The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights once again saw a record-breaking number of complaints in 2023 against K-12 and higher education institutions, surpassing the previous all-time high set just a year prior, according to its annual report released Wednesday.
The report has prompted outcry from civil rights groups calling on Congress for increased funding of the agency’s civil rights enforcement arm. GLSEN, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, called for a $22 million increase — the same amount requested by the Biden administration for FY 2025 — for the office, primarily to resolve Title IX complaints on sex discrimination in schools.
“These resolutions highlight both progress and the ongoing challenges in creating safe and inclusive learning environments,” said GLSEN Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers in a statement. “The OCR’s report clearly shows that schools still have much work to do to comply with Title IX and protect all students from discrimination.”
The report “shows an urgent need for more resources and staff to carry out its mission,” concurred The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in a press release. “Although we commend OCR for its attention to thorough and rapid investigations of complaints, especially in a year with the highest number of complaints filed on record, too many students are still waiting.”
The calls come on the heels of funding pleas from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who asked Congress in early May for increased OCR funding so the office could hire additional staff to help resolve a climbing caseload.
The OCR report released on Wednesday confirms its high caseload:
By the numbers
19,201
The total number of complaints in FY 2023, representing a 2% increase from 2022 and nearly triple the number of complaints in 2009.
42%
The portion of complaints related to Title IX, totaling 8,151 — a decrease of six percentage points from the year prior.
5,590
The number of Title IX complaints filed by a single person.
35%
The portion of complaints related to disability, an increase of 282 cases from the year prior, totaling 6,749.
16,448
The number of resolved cases in 2023, the third-highest number of resolutions per year in OCR history.
556
The number of full-time equivalent OCR staff, a decrease from 629 in 2009.