NEW DATA SHOWS Secretary DeVos’ Reforms to OCR are Driving Better Results for Students
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education released new data that show students who file civil rights complaints under U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ leadership are served more efficiently and effectively than students who filed civil rights complaints during the previous administration. In fact, OCR has, on average, resolved almost double the number of civil rights complaints per year compared to the prior eight fiscal years. Additionally, OCR has achieved a 60% increase in the number of complaint resolutions that required schools to make changes to protect students’ civil rights.
“From day one, our approach has been clear and unwavering: vigorously enforce civil rights laws, treat students as individuals, and resolve cases both efficiently and effectively,” said Secretary DeVos. “The backlog of cases we inherited should have troubled everyone, as we know justice delayed is justice denied. While many have tried to distort the nature of our approach, the numbers don’t lie. Our approach has been more effective at supporting students and delivering meaningful results.”
“We are reorienting OCR to a neutral, impartial law enforcement agency and that is having tremendous, positive impacts on America’s students and their families,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kenneth L. Marcus. “Instead of seeing every case as an opportunity to advance a political agenda, we are focused on the needs of each individual student and on faithfully executing the laws. This is the right thing to do, and the data show it works.”
www.ed.gov– Press Office
