May 19, 2021
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights recently released a new Question and Answer resource to help students, families, schools and the public understand their rights and responsibilities in remote, hybrid, and in-person educational environments, including in K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions.
The Q&A provides information on issues including:
- the rights of students with disabilities to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) during remote learning and school reopening;
- the rights of students with undocumented status and the rights of English learners;
- students’ rights to the nondiscriminatory administration of discipline;
- protections for students against sex discrimination, including sexual and gender-based harassment; and
- schools’ responsibilities to address complaints of sexual harassment, including sexual violence, during remote, hybrid and in-person learning.
For other questions about school reopening, please also see the school reopening materials the Department of Education posted, including:
- Department of Education’s (ED) COVID-19 Handbook Volume I and Volume II
- Dear Colleague Letter regarding Assessments (February 22, 2021)
- Letter on Part B Implementation of IDEA Provision of Services in the Current COVID-19 Environment Q&A (September 28, 2020)
Visit the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights for more information.