On Feb. 10, President Trump sent a tweet that said in part, “People’s lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation [of sexual assault, domestic violence, and/or sexual harassment] … There is no recovery for someone falsely accused – life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”

Although I rarely agree with what the president says or does, I agree with this tweet, because an allegation is not a finding of guilt. Each person who is accused of sexual misconduct should have an investigation by an impartial authority and a conclusive findings of fact disseminated in the case.

For many years, as a Maine Department of Education consultant, I advised school districts about the requirement to have a sound and thorough grievance procedure for allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment under Title IX. Every allegation was to be taken seriously and investigated by a school official, usually the Affirmative Action Officer. Each policy was to contain an allowance for a back-up investigator if the allegation was against the Affirmative Action Officer him or herself.

Susan Parks

Augusta