HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – In response to incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has launched an investigation into the University of Tampa and Hillsborough County Schools.
The investigation into Hillsborough County Schools was launched on Tuesday, according to the US Department of Education, and the University of Tampa was added to the growing list on Monday.
The schools were added to the Department of Education’s ongoing list of schools under investigation this week; however, the list does not identify the specific incidents that sparked the investigations.
Read: Florida Law Enforcement Complaints Shift Proposed
“Hate has no place in our schools, period. When students are targeted because they are—or are perceived to be—Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, or any other ethnicity or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure safe and inclusive educational environments where everyone is free to learn,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “These investigations underscore how seriously the Biden-Harris Administration, including the U.S. Department of Education, takes our responsibility to protect students from hatred and discrimination.”
“We at the Department of Education, like the nation, see the fear students and school communities experience as hate proliferates in schools,” said Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. “As we continue our active enforcement, the Office for Civil Rights is increasing transparency into our investigations for public awareness. As always, I emphasize that the Office for Civil Rights reaches conclusions at the end of investigations and that a school’s appearance on this list does not reflect a conclusion that the law has been violated.”
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a list of higher education and K–12 institutions under investigation for alleged shared ancestry violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), which prohibits race, color, or national origin discrimination, including harassment based on a person’s shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.
This move is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to take aggressive action to address the concerning nationwide rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination and harassment on college campuses and in K–12 schools since the October 7 Israel-Hamas conflict.
Android Users, Click To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Signup for our free newsletter.
We can’t do this without your help; visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps