New Data Show Secretary DeVos’ Reforms to the Office for Civil Rights are Driving Better Results for Students – US Department of Education
WASHINGTON—The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education released new data today 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.”
By the numbers:
- In FY 2017 and 2018, OCR resolved, on average, 16,000 complaints per year compared to an average of 8,200 complaint resolutions per year under the previous administration