OCR Seeks Feedback on Civil Rights Data Collection
On October 17, the Federal Register announced a request for public feedback concerning the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) activities for the 2025-26 and 2027-28 school years. The data collection will be conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
The CRDC has been ongoing since 1968 and Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon emphasized the importance of the data for understanding students' experiences in public schools. The existing survey collects information from public schools serving preschool to grade 12 concerning students' access to educational resources such as courses and school staff, as well as school climate issues, student discipline and harassment reports.
The new request includes additional data for the upcoming CRDC cycles and covers topics such as informal student removals, disciplinary experiences of students placed in private schools, and the presence of threat assessment teams in schools. Because of its critical importance, Lhamon encourages comments on the proposed data elements.
Comments are open for 60 days and will close on or before December 16.