Discrimination

Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a prayer vigil the day after three Black people were shot to death Aug. 26 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a prayer vigil the day after three Black people were shot to death Aug. 26 in Jacksonville, Fla.
John Raoux/AP
Equity & Diversity Opinion ‘Hate Is Taught’: The Lesson for Schools From the Racist Jacksonville Killings
A slew of anti-Black education policies have helped make Florida a sanctuary state for hate and violence, writes Tyrone C. Howard.
Tyrone C. Howard, August 30, 2023
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4 min read
The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on February 21, 2021.
The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on February 21, 2021. The office for civil rights within the federal Education Department is responsible for resolving complaints of discrimination and enforcing civil rights laws.
Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP Images
Equity & Diversity How a Federal Office Investigates and Resolves Discrimination Complaints Against Schools
What is OCR, how do you file a complaint, and what relief can it offer for students or staff whose civil rights may have been violated?
Eesha Pendharkar, August 16, 2023
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7 min read
Illustration of person sitting with knees to chest and hands pointing at them and one have reaching out and open to offer help.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Equity & Diversity District Failed to Protect Nonbinary Student From Harassment, Federal Investigation Finds
A Wisconsin district may owe compensatory instruction to a nonbinary student for excluding them from some in-person instruction.
Eesha Pendharkar, August 4, 2023
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5 min read
A group of around 200 people who turned out for a rally inside the Nebraska State Capitol hold up signs in support of the transgender community on March 24, 2023 in Lincoln, Neb. A Wisconsin district can't enforce a policy banning trans students from using the bathrooms of their choice, a judge said.
A group of around 200 people who turned out for a rally inside the Nebraska State Capitol hold up signs in support of the transgender community on March 24, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. A Wisconsin district can't enforce a policy banning trans students from using the bathrooms of their choice, a judge said.
Margery Beck/AP
Equity & Diversity District Can't Restrict Transgender Student's Bathroom Use, Federal Judge Says
A Wisconsin district must allow trans students to use bathrooms aligning with their gender identity, according to a new ruling.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 31, 2023
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5 min read
Madison Lyman, 17, stands for a portrait on June 1, 2023, in the 18th and Vine District in Kansas City, Mo.
Madison Lyman, 17, stands in the historic 18th and Vine district in Kansas City, Mo., on June 1, 2023. A rising high school senior, she serves on the city's 13-person commission to study reparations for Black residents, which recently started meeting.
Erin Woodiel for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Meet the High School Student Helping Her City Study Reparations for Black Residents
In Kansas City, Mo., 17-year-old Madison Lyman serves on a 13-member commission studying reparations for Black residents.
Mark Lieberman, June 14, 2023
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7 min read
A blue, monochromatic illustration shows an empty classroom chair in front of a chalkboard.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Biden Administration Asks Districts to Investigate Their Discipline Disparities
A new letter marks the latest salvo in a years-long debate over school discipline.
Evie Blad, June 9, 2023
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7 min read
Protesters fill the Ohio Statehouse corridor on April 19, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio in opposition to a bill that would ban transgender girls from playing in girls sports at K-12 and collegiate levels. A House education panel voted the Republican-championed measure out of committee Wednesday, May 10, along partisan lines. The full House could put it to a vote as soon as next week.
Protesters fill the Ohio Statehouse corridor on April 19, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio in opposition to a bill that would ban transgender girls from playing in girls sports at K-12 and collegiate levels. The U.S. Department of Education's proposed Title IX rule change would challenge state-level bans on transgender athletes playing sports that align with their gender identity.
Samantha Hendrickson/AP
Equity & Diversity Federal Rule on Trans Athletes Is Delayed. Here's What That Means for Schools
The U.S. Department of Education announced it will not release its new Title IX rules until October, a five-month delay.
Libby Stanford, June 2, 2023
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5 min read
A hand-drawn swastika is seen on the front of Union Station near the Capitol in Washington.
A hand-drawn swastika is seen on the front of Union Station near the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 28, 2022. Such vandalism is part of a nationwide rise in antisemitic incidents the White House wants to address.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Equity & Diversity Schools Are Part of the Biden Administration's Plan for Combating Antisemitism
The call to action for schools is part of a first-of-its-kind federal strategy.
Evie Blad, May 25, 2023
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4 min read
Ember, an 18-year-old transgender girl, plays softball for her team in Ohio. If passed, an Ohio bill would prohibit Ember from playing girls' sports.
Ember Zelch, a transgender girl, plays softball for her high school team in Ohio. A bill in the state's legislature would prohibit trans girls from playing girls sports in school.
Courtesy Photo
Equity & Diversity Proposed Title IX Rule on Trans Athletes Poses Legal Challenge for Athletic Directors
The proposed Title IX rule change would require schools to do a lot of legal work if they want to ban trans students from playing sports.
Libby Stanford, April 19, 2023
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8 min read
Pedestrians walk past a sign in Evanston, Ill., on April 30, 2021. The Chicago suburb is preparing to pay reparations in the form of housing grants to Black residents who experienced housing discrimination. The city is being hailed as the first to do so, and is being held up as a model in its approach for other cities looking to do the same.
Pedestrians walk past a sign in Evanston, Ill., on April 30, 2021. The Chicago suburb is preparing to pay reparations in the form of housing grants to Black residents who experienced housing discrimination. The city is being hailed as the first to do so, and is being held up as a model in its approach for other cities looking to do the same.
Shafkat Anowar/AP
Equity & Diversity Schools Are Confronting Centuries of Racial Injustice. Will They Offer Reparations?
Reparations efforts have multiplied recently, with some districts considering how they can atone for discrimination against Black Americans.
Mark Lieberman, April 11, 2023
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11 min read
Mae Keller, a senior, carries a "Trans Kids Matter" sign and cheers as hundreds of students walk out of school on Transgender Day of Visibility outside Omaha Central High School on March 31, 2023 in Omaha, Neb. Students are protesting LB574 and LB575 in the Nebraska Legislature, which would ban certain gender-affirming care for youth and would prevent trans youth from competing in girls sports, respectively.
Mae Keller, a senior, carries a "Trans Kids Matter" sign and cheers as hundreds of students walk out of school on Transgender Day of Visibility outside Omaha Central High School on March 31, 2023 in Omaha, Neb. Students are protesting LB574 and LB575 in the Nebraska Legislature, which would ban certain gender-affirming care for youth and would prevent trans youth from competing in girls sports, respectively.
Anna Reed/Omaha World-Herald via AP
Equity & Diversity Schools Couldn't Ban All Trans Athletes Under New Title IX Proposal
The Education Department released a long-awaited proposed change to Title IX aiming to clarify eligibility criteria for school sports.
Libby Stanford, April 6, 2023
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8 min read
Transgender student Drew Adams speaks with reporters outside of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Dec. 5, 2019.
Transgender student Drew Adams speaks with reporters outside a federal courthouse in Atlanta in 2019. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled against him on Dec. 30.
Ron Harris/AP
Law & Courts School District Policy Basing Restroom Access on 'Biological Sex' Upheld by Appeals Court
The sharply divided appellate court rules against transgender student Drew Adams and possibly tees up a major fight in the Supreme Court.
Mark Walsh, January 2, 2023
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5 min read
Image of papers on a desk.
smolaw11/iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity What Researchers Learned From Analyzing Decades of Civil Rights Complaints Against Schools
Large, segregated districts are more likely to have OCR complaints filed against them, a new report shows
Eesha Pendharkar, December 30, 2022
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4 min read
Banned books are visible at the Central Library, a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system, in New York City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. The books are banned in several public schools and libraries in the U.S., but young people can read digital versions from anywhere through the library. The Brooklyn Public Library offers free membership to anyone in the U.S. aged 13 to 21 who wants to check out and read books digitally in response to the nationwide wave of book censorship and restrictions.
Banned books are on diplay at the Central Library, a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system, in New York City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. Some of these books are among those banned by school districts in Texas.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
School & District Management ACLU Texas Files OCR Complaint Over a District's Anti-Trans Book Ban
The group claims the Keller school district's new policy to remove books about gender fluidity from library shelves violates federal law.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 30, 2022
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4 min read
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