New OCR Resources Aid Student Health and Guide Legal Requirements

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has released information important to the civil rights of students with disabilities as well as a data snapshot derived from OCR’s 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). “We issued these new resources to give students, including those with asthma, diabetes, food allergies, and GERD, as well as their families and schools, important tools to understand when and how they are protected by federal disability rights laws,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. The new OCR resources clarify when such health conditions require Section 504 protection, the types of modifications that may be necessary, and how to remedy any past discrimination. In addition, the CRDC snapshot highlights noticeable differences in the treatment of students with disabilities as opposed to their non-disabled peers, namely disparities in disciplinary action in the areas of physical restraint and seclusion.

Read the OCR press release and access links to the resources here.