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Civil Rights Review

The Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) ensures compliance with state and federal civil rights laws, and regulations in the delivery of education services.

General Information

Local educational agencies (LEAs) that offer or administer Career Technical Education (CTE) must meet certain civil rights requirements. The California Department of Education (CDE) has the regulatory responsibility to ensure that all students have access to CTE programs in the California public secondary schools. The CDE is required to adopt a civil rights compliance program to identify, remedy, and/or prevent discrimination in CTE programs offered or administered by LEAs. Parallel citations of state civil rights laws and regulations have been provided to ensure that all students have access to the programs. It is important to note that the Civil Rights Review (CRR) process is separate from the Carl D. Perkins CTE Improvement Act, which involves on-site CTE reviews coordinated by the CDE Federal Program Monitoring Office. The CRR process is coordinated by the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO). The CDE’s OEO is charged with conducting the civil rights reviews. The authority to conduct civil rights reviews is found in:

  • Guidelines for Eliminating Discrimination and Denial of Services on the Basis of Race, Color, National Origin, Sex, and Handicap in Vocational Education Programs, March 21, 1979, (34 CFR, Part 100, Appendix B).
  • Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and implementing regulations (34 CFR, Part 100) which prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin.
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and the implementation of 28 CFR, Part 35.
    Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the implementation of 34 CFR, Part 106 which prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex/gender.
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and implementing regulations (34 CFR, Part 104) which prohibit discrimination on the basis of handicap.
  • California Education Code, Education Equity section 200, et seq.
  • California Code of Regulations, Title 5, section 4900, et seq.

Reviews

CRR Selection Criteria

Federal law requires the CDE to conduct on-site reviews of 2.5 percent of the subrecipients offering CTE programs, or a maximum of 25 schools sites each year along with a district level review. The CDE develops a target plan to identify federally funded schools with CTE programs that might benefit from an on-site review. In applying the target plan, comparisons by race, sex, and disability status are made between the school’s general student population and the school’s CTE student population. These figures determine the percentage of variance among the groups. Other optional criteria may be used for further assessments, such as API Growth.

LEAs Selected for Reviews

2023–24 Schedule for Civil Rights Review
This is the list of LEAs and site(s) by region selected for a Civil Rights Review.

Training

Civil Rights Reviews (PPTX)
This presentation provides an overview of the Civil Rights, Career Technical Educational on-site review process.

Program Instrument

2023–24 Civil Rights Program Instrument (PDF)
2022–23 Civil Rights Program Instrument (PDF)

The Civil Rights Review contains specific federal legal requirements that will be tested during the monitoring process. The instrument provides examples of evidence that may be used to demonstrate compliance.

CDE Monitoring Tool (CMT)

The CDE Monitoring Tool (CMT) is a new Web-based tool, developed by the California Department of Education (CDE) to facilitates the monitoring of local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that they meet fiscal and program requirements of federal categorical programs and State funding they receive.

For additional information regarding the California Department of Education’s use of CMT, please visit the CMT Web page.

Correspondence

202324 Notification of LEAs Selection for Civil Rights Review (Dated 14-July-2023)
This letter was personalized and sent to Select District Superintendents, School Administrators and County Office of Education (COE) Monitoring Leads for civil rights compliance program reviews. To request a copy of the personalized letter, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity.

2022–23 Notification of LEAs Selection for Civil Rights Review (Dated 31-May-2022)
This letter was personalized and sent to Select District Superintendents and School Administrators for civil rights compliance program reviews. To request a copy of the personalized letter, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Resources

The resources listed below are from the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Right (OCR), and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Notice, Policy and Procedure

Services for Students with Disabilities

Admissions

Guidance and Counseling

Program Accessibility

Services for English Learners

Accommodating Student Interests and Abilities

Executive Orders

Other Resources

Questions:   Office of Equal Opportunity | oeocrr@cde.ca.gov | 916-445-9174
Last Reviewed: Thursday, November 09, 2023