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ARTICLE · 05 JULY 2017

Office For Civil Rights Changes Complaint Investigation Policy

Holland & Knight
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Reversing the practice under the Obama Administration, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has just issued new internal guidance changing how regional OCR offices...

United StatesConsumer Protection
Holland & Knight
Holland & Knight
Paul Lannon
Paul Lannon
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Phil Catanzano is a Senior Counsel and Paul Lannon is a Partner in Holland & Knight's Boston office

Reversing the practice under the Obama Administration, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has just issued new internal guidance changing how regional OCR offices will investigate discrimination complaints against educational institutions. Since the November 2016 elections, institutions have been trying to read the tea leaves regarding OCR's direction in the Trump Administration. In February 2017, the Trump Administration rescinded the "significant guidance" that OCR and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) had issued regarding transgender students in May 2016 under the Obama Administration. In April 2017, Candice Jackson was appointed as Acting Assistant Secretary for OCR, but there has been little difference seen on campuses in the scope or tenor of OCR or DOJ investigations.

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