- Skip to main content
- About Us
- Contact Us
- FAQs
-  Language Assistance ****   - English
  - español
  - 中文: 繁體版
  - Việt-ngữ
  - 한국어
  - Tagalog
  - Русский

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education

            - Student Loans
            - Grants
            - Laws
            - Data

About EDOVERVIEW
|  | **MS Word (417 KB)** |
|--|----------------------|

Organizational Structure

 OCR is composed of a headquarters office, located in Washington, D.C.,  which provides overall leadership, policy development and coordination of enforcement  activities, and 12 enforcement offices around the nation. The enforcement offices  are responsible for the investigation and resolution of complaints of discrimination,  the conduct of compliance reviews, and the provision of technical assistance.  The majority of OCR's staff are assigned to the enforcement offices, which  are located in Boston, New York, Philadelphia (Eastern Division); Washington,  D.C., Atlanta, Dallas (Southern Division); Cleveland, Chicago, Kansas City  (Midwestern Division); and Denver, San Francisco, Seattle (Western Division).

Complaint Investigations and Resolutions

 One important way OCR carries out its responsibilities is by investigating  and resolving complaints. Persons who believe there has been a violation of  the civil rights laws enforced by OCR may file a complaint with the appropriate  enforcement office. OCR's process provides a forum for resolution of complaints  of discrimination alleging violations of the civil rights laws. 

 OCR's primary objectives are to promptly investigate the complainant's allegations  of discrimination and to accurately determine whether the civil rights laws  have been violated. OCR is committed to providing timely relief to students  who are denied equal access to educational opportunity. OCR will resolve 80  percent of resolved complaints within 180 days. In FY 2004, OCR received 5,044  complaints and resolved 4,968, some of which had been filed in previous years.  OCR resolved 91 percent of these complaints within 180 days, significantly  exceeding its goal of 80 percent. Timeliness is critical to students and parents  in the resolution of civil rights issues and a very useful measure of the efficiency  and effectiveness of our complaint resolution process.  

| “The University is pleased to have been a part of the Early Complaint       Resolution process, and is equally pleased that the process had a positive       outcome. We appreciated the professional manner of the Office for Civil       Rights staff.”
        Aug. 27, 2004, letter from a        University Legal Counsel |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

 During FY 2004, OCR revised its *Case Resolution Manual* and renamed it the  *Case Resolution and Investigation Manual*. The new name and revised content  reflected a shift to an investigative approach, which stresses full investigation  of complaints. If these methods fail, OCR issues violation letters and enters  into negotiations to correct those violations. It is only after OCR has advised  recipients of their failure to comply with the civil rights laws and has determined  that compliance cannot be secured by voluntary means that, as a last resort,  OCR seeks compliance through the administrative hearing process or refers casesto the U.S. Department of Justice. 

As in most years, the majority of complaints OCR received in FY 2004 alleged  discrimination on the basis of disability (52 percent). We also find that other  egregious types of discrimination persist. For example, in FY 2004, OCR received  a complaint alleging that the principal of a junior high school was placing  black and white students in segregated classrooms. OCR initiated an investigation  and determined that classes indeed were segregated by race. During the investigative  process, OCR learned that the new district superintendent had also reviewed  the situation and determined that no legitimate, nondiscriminatory educational  justification existed for the segregated classrooms. The district entered into  a voluntary agreement with OCR to develop and implement a race-neutral methodfor assigning students to classrooms. 

Figure 2 shows the percentage of complaint receipts by jurisdiction.

Appendix A shows FY 2004 complaint receipts   by OCR enforcement offices and Appendix B lists the contact information for   each enforcement office.

|                                           |
|-------------------------------------------|
|   4 | 5 | 6 | TOC | Printable viewShare this page |
|                                           |

## How Do I Find...

          - Student loans, forgiveness
          - College accreditation
          - Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
          - FERPA
          - FAFSA
          - 1098, tax forms

More >

## Information About...

          - Transforming Teaching
          - Family and Community Engagement
          - Early Learning

 

|  |
|--|
|  |
|  | Mission |  |
|  |
|  | Priorities |  |
|  |
|  | Welcome to ED.gov |  |
|  |

----

*Our mission*

Student Loans
Repaying LoansDefaulted LoansLoan ForgivenessLoan Servicers

Grants & Programs
Apply for Pell GrantsGrants ForecastApply for a GrantEligibility for Grants

Laws & Guidance
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)FERPACivil RightsNew IDEA Website

Data & Research
Education StatisticsPostsecondary Education DataED Data ExpressNation's Report CardWhat Works Clearinghouse

About Us
Contact UsED OfficesJobsPress ReleasesFAQsRecursos en españolBudget, PerformancePrivacy ProgramSubscribe to E-Mail Updates

----

          - Notices
          - FOIA
          - Privacy Policy
          - Accessibility
          - Security
          - Information quality
          - Inspector General
          - Whitehouse.gov
          - USA.gov
          - Benefits.gov
          - Regulations.gov