Washington (CNN) The Education Department is preparing to publish a new set of rules that seek to narrow the definition of sexual misconduct on college campuses, The Washington Post reports, citing people familiar with the matter.

The rules are set to be released before Thanksgiving and could be made public as soon as this week, the Post reported.

In August, The New York Times reported that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was preparing new policies to narrow the definition of sexual harassment to mean "unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it denies a person access to the school's education program or activity." The new policy would be a departure from the Obama administration's broader definition of sexual harassment as "unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature."

Narrowing the standard for sexual harassment and assault would have the effect of bolstering the rights of students accused of wrongdoing.

Under the new rules, schools would only be accountable for formal complaints filed through proper channels and for incidents alleged to have taken place on campus, reported the Times, which obtained a draft of the proposed rules.

Read More