Episode 80: Welcome to 2026 - Is Your Compliance House in Order?

Jan 15, 2026

The year 2025 was a reset, not a pause. There are some narratives floating around that 2025 was a slowdown year for civil rights enforcement, but that narrative is wrong. What 2025 actually showed is that enforcement didn’t retreat; it restructured. During this episode, we explore the priorities that defined 2025, the decentralization of civil rights enforcement, and what this meant for compliance over the past year. We also dive into the five enforcement realities that emerged and the implications of each of these for the future. The real compliance question for 2026 isn’t whether you have policies and procedures; it’s whether your compliance house is in order. In 2025, siloed compliance models broke down. Join us as we discuss the impact of this, what centralization truly means, and what to ensure you have on your risk radar as we enter a new year.

Key Points From This Episode:

• A new community partner benefit that ICS is rolling out in 2026.
• The restructuring that defined 2025 in civil rights compliance. 
• Which priorities led enforcement politics over the past year. 
• Understanding that civil rights enforcement is no longer centralized and the implications of this. 
• The five enforcement realities that became impossible to ignore over the past year. 
• Assessing whether or not your compliance house is in order.
• Why siloed compliance models broke down in 2025 and what this means for the future.
• What centralization actually means for us. 
• Elements to keep on your risk radar in 2026. 
• Topics included in the first ICS webinar of the year. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Register for the 2025 Year-End Compliance Review Webinar
Steven Richard on LinkedIn

ICS

Higher Ed Community Access

K-12 Community Access

Higher Ed Virtual Certified IX Training

K-12 Virtual Certified Title IX Training

ICS Blog

Courtney Bullard on X 

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