L.E.P. Students' Access to Services a Policy Priority at O.C.R.

By Lynn Schnaiberg

Washington

As part of an effort to shed its decade-long reputation for lax enforcement, the Education Department's office for civil rights has launched a spate of investigations reviewing school districts' services for limited-English-proficient students.

Such students' access to educational services is one of the investigative priorities set by Norma V. Cantu, the assistant secretary for civil rights, and the probes are part of an effort by the O.C.R. to initiate more compliance reviews instead of merely reacting to formal complaints...