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OSPI Department of Equity and Civil Rights
Home page for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Department of Equity and Civil Rights. This page contains links to information about filing complaints; links to civil rights laws; and information on topics such as:
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Prohibiting Discrimination in Washington Public Schools
Produced by the OSPI Department of Equity and Civil Rights in February 2012 and is intended to support school districts’ understanding of their obligations under the nondiscrimination laws of Washington State.
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U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
OCR enforces several Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities that receive Federal funds from the Department of Education. These laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin, sex, disability, and on the basis of age. OCR has a complaint process that can be utilized to resolve issues of discrimination. The Seattle Office may be reached by phone at (206) 607-1600.
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Section 504 Resource Guide
Published in December 2016, this resource guide reminds all educational institutions receiving Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education that they must vigilantly work to ensure compliance with Section 504 and other Federal laws that protect students with disabilities. It is also intended to help parents of students with disabilities understand the obligations imposed under Section 504. In particular, the resource guide summarizes key requirements of Section 504, and aims to increase understanding of these requirements for both parents and members of the school community alike.
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Dear Colleague Letter: Harassment and Bullying
Issued October 26, 2010. This letter is intended to remind state departments of education and local school districts that some student misconduct that falls under a school’s anti-bullying policy also may trigger responsibilities under one or more of the federal antidiscrimination laws enforced by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). By limiting its response to a specific application of its anti-bullying disciplinary policy, a school may fail to properly consider whether the student misconduct also results in discriminatory harassment.
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Dear Colleague Letter: Bullying of Students with Disabilities
Building on OSERS’s 2013 guidance, this guidance which was issued on October 21, 2014, explains that the bullying of a student with a disability on any basis can similarly result in a denial of FAPE under Section 504 that must be remedied; it also reiterates schools’ obligations to address conduct that may constitute a disability- based harassment violation and explains that a school must also remedy the denial of FAPE resulting from disability-based harassment. Following an overview of the federal protections for students with disabilities in schools, the guidance elaborates on the elements of a disability-based harassment violation and a FAPE violation, discusses how OCR generally analyzes complaints involving bullying of students with disabilities on each of these bases, and then concludes with a series of hypothetical examples that illustrate varying circumstances when conduct may constitute both a disability-based harassment violation and FAPE violation, or neither.