Federal Regulations and Guidance

Title IX

• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Federal Regulations

• 2020 Title IX Regulations: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance
• Sexual Harassment Guidance: Harassment of Students by School Employees, Other Students, or Third Parties (Revised January 2001)
• Civil Rights Restoration Act Regulations
• 2000 Original Joint Agency Regulations (21 Agency Common Rule)
• Original 1975 Department of Education (Health, Education, and Welfare) Regulations

Fact Sheets

• Fact Sheet: Ensuring Equal Opportunity Based on Sex in School Athletic Programs in the Context of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Activities

Dear Colleague Letters

• DCL: Pregnant & Parenting Students (2013)
• DCL: Title IX Application Beyond Athletics (2007)
• DCL: Protecting Students from Discrimination, such as Harassment, Based on Race, Color, or National Origin, Including Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics (2024)
• DCL: Title IX Enforcement Directive (2025)

Executive Orders and Related Documents

• Letter to Students, Educators, and Other Stakeholders RE: Executive Order 14021 (April 2021)

Other Guidance

• Questions and Answers on the Title IX Regulations on Sexual Harassment (Revised June 2022)
• OCR Letter to Students, Educators, and Stakeholders re: Victim Rights Law Center v. Cardona (August 2021)
• OCR Blog: The Ruling Vacated a Provision Restricting Postsecondary Schools’ Use of Statements by Parties and Witnesses (August 2021)
• Questions and Answers Regarding the Department’s Final Title IX Rule (September 2020)
• Title IX and Athletic Opportunities in K-12 Schools: A Resource for Students, Parents, Coaches, Athletic Directors, and School Communities
• Supporting Equal Opportunity in School Athletic Programs: A Resource for Students and Families
• Title IX and Athletic Opportunities in Colleges and Universities
• Online or Digital Sexual Harassment under the 2020 Title IX Regulations: A Resource for Students, Families, and Educators

Title VI

Federal Regulations

• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Fact Sheets

• Fact Sheet: Protecting Students from Discrimination Based on Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics (January 2023)

Dear Colleague Letters

• DCL: Discrimination, including Harassment, Based on Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics (2023)

Other Guidance

• Resolving a Hostile Environment Under Title VI (January 2025)
• OCR Know Your Rights: Title VI and Religion

Title VII

Federal Regulations

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Other Guidance

• EEOC Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace (2024)

American with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Federal Regulations

• Americans with Disabilities Act as Amended
• Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Federal Regulations

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Other Guidance

• Questions and Answers: Addressing the Needs of Children with Disabilities and IDEA’s Discipline Provisions  (July 2022)
• Positive, Proactive Approaches to Supporting Children with Disabilities: A Guide for Stakeholders (July 2022)
• Questions and Answers (Q&A) on U. S. Supreme Court Case Decision Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District Re-1 (December 2017)

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Federal Regulations

• Section 504 Section 34 Regulations

Dear Colleague Letters

• DCL: Students with Disabilities and Extracurricular Athletics (2013)

Other Guidance

• Individualized Assessments for Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education
• Supporting Students with Disabilities and Avoiding the Discriminatory Use of Student Discipline under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (July 2022)
• Frequently Asked Questions about Section 504 and the Education of Children with Disabilities
• Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools (2016)

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Fact Sheets

• Anti-Arab, Anti-Middle Eastern, Anti-Muslim, and Antisemitic Discrimination Are Illegal (October 2024)

Multi-Law/Agency Guidance

Dear Colleague Letters

• DCL: Retaliation (April 2013)
• DCL: Bullying (October 2010)

Other Guidance

• EEOC Guidance on Retaliation and Related Issues (2016)
• What You Should Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
• Questions and Answers: Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation and Related Issues (2016)
• EEOC Theories of Discrimination
• Questions and Answers: The Application of Title VII and the ADA to Applicants or Employees Who Experience Domestic or Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking
• Avoiding the Discriminatory Use of Artificial Intelligence (Revised January 2025)
• OCR Civil Rights Protections Against Retaliation

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

Federal Regulations

• Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013

Fact Sheets

• Fact Sheet: Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) (March 2022)

Clery Act

Guidance

• Recission of and Replacement for the 2016 Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting
• Clery Act Appendix for FSA Handbook (2020)

COVID-Related

Guidance

• What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws
• Back to School: Supporting Educational Environments Free from Discrimination (September 2021)
• Return to School Roadmap: Children with Disabilities Under IDEA (August 2021)
• Return to School Roadmap: Child Find Under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (August 2021)
• Long COVID under Section 504 and the IDEA: A Resource to Support Children, Students, Educators, Schools, Service Providers, and Families (July 2021)
• Questions and Answers on Civil Rights and School Reopening in the COVID-19 Environment (May 2021)

Additional U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Resources

• U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Reading Room
• U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Rescinded Policy Guidance

Fair Housing Act

Dear Colleague Letters

• HUD Dear Colleague Letter: Application of the Fair Housing Act to Racially Segregated School Housing

Other Guidance

• Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Memo

General Guidance

Fact Sheets

• Department of Education (ED) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Special Education and Rehabilitation Services Partnership
• Department of Education (ED) and Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Partnership