OCR Assembles Easy to Access Resources to Counter Discrimination
In its efforts to protect the rights of elementary and secondary students, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued an “up-to-date compendia of policy resources to support elementary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities in fulfilling their obligations to protect students’ civil rights.”
The 2024-25 school year coincides with the anniversaries of two important milestones in civil rights: the 1954 Brown v Board of Education Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation in U.S. public schools and the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. OCR’s back-to-school resource titled Supporting Education Environments Free from Discrimination: A Resource Collection for Elementary and Secondary Schools compiles existing resources to help stakeholders understand these laws and those that followed.
The resource guide clarifies existing requirements under the law. It reiterates key guidance on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II). This section of the resource guide includes a general overview of Section 504 and Title II and subsections such as Accessibility of Programs and Facilities, Bullying and Harassment, Effective Communication, Equal Access, Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), Race Discrimination in Special Education, and Restraint and Seclusion.