{"id":355629,"date":"2016-04-04T10:41:57","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/civilrights\/discrimination\/discrimination-in-education.html"},"modified":"2016-06-20T20:10:29","modified_gmt":"2016-06-21T01:10:29","slug":"discrimination-in-education","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/civilrights\/discrimination\/discrimination-in-education.html","title":{"rendered":"Discrimination in Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Discrimination in Education<\/h1>\n
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Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last updated\n

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Various federal laws prohibit discrimination in the realm of education on the basis of race, gender, age, national origin, and other protected categories. Federal laws that ban education discrimination include Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and various other statutes. While these federal laws apply only to schools that accept federal funding, this includes the vast majority of K-12 and higher education institutions.<\/p>\n

FindLaw’s Discrimination in Education section provides a general overview of these federal laws and applies them to real-life situations. Articles cover such as issues as the rights of limited-English proficient students and how to file a complaint for alleged education discrimination.<\/p>\n

What Constitutes Education Discrimination?<\/h2>\n

There are a number of ways an individual may be discriminated against in an educational setting, mostly centering on the issue of inclusion or parity among the various protected classes. For instance, schools may not deny enrollment to members of a particular race; must be accessible to students with disabilities; and must provide equal opportunities to both genders, including athletic participation.<\/p>\n

Education Discrimination: Key Federal Laws<\/h2>\n

As with most laws protecting the rights of historically marginalized individuals, discrimination in education has been chipped away through an incremental succession of laws. While some of these laws address overt discrimination, others address and try to fix inequities inherent in the system.<\/p>\n

Below are brief summaries of the main federal laws prohibiting discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funds:<\/p>\n