HHS Office for Civil Rights Director Melanie Fontes Rainer on Progress and News at OCR
ERISA Blog | Changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rules A Primer for Self-Insured Group Health Plans
Podcast - Data Privacy and Tracking Technology Compliance
Patient Data and Privacy
HIPAA Tips With Williams Mullen - Telehealth After the Pandemic
Relaxed HIPAA Restrictions For Providers Using Telehealth
Webinar: Investigating and Resolving Sexual Assaults on Campus
On July 2, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a Fact Sheet, which provides guidance to help school districts prevent and address discrimination, including harassment,...more
On July 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it had reached a resolution agreement with Brown University. This action followed an investigation concluding that Brown...more
On July 2, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a new Fact Sheet. This document aims to help faculty, staff, students and families understand their rights and obligations under Title...more
Recent resolution agreements between the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the University of Michigan (U-M) and the City University of New York (CUNY) offer valuable lessons for colleges and...more
On May 7, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) again issued guidance in the form of a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to educational institutions discussing how Title VI of the Civil Rights Act...more
On April 17, 2024, the House Education and Workforce Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing to focus on Antisemitism in Higher Education. At the witness table will be the President of Columbia University Dr. Nemat...more
On November 15, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s (“Department”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) released new civil rights data from the 2020-2021 school year, as well as seven data reports and snapshots which provide...more
The Biden Administration has made concentrated efforts to address the rise in reports of antisemitic, Islamophobic, and other hate-based or bias-based incidents in schools and on college campuses since the beginning of the...more
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) released a Fact Sheet on Ensuring Meaningful Participation in Advanced Coursework and Specialized Programs for Students Who Are English Learners...more
On August 24, 2023, the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights ("OCR" or the "Department") released a Dear Colleague Letter (the "DCL") regarding "Race and School Programming." This DCL, which surely...more
In a July 28, 2023 ruling, the Seventh Circuit has signaled that Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) seeking to enforce pronoun policies can expect to face increased scrutiny. Specifically, the Seventh Circuit vacated its...more
A Department of Education letter and Q&A document outlines lawful ways for universities to promote diverse student bodies. Higher education institutions are urged to “redoubl[e] efforts to recruit and retain” students...more
On July 24, 2023, less than a month after the Supreme Court's landmark decision striking down affirmative action practices in college admissions, the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has launched an...more
In its decision holding the use of race in university and college admissions is unconstitutional in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court noted that “[e]liminating racial...more
A recent “Dear Colleague” letter issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education (OCR) places colleges and universities on notice of recent enforcement...more
The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has published a factsheet entitled “Diversity and Inclusion Activities Under Title VI,” clarifying that diversity, equity, and inclusion training “in most factual...more
n January 31, 2023, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) released a fact sheet clarifying that diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) training and similar activities are generally consistent with...more
SUMMARY OF FACTS - The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) opened a compliance review of California’s Victor Valley Union High School District (“the District”) in August 2014 to examine whether...more
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has published a fact sheet that addresses key issues intersex students face in schools and provides recommendations on how schools can support intersex...more
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has announced that it will immediately cease enforcement of the Title IX regulatory provision prohibiting decision-makers’ reliance on statements not subject to...more
As promised by the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a new 67-page Q&A document regarding Title IX on July 20, 2021. The document describes OCR’s interpretation of the responsibilities...more
At the beginning of last week, Donald Trump was President of the United States and we were being flooded with last minute Title IX and civil rights guidance from the outgoing Department of Education. As we near the end of the...more
On November 16, 2018, the U.S. Department of Education proposed a new rule under Title IX, the 1972 federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities that receive...more
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education (“ED”) published on its website a list of “pending cases currently under investigation” by its Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”). Previously, OCR had released a list of higher...more
Unlike people, not all schools are created equal. Anyone who doubts that need only review the results of the Civil Rights Data Collection [“CRDC”] for the 2011-2012 school year, which were released on March 21, 2014 by...more