More Enforcement at OCR

The U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, which enforces six anti-discrimination statutes including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, is monitoring more cases than ever before, according to a new report. From 2009-12, the report says, OCR received 24 percent more complaints (28,971, of which it closed 28,577) than in any previous four-year period, and conducted more than 100 compliance reviews. More than half dealt with disability issues, about a quarter with Title IX, 14 percent with sex discrimination and 6 percent with age discrimination. The states with the most reviews were Ohio (nine), California (eight) and New York (seven). 

In 2012, OCR resolved 93 percent of 8,051 complaints within 180 days of receipt, compared to 91 percent of 5,964 total complaints in 2008. During that time, OCR says, it streamlined operations, increased capacity and expanded support and assistance, “while receiving and resolving more cases than ever before, and doing it faster.”