gives students the right to sue schools for indifference to abuse by fellow students, teachers, and other school employees. Teachers and school administrators are also protected under Title IX from sexual abuse and harassment at work. There are several requirements for a successful Title IX lawsuit. First, only schools that receive federal funds are subject to the law. Second, an “appropriate school official” must have actual notice of the alleged abuse or harassment. Third, the school official must respond to the allegations with “deliberate indifference.” All public schools receive federal funds, and are thus subject to Title IX liability. But what if the victim was abused at a private school? Luckily for abuse victims, many private schools receive federal funds. In one Pennsylvania case, for example, a judge allowed an abuse victim to sue a private catholic high school under Title IX because the institution took federal subsidies for a school lunch program.