Civil Rights

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E+ / Getty
Equity & Diversity Race-Based Affinity Groups Should Be Open to All Students, Biden Admin. Tells Schools
In new guidance, the Education Department cites examples of school policies or programs that violate civil rights law.
Libby Stanford, August 29, 2023
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5 min read
The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on February 21, 2021.
The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on February 21, 2021. The office for civil rights within the federal Education Department is responsible for resolving complaints of discrimination and enforcing civil rights laws.
Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP Images
Equity & Diversity How a Federal Office Investigates and Resolves Discrimination Complaints Against Schools
What is OCR, how do you file a complaint, and what relief can it offer for students or staff whose civil rights may have been violated?
Eesha Pendharkar, August 16, 2023
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7 min read
People protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington on June 29, 2023. The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
Demonstrators outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29, the day the court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. The Biden administration on Aug. 14 issued guidance on other ways colleges to promote racial diversity.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts Biden Administration Outlines How Colleges Can Pursue Racial Diversity After Court Ruling
The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice say universities may partner with schools on outreach and recruitment of minority students.
Mark Walsh, August 14, 2023
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5 min read
Illustration of person sitting with knees to chest and hands pointing at them and one have reaching out and open to offer help.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Equity & Diversity District Failed to Protect Nonbinary Student From Harassment, Federal Investigation Finds
A Wisconsin district may owe compensatory instruction to a nonbinary student for excluding them from some in-person instruction.
Eesha Pendharkar, August 4, 2023
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5 min read
A blue, monochromatic illustration shows an empty classroom chair in front of a chalkboard.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Biden Administration Asks Districts to Investigate Their Discipline Disparities
A new letter marks the latest salvo in a years-long debate over school discipline.
Evie Blad, June 9, 2023
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7 min read
photograph of a magnifying glass on an open book
Valiantsin Suprunovich/iStock
Reading & Literacy A School District's Book Removals May Have Violated Students' Civil Rights
A Georgia district’s removal of books about LGBTQ+ and racial minorities may have violated students’ civil rights, OCR determined.
Eesha Pendharkar, May 26, 2023
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7 min read
A hand-drawn swastika is seen on the front of Union Station near the Capitol in Washington.
A hand-drawn swastika is seen on the front of Union Station near the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 28, 2022. Such vandalism is part of a nationwide rise in antisemitic incidents the White House wants to address.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Equity & Diversity Schools Are Part of the Biden Administration's Plan for Combating Antisemitism
The call to action for schools is part of a first-of-its-kind federal strategy.
Evie Blad, May 25, 2023
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4 min read
Protesters at the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., on March 29, 2023. This year, the office of Civil Rights received more complaints of Title IX violations, the federal law that protects trans students, than any other kind of complaint.
Protesters of Kentucky Senate bill SB150, known as the Transgender Health Bill, cheer on speakers during a rally on the lawn of the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., on March 29, 2023. For fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Department of Education received 9,498 complaints alleging Title IX violations, the federal law that protects transgender students.
Timothy D. Easley/AP
Equity & Diversity The Ed. Dept. Received the Most Civil Rights Complaints in History Last Year
The Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Education received 18,804 complaints in 2022, but over 7,300 came from a single person.
Eesha Pendharkar, May 8, 2023
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4 min read
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vladwei/iStock/Getty<br/>
School & District Management Better Principal Data Is Critical to Close Equity Gaps, Groups Tell Feds
Advocates argue that the data will help state policy makers, preparation programs, and advocates make better decisions.
Denisa R. Superville, March 30, 2023
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5 min read
Illustration of numerous computer windows overlapping with creepy eyeballs inside the close, open, and minimize circles within the various window screens.
Daniel Hertzberg for Education Week
Privacy & Security Why Student Data Privacy Is a Civil Rights Issue
Data privacy problems in schools could be disproportionately hurting specific groups.
Lauraine Langreo, March 8, 2023
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2 min read
Rebekah Bruesehoff, 14, poses for a portrait in New Jersey, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. The transgender teenager competes on her middle school field hockey team and hopes to keep playing in high school. "It’s all been positive,” she said. “The coaches have been really helpful.”
Rebekah Bruesehoff poses for a portrait in New Jersey, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. The now 16-year-old transgender teenager said playing field hockey gives her "confidence, strength, and a place to belong," during a press conference on a bill to limit transgender youth participation in sports on March 8, 2023.
Matt Rourke/AP
Equity & Diversity With No Action From Biden, House GOP Seeks to Ban Trans Girls From School Sports
The Biden administration last June proposed protections for LGBTQ students, but hasn't said those protections apply to trans athletes.
Libby Stanford, March 8, 2023
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4 min read
Image of papers on a desk.
smolaw11/iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity What Researchers Learned From Analyzing Decades of Civil Rights Complaints Against Schools
Large, segregated districts are more likely to have OCR complaints filed against them, a new report shows
Eesha Pendharkar, December 30, 2022
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4 min read
Banned books are visible at the Central Library, a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system, in New York City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. The books are banned in several public schools and libraries in the U.S., but young people can read digital versions from anywhere through the library. The Brooklyn Public Library offers free membership to anyone in the U.S. aged 13 to 21 who wants to check out and read books digitally in response to the nationwide wave of book censorship and restrictions.
Banned books are on diplay at the Central Library, a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system, in New York City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. Some of these books are among those banned by school districts in Texas.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
School & District Management ACLU Texas Files OCR Complaint Over a District's Anti-Trans Book Ban
The group claims the Keller school district's new policy to remove books about gender fluidity from library shelves violates federal law.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 30, 2022
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4 min read
A rifle hangs on display in the window of the West Endicott & Susquehanna Arms Co., Monday, May 16, 2022, where the Buffalo shooting suspect purchased fire arms in Endicott, N.Y.
A rifle hangs on display in the window of an Endicott, N.Y., gun shop where the Buffalo shooting suspect purchased firearms.
Michael Hill/AP
School Climate & Safety Responding to Student Threats: Schools Wrestle With How to Prevent Violence
The deadly shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, N.Y., spotlight the complexity of flagging and responding to potential warning signs.
Evie Blad, May 18, 2022
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11 min read
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