Civil Rights Report Demonstrates Ongoing Need for Robust Enforcement

Civil Rights Enforcement News, Education News 12.20.24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mattie Goldman, [email protected]

Civil Rights Coalition Calls for Continued Progress, Rejects Threats to Undermine and Weaponize Protections for Students

WASHINGTON — Liz King, senior director for education equity at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) published its FY 2024 annual report indicating the highest number of complaints on record:

“Every student deserves to feel safe, welcome, and included in their classrooms, no matter who is in charge in Washington. Still, too many students are denied an education because of discrimination and harassment. The record number of complaints—22, 687 complaints—indicates that while more students and families are familiar with the essential role the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) plays in their daily lives, discrimination persists at alarming rates in our public schools. As much as was accomplished this year, more is needed.

“What students need and what our laws require is unchanged by November’s election—President-Elect Trump and the Secretary of Education must protect every student in every school every day, no matter the rhetoric of Project 2025 and the campaign trail. The Department of Education is a civil rights agency and anyone who would seek to lead that department must have a demonstrated record of support for civil rights laws and marginalized communities. No matter your race, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, disability, sexual orientation, immigration status, or gender identity, you deserve the chance to learn, grow, and thrive free from the burdens of discrimination and harassment. This is the promise Congress made in our civil rights laws and this is what parents fought for.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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