How to File a Discrimination Complaint 

With the Office for Civil Rights

September 2010

Introduction

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces five federal 

civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis 

of race, color, national origin, sex, disability and age in 

programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance 

from the Department of Education (ED). Discrimination 

on the bases of race, color and national origin is prohibited 

by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; sex discrimination 

is prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 

1972; discrimination on the basis of disability is prohibited 

by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of 

the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II prohibits 

discrimination on the basis of disability by public entities, 

whether or not they receive federal financial assistance); and 

age discrimination is prohibited by the Age Discrimination Act 

of 1975.

These civil rights laws extend to all state education agencies, 

elementary and secondary school systems, colleges and 

universities, vocational schools, proprietary schools, state 

vocational rehabilitation agencies, libraries and museums 

that receive federal financial assistance from ED. Programs 

or activities that receive ED funds must provide aids, 

benefits or services in a nondiscriminatory manner. Such 

aids, benefits or services may include, but are not limited to, 

admissions, recruitment, financial aid, academic programs, 

student treatment and services, counseling and guidance, 

discipline, classroom assignment, grading, vocational 

education, recreation, physical education, athletics, housing 

and employment.

OCR also enforces the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, 

part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Under this 

act, OCR can investigate complaints involving the denial of 

equal access or a fair opportunity to meet to, or discrimination 

against, any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts or 

affiliated with any other youth group listed in Title 36 of the 

United States Code, by a public elementary school, a public 

secondary school, or a state or local education agency that 

receives funds from ED.
Who Can File a Discrimination Complaint

Anyone who believes that an education institution that 

receives federal financial assistance has discriminated against 

someone on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, 

disability or age, or who believes that a public elementary 

or secondary school, or state or local education agency has 

violated the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, may file a 

complaint. The person or organization filing the complaint 

need not be a victim of the alleged discrimination but may 

complain on behalf of another person or group.

Timeliness

A complaint must be filed within 180 calendar days of 

the date of the alleged discrimination, unless the time for 

filing is extended by OCR for good cause shown under 

certain circumstances.

Institutional Grievance Procedures

Prior to filing a complaint with OCR against an institution, 

a potential complainant may want to find out about the 

institution’s grievance process and use that process to have 

the complaint resolved. However, a complainant is not 

required by law to use the institutional grievance process 

before filing a complaint with OCR. If a complainant uses 

an institutional grievance process and also chooses to file 

the complaint with OCR, the complaint must be filed with 

OCR within 60 days after completion of the institutional 

grievance process.

The Department of Education’s mission is to promote student 

achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering 

educational excellence and ensuring equal access.
How to File a Complaint

Complainants wishing to file a complaint may do so by:

Mail or Facsimile: Complainants may mail or send by facsimile 

a letter or use the OCR’s Discrimination Complaint Form 

available from one of OCR’s enforcement offices (see the list of 

OCR’s offices in this brochure). In your correspondence, please 

include:

• The complainant’s name, address and, if possible (although 

not required), a telephone number where the complainant 

may be reached during business hours; 

• Information about the person(s) or class of persons injured 

by the alleged discriminatory act(s) (names of the injured 

person(s) are not required);

• The name and location of the institution that committed the 

alleged discriminatory act(s); and

• A description of the alleged discriminatory act(s) in sufficient 

detail to enable OCR to understand what occurred, when it 

occurred, and the basis for the alleged discrimination (race, 

color, national origin, sex, disability, age or the Boy Scouts of 

America Equal Access Act).

E-mail: Complainants may file a complaint using the following 

e-mail address: ocr@ed.gov. Use the same procedures as above.

Online: Complainants may file a complaint with OCR using 

OCR’s electronic complaint form at the following website: 

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.

html.

For those without current e-mail accounts, Internet access may 

be freely available from your local public library, and free e-mail 

accounts are available from several large providers. 

Note: A recipient of federal financial assistance may not retaliate 

against any person who has made a complaint, testified, assisted or 

participated in any manner in an investigation or proceeding under 

the laws listed on the first page of this brochure. If you believe that 

you have been retaliated against for any of these reasons, you may file 

a complaint with OCR.

U.S. Department of Education

Arne Duncan

Secretary

September 2010
Offices and Addresses

Headquarters

U.S. Department of Education

Office for Civil Rights

400 Maryland Ave. SW

Washington, DC 20202-1100

Customer Service: 800-421-3481 

Fax: 202-453-6012

TDD: 877-521-2172*

E-mail: OCR@ed.gov

Web: http:www.ed.gov/ocr

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, 

New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont 

Office for Civil Rights, Boston Office

U.S. Department of Education

5 Post Office Square, 8th Floor

Boston, MA 02109-3921

Telephone: 617-289-0111*

Fax: 617-289-0150

E-mail: OCR.Boston@ed.gov

New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, 

Virgin Islands

Office for Civil Rights, New York Office

U.S. Department of Education

32 Old Slip, 26th Floor

New York, NY 10005-2500 

Telephone: 646-428-3800* 

Fax: 646-428-3843

E-mail: OCR.NewYork@ed.gov

Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, 

Pennsylvania, West Virginia

Office for Civil Rights, Philadelphia Office

U.S. Department of Education

100 Penn Square East, Suite 515

Philadelphia, PA 19107-3323

Telephone: 215-656-8541*

Fax: 215-656-8605

E-mail: OCR.Philadelphia@ed.gov

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee

Office for Civil Rights, Atlanta Office

U.S. Department of Education

61 Forsyth St. SW, Suite 19T70

Atlanta, GA 30303-8927

Telephone: 404-974-9406*

Fax: 404-974-9471

E-mail: OCR.Atlanta@ed.gov

Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas

Office for Civil Rights, Dallas Office

U.S. Department of Education

1999 Bryan St., Suite 1620

Dallas, Texas 75201-6810

Telephone: 214-661-9600*

Fax:: 214-661-9587

E-mail: OCR.Dallas@ed.gov

North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, 

Washington, D.C.

Office for Civil Rights, District of 

 Columbia Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Ave. SW

Washington, DC 20202-1475

Telephone: 202-453-6020*

Fax: 202-453-6021

E-mail: OCR.DC@ed.gov

Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, 

Iowa, North Dakota

Office for Civil Rights, Chicago Office

U.S. Department of Education

Citigroup Center

500 W. Madison St., Suite 1475

Chicago, IL 60661-7204

Telephone: 312-730-1560*

Fax: 312-730-1576

E-mail: OCR.Chicago@ed.gov 

Michigan, Ohio

Office for Civil Rights, Cleveland Office

U.S. Department of Education

600 Superior Ave. East, Suite 750

Cleveland, OH 44114-2611

Telephone: 216-522-4970*

Fax: 216-522-2573

E-mail: OCR.Cleveland@ed.gov 

Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South 

Dakota, Oklahoma 

Office for Civil Rights, Kansas City Office

U.S. Department of Education

8930 Ward Parkway, Suite 2037

Kansas City, MO 64114-3302

Telephone: 816-268-0550* 

Fax: 816-823-1404

E-mail: OCR.KansasCity@ed.gov 

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, 

Wyoming

Office for Civil Rights, Denver Office

U.S. Department of Education

Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Building

1244 Speer Blvd., Suite 310

Denver, CO 80204-3582

Telephone: 303-844-5695* 

Fax: 303-844-4303

E-mail: OCR.Denver@ed.gov

California

Office for Civil Rights, San Francisco Office

U.S. Department of Education

50 Beale St., Suite 7200

San Francisco, CA 94105-1813

Telephone: 415-486-5555*

Fax: 415-486-5570

E-mail: OCR.SanFrancisco@ed.gov

Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, 

Washington, American Samoa, Guam, 

Northern Mariana Islands, Montana

Office for Civil Rights, Seattle Office

U.S. Department of Education

915 Second Ave., Room 3310

Seattle, WA 98174-1099

Telephone: 206-607-1600

TDD: 206-607-1647

Fax: 206-607-1601

E-mail: OCR.Seattle@ed.gov

*TDD: 877-521-2172