ED DEPT Creates ‘Proactive Compliance’ Option For Schools To Avoid Civil Rights Probes
Complying with an investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights can cost a school six figures and a year or more under a cloud of suspicion. Secretary Betsy DeVos announced another option: “proactive compliance” for school districts and colleges before students and employees file complaints. The OPEN Center, “Outreach, Prevention, Education and Non-discrimination Center” will open within OCR’s Washington headquarters.
The OPEN Center provides the opportunity for schools to preempt the “traditional complaint-resolution process,” in which OCR acts after a complaint is filed. OCR head Kenneth Marcus characterized the center’s mission as “voluntary, proactive activities” that allow OCR to “get in front of the problem, partnering with educators and other institutions to better protect students.”
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