Office for Civil Rights Releases Report Describing OCR’s Enforcement Record During Biden-Harris Administration

“Office for Civil Rights’ new report, Protecting Civil Rights:  Highlights of Activities, Office for Civil Rights 2021-25”, covers OCR’s enforcement records during the Biden-Harris Administration. According to OCR, this period marked the “most productive four years in history” and marked a dramatic decline in staffing.

Office for Civil Rights Releases Report Describing OCR’s Enforcement Record During Biden-Harris Administration

Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) new report, Protecting Civil Rights:  Highlights of Activities, Office for Civil Rights 2021-25, covers OCR’s enforcement records during the Biden-Harris Administration. According to OCR, this period marked the “most productive four years in [OCR’s] history” and marked a dramatic decline in staffing.

Record Number of Complaints

OCR states it received a record number of complaints, “culminating in a 64% increase over the complaint volume OCR received during the previous administration. “

OCR received 27,620 disability related complaints between 2021 and 2024, with the number rising by 78% from 2021 to 2024.

The report includes illustrative cases of 1) redressing disability harassment, 2) ensuring equity for students with disabilities including during the COVID-19 pandemic, 3) ensuring equal access to school offerings, 4) disability discrimination in school discipline, and 5) protecting parents’ rights against discrimination.

Record Number of Resolutions and Resolution of Older Cases

OCR resolved over 56,000 cases compared to 48,809 cases resolved during the previous administration.

The Spotlight (page 9) section of the report states OCR “placed a premium” on resolving the backlog of older complaints and that there were “915 pending cases that were four or more years old on the first day of the Biden-Harris Administration.”

Increased Compliance Reviews

OCR “initiated 129 proactive compliance reviews and resolved 114 compared to 50 initiated and 57 resolved during the previous four years. “

Historic Data Collection and Access

For the first time, OCR conducted its Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) two school years in a row (2020-21 and 2021-22). Almost 100% of school districts submitted and certified data for both school years.

In addition, OCR provided public access to CRDC data and to data collected between 1968 and 1998.

Record Number of Policy Resources

OCR published 64 policy resources, which it said is “more than OCR has published under any administration. . .”

Resources related to students who have IEPs or 504 Plans include the following:

 

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