Supreme Court sets a deliberate-indifference standard for school harassment liability in Gebser

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Gebser v. Lago Vista Independent School District that a school district cannot be held liable for teacher-on-student sexual harassment under Title IX unless an official with authority to correct the misconduct had actual knowledge of it and responded with deliberate indifference. Justice O''Connor wrote the majority; Justices Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer dissented. The "actual knowledge plus deliberate indifference" standard established in Gebser became the governing framework for Title VI hostile environment claims against universities — the same standard DOJ invoked against UCLA in 2026.