FILE - In the Sept. 12, 2015, file photo, Baylor President Ken Starr waits to run onto the field before an NCAA college football game in Waco, Texas. Baylor University's board of regents says it will fire football coach Art Briles and re-assign Starr in response to questions about its handling of sexual assault complaints against players. The university said in a statement Thursday, May 26, 2016, that it had suspended Briles "with intent to terminate." Starr will leave the position of president on May 31, but the school says he will serve as chancellor. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

WACO, Texas - The Latest on Baylor University's demotion of its president and firing of its football coach amid criticism of the school's handling of sexual assault complaints involving players (all times local):

6:30 p.m.

The U.S. Department of Education says it's aware of Baylor University's announcement that it did not meet federal requirements in dealing with sexual assault cases and "will not hesitate to investigate if necessary."

Spokeswoman Dorie Nolt said Thursday that all students should be protected from sexual violence or sexual harassment on campus.

Baylor is not currently under investigation under Title IX for a sexual violence case.

The university earlier Thursday released the findings of an investigation it ordered into its handling of sexual assault cases. The review found administrators mishandled cases and in one instance retaliated against a victim reporting an assault. The review made recommendations for how Baylor could improve its compliance with federal law.

The university is removing Ken Starr from the presidency and is firing football coach Art Briles.

___

5:30 p.m.

Outgoing Baylor University President Ken Starr has apologized to victims of sexual violence who were not treated with the care, concern and support they deserve.

Starr issued a statement to the Waco Tribune-Herald after the university announced Thursday that it was demoting him and firing football coach Art Briles. Starr will vacate the presidency on May 31 and stay on as chancellor.

The moves followed a review that found that under Starr's leadership, the school did little to respond to accusations of sexual assault involving members of its football program.

Starr insisted Thursday that he didn't know of the problems until fall 2015, and then immediately launched investigations.

Starr applauded Baylor regents for releasing a report that said administrators discouraged students from reporting or participating in student conduct reviews of sexual assault complaints.

___

4 p.m.

A woman who was raped by a Baylor football player when she was a student there says she agrees with the school's dismissal of Ken Starr as its president.

Jasmin Hernandez told The Associated Press on Thursday that she was surprised that the Texas school fired its successful football coach, Art Briles, because she thinks Baylor has allowed the team's priorities to outweigh the health and safety of its students.

She says she's concerned most with the propagation of rape culture at the Waco, Texas, school.

Hernandez, of Yorba Linda, California, says she is pressing on with her federal lawsuit against the school.

Hernandez testified that she was raped by football player Tevin Elliott, who was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

___

3 p.m.

An outspoken critic of the Baylor University's response to sexual assault claims says she's spoken with women who criticized the Baptist school's handling of such claims when they were students there in the 1970s.

Laura Seay ('see), a 2000 graduate of the Waco, Texas, school, said Thursday that the administration too often has opted to give offenders a second chance and not served as an advocate for victims.

She says she's not surprised by a law firm's highly critical report on the school's handling of sexual assault claims but that she was "shocked" to read that official retaliated against someone for reporting an assault.

Seay, an assistant professor of government at Colby College in Maine, helped draft a critical letter to Baylor regents this year that received more than 1,000 signatures.

___

12:15 p.m.

Baylor says a review of how it handles sexual assault complaints revealed a "fundamental failure" to follow federal regulations and investigate allegations of misconduct.

In a statement Thursday, the university said actions by some administrators "directly discouraged" some potential victims from coming forward, and in one case retaliated against someone who did report a sexual assault.

Board of regents chairman Richard Willis said he was "horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus."

The university says it intends to fire football coach Art Briles and remove President Kenneth Starr from his post amid questions about the handling of assault complaints against athletes.

___

11:50 a.m.

Baylor University's board of regents says it will fire football coach Art Briles and re-assign university President Kenneth Starr in response to questions about its handling of sexual assault complaints against players.

The university said in a statement Thursday that it had suspended Briles "with intent to terminate." Starr will leave the position of president on May 31, but the school says he will serve as chancellor.

The university also placed athletic director Ian McCaw on probation.

Baylor asked a law firm last year to conduct a review of its handling of sexual assault cases following allegations that the football program mishandled several cases of players attacking women.

The university's statement said the review revealed "a fundamental failure."

News from © The Associated Press, 2016