Hickman Lowder

We meet the lifetime legal needs of children and adults with disabilities, the elderly, and their families.

List of Ohio Schools Investigated for Civil Rights Violations Now Available Online

| Feb 12, 2018 | Special Education

Many of our clients who are unhappy with their school district ask us to recommend a “good” school district. This is a really tough question to answer because it really comes down to the type of disability the child has (some districts are better with Autism, others with anxiety) and the people–from administration to the child’s intervention specialist or aide. As we all know, staff changes frequently and can’t be the basis for something as big as a home purchase. However, there are some ways to investigate and compare districts … such as touring the schools, talking with parents of children with special needs who attend the district, and reviewing yearly report cards issued by Ohio Department of Education. And now, for the very first time ever, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is posting a list of all schools and colleges that are being investigated for civil rights violations. OCR handles claims that districts violated a student’s civil rights, including FAPE violations and disability discrimination. Not all schools being investigated will be found in violation of the law, but it means that OCR found enough merit in the complaint that it warranted a full investigation. When you see multiple complaints from the same district, that’s a red flag. The site is refreshed once a week, so it is not always exact, but it gives us a much better idea than we ever had of what claims are pending against which districts. Click here to see OCR’s list of pending investigations.

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